title: Uninsurance, underinsurance, and health care utilization in Mexico by US border residents.
abstract: Using data from the 2008 Cross-Border Utilization of Health Care Survey, we examined the relationship between United States (US) health insurance coverage plans and the use of health care services in Mexico by US residents of the US-Mexico border region. We found immigrants were far more likely to be uninsured than their native-born counterparts (63 vs. 27.8 %). Adults without health insurance coverage were more likely to purchase medications or visit physicians in Mexico compared to insured adults. However, adults with Medicaid coverage were more likely to visit dentists in Mexico compared to uninsured adults. Improving health care access for US residents in the southwestern border region of the country will require initiatives that target not only providing coverage to the large uninsured population but also improving access to health care services for the large underinsured population.
authors.affiliation: Center for Reducing Health Disparities, College of Public Health, University of Nebraska Medical Center, 984340 Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, 68198-4340, USA, dejun.su@unmc.edu.
authors.forename: Dejun
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Su
authors.forename: William
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Pratt
authors.forename: Jim P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Stimpson
authors.forename: Rebeca
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Wong
authors.forename: José A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Pagán
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D054242:Emigrants and Immigrants / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D004641:Emigration and Immigration; D005260:Female; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D006801:Humans; D019458:Insurance Coverage / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D007348:Insurance, Health / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008297:Male; D017057:Medically Uninsured / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008800:Mexico; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States