35
Low-incomeMexicanandCentral American
immigrants have lower percentages of public
health insurance
Approximately half of Mexican immigrants who lack
health insurance live in low-income families. However,
like their Central American counterparts, their access
to public programs targeted at the most vulnerable
groups is extremely limited. Indeed, in2004onlyone
in five low-income Mexican immigrants benefited
from these programs (exclusively or combined with
private insurance), while in 2013 this rose to one in
four. On the other hand, African American, US-born
non-Hispanic whites and immigrants from other re-
gions had greater access to these programs (Figure
20). The increases in public coverage between 2004
and 2013 for most groups, except Central Ame-
ricans, was likely due to the efforts of many states
to increase coverage of low-income and immigrant
childrenmade possible by the
Children’s Health Insu-
ranceProgramReauthorizationAct
(chipra)of2009
(Saloner
et al
., 2014).
Note:
1/Incomeunder 150%of the federal poverty line for theUnitedStates.
Source: Migration Policy Bureau, SEGOB, based on U.S. Census Bureau,
Current Population Survey
(CPS), for March
2004and2013. IntegratedPublicUseMicrodataSeries (IPUMS)USA,Minneapolis: UniversityofMinnesota.
Figure20. Low-incomepopulation
1
of theUnitedStateswithhealth insurance,
by typeof Insurance, basedon regionof originandethnicityor race, 2004and2013
chapter i i •
access to health insurance and service use
