title: Improving access to health care for undocumented immigrants in the United States.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To identify policies that increase access to health care for undocumented Mexican immigrants.
  
  
  METHODS
  Four focus groups (n=34 participants) were conducted with uninsured Mexican immigrants in Los Angeles, California. The feasibility and desirability of different policy proposals for increasing access were discussed by each group.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Respondents raised significant problems with policies including binational health insurance, expanded employer-provided health insurance, and telemedicine. The only solution with a consensus that the change would be feasible, result in improved access, and they had confidence in was expanded access to community health centers (CHC's).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Given the limited access to most specialists at CHC's and the continued barriers to hospital care for those without health insurance, the most effective way of improving the complete range of health services to undocumented immigrants is through immigration reform that will bring these workers under the other health care reform provisions.
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health, Department of Community Health Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, USA.
authors.forename: Steven P
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Wallace
authors.affiliation: Center for Health Policy Research, University of California, Los Angeles, USA.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rodriguez
authors.affiliation: Center for Health Policy Research, University of California, Los Angeles, USA.
authors.forename: Imelda
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Padilla-Frausto
authors.affiliation: Centro de Investigación en Sistemas de Salud, Instituto Nacional de Salud Pública, Cuernavaca, México.
authors.forename: Armando
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Arredondo
authors.affiliation: Centro de Investigación en Sistemas de Salud, Instituto Nacional de Salud Pública, Cuernavaca, México.
authors.forename: Emanuel
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Orozco
mesh_terms: D002140:California; D006297:Health Services Accessibility / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D007348:Insurance, Health; D008800:Mexico / Q000208:ethnology; D000069756:Undocumented Immigrants