Health Care Access for Mexican-Origin Immigrants: Across the Generations

Objective: Much of the research on Latino health focuses on the immigrant generation, with some studies considering the second generation born in the United States (US). However, little is known about the health and health care of the third and later generations. This study examines the access and use of health care services across generations for Mexican-origin adults compared to native-born Whites. Methods: Using data from the 2007 California Health Interview Survey, secondary data analysis is conducted restricting the sample to Mexican-origin and native-born White adults in California (n=37,606). The outcome measures of access and use of health care services include six yes/no dichotomous variables: insured during the past year, visited the doctor in the past year, visited the emergency room, delayed care, delayed prescriptions, and have a usual source of care. Mexican-origin adults are examined across first, second, and third-plus generations. Results: Multivariate analysis finds that first and second generation Mexican-origin immigrants have lower odds than native-born Whites for all access and use measures, controlling for demographics. Third-plus generation Mexican Americans are not statistically significant different from native-born Whites, except for delay of care, once we control for demographics. Conclusions: For all six outcomes first generation Mexican born immigrants have the most limited access and use of services. Second generation Mexican immigrants have lower odds of access and use of care than US-born Whites, however the difference is not as large as the first generation. For the third-plus generation, access and utilization rates are similar to that of US-born Whites, once we control for sociodemographics, health status, and insurance.