title: Assessing health care services used by California's undocumented immigrant population in 2010.
abstract: Undocumented immigrants were excluded from the health benefit Marketplaces created by the Affordable Care Act partly because of claims that they contribute to problems such as high costs and emergency department (ED) crowding. This article examines the likely health care use and costs of undocumented immigrants in California in 2009-10. Using data from the 2009 California Health Interview Survey (CHIS), we developed a model that estimated the state's adult and child undocumented immigrant population, since the survey does not explicitly inquire about undocumented status. The survey also provided information on insurance status, doctor visits, and ED visits in the previous year. We found that undocumented immigrants in California, and the uninsured among them, had fewer or similar numbers of doctor visits, ED visits, and preventive services use compared to US citizens and other immigrant groups. Allowing undocumented immigrants to purchase insurance in the Marketplaces and ensuring receipt of low-cost preventive services can contribute to lower premiums and reduce resource strains on safety-net providers.
authors.forename: Nadereh
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Pourat
authors.forename: Steven P
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Wallace
authors.forename: Max W
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Hadler
authors.forename: Ninez
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ponce
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002140:California; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003625:Data Collection; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006296:Health Services / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006300:Health Services Misuse / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D019458:Insurance Coverage / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008297:Male; D058991:Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012017:Referral and Consultation / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D064876:Safety-net Providers / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014171:Transients and Migrants / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014600:Utilization Review / Q000706:statistics & numerical data
keywords: Access To Care; Emergency Room; Health Benefit Exchange; Health Reform; Undocumented