Working immigrant Latinos in California, 2001: An analysis of the impact of years of U.S. residency on their take-up of health insurance coverage

Research Objective: This study investigates the relationship between immigration and health insurance coverage among working Latinos in California and examines the impact immigration has in determining the take-up of public and private coverage.

Study Design: The study is a secondary data analysis of the Health Insurance Coverage Among Working Latinos in California, 2001 Survey (Greenwald, 2001). A telephone survey of 1,000 laborers was conducted. Respondents' were asked about their coverage, health status and access to care. Multinomial logistics regression is used to analyze public, private and lack of coverage.

Population Studied: The sample was distributed across a variety of coverage types and was categorized by the source of coverage (employer-sponsored, government-sponsored, or purchased coverage). Approximately 70.1% of the sample held some form of coverage while only 29.9% lacked any form of coverage.

Principal Findings: US immigrant Latino workers are at great risk of not possessing any form coverage. This disparity is noteworthy in this sample among those in construction, manufacturing and agricultural/mining/landscaping. Of those who did not possess any form of coverage, greater than 50% worked more than 40-plus hours per week. The rate of insurance was 70.1% while only 29.9% lacked any form of coverage. Factors affecting insurance status and type are explored further in the multi-nomial regressional analysis.

Conclusions: Healthcare reform policies aimed increasing access to healthcare for Latino immigrants should consider hours worked and industry of employment. Policymakers must revisit eligibility requirements for government-sponsored coverage to increase access.