Trends in health care spending for immigrants in the United States.
The suspected burden that undocumented immigrants may place on the U.S. health care system has been a flashpoint in health care and immigration reform debates. An examination of health care spending during 1999-2006 for adult naturalized citizens and immigrant noncitizens (which includes some undocumented immigrants) finds that the cost of providing health care to immigrants is lower than that of providing care to U.S. natives and that immigrants are not contributing disproportionately to high health care costs in public programs such as Medicaid. However, noncitizen immigrants were found to be more likely than U.S. natives to have a health care visit classified as uncompensated care.
Social and Behavioral Sciences, University of North Texas Health Science Center, Fort Worth, USA. jstimpso@hsc.unt.edu
Jim P
JP
Stimpson
Fernando A
FA
Wilson
Karl
K
Eschbach
D000328:Adult; D014487:Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, U.S.; D003625:Data Collection; D004641:Emigration and Immigration / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data / Q000639:trends; D005260:Female; D017048:Health Care Costs / Q000592:standards / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005102:Health Expenditures / Q000706:statistics & numerical data / Q000639:trends*; D006297:Health Services Accessibility / Q000191:economics; D006306:Health Surveys / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D054625:Healthcare Disparities / Q000706:statistics & numerical data / Q000639:trends*; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D008484:Medicaid / Q000191:economics; D017150:Public Sector / Q000191:economics; D014171:Transients and Migrants / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D017664:Uncompensated Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data / Q000639:trends; D014481:United States