25
Chapter II
Access toHealth Insuranceand ServiceUse
The analysis compares the situation in 2004
with that in 2013, based on data from the
Current
Population Survey
(cps) and the
National Health
Interview Survey
(nhis).
1
The impact of the imple-
mentationof theacawill be reflected in the resultsof
surveys undertakenafter 2013.
Coverageandtype
ofhealth insurance
Approximately6.2millionMexican
immigrants lackhealth insurance
Mexican immigrants face a series of obstacles that
restrict their access to awide array of services for the
prevention, diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation
of illnesses. This has negative consequences for their
health, both physical and mental, and exacerbates
theirmarginalized condition in theUnitedStates.
In 2013, approximately 6.2 million Mexican
immigrants were living in the United States without
health insurance, a figure that has decreased since
2007, likelydue to thedecrease in theundocumented
population (Figure11).
1
Given the limitations of the NHIS sample size, which prevent stable
estimates for a single year, the periods 2004-2005 and 2012-2013
were analyzed.
Introduction
Mexican immigrants in the United States face consi-
derable difficulties in receiving health care, which can
haveanegativeeffect on their physical andemotional
health. The exclusion of a considerable segment of
this population from health insurance coverage re-
flects their disadvantage in terms of labor and social
integration, and limits their ability to use health care
services appropriately.
The
Patient Protection and Affordable Care
Act
(aca), whose major provisions took effect in
2014, isexpected to increase thenumberofMexican
immigrants with health insurance coverage. However,
given that over half of those with undocumented
status areMexican, a significant segment will remain
excluded (see box I). This chapter compares immi-
grant populations from Mexico, Central America
and other regions with US-born whites and African
Americans, and highlights the differences in terms of
health insurance coverage and use of health services.
It also explores the relationships between coverage
and the different situations directly linked to themi-
grant experience, such as length of stay and citizen-
ship status. It also shows the disadvantages faced by
Mexican and Central Americanmigrants to receiving
timely health care in theUnited States.
