title: Immigrant-Native Disparities in Perceived and Actual Met/Unmet Need for Medical Care.
abstract: This study compares the unmet medical needs of foreign-born and U.S.-born adults. Both subjective and objective unmet medical needs are considered, and the roles of duration of U.S. residence, English language proficiency, and state-level destination type in explaining immigrants' unmet need are assessed. Multivariate analyses of the 2007-2009 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey reveal that immigrants reported less subjective unmet need and equal or greater objective unmet need vis-à-vis natives. Among immigrants only, living less than 5 years in the U.S. and in a new or traditional, high-skill destination state versus a traditional, low-skill state is significantly associated with greater objective, but not subjective, unmet need. While this study reinforces the importance of stable health insurance and, to a lesser extent, income for gaining entry to the formal healthcare system for both immigrants and natives, it also highlights the need to identify factors that influence immigrants' positive health-related perceptions, including characteristics of the healthcare system in origin countries.
authors.affiliation: Department of Sociology and Population Research Institute, Pennsylvania State University, 211 Oswald Tower, University Park, PA, 16802-6207, USA, stephaniehowe14@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Stephanie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Howe Hasanali
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D054242:Emigrants and Immigrants / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006297:Health Services Accessibility / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D007348:Insurance, Health / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D007802:Language; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010465:Perception; D044469:Racial Groups; D012737:Sex Factors; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013997:Time Factors