Inclusive state policies boost health insurance coverage for Latino noncitizens

Granting more rights and protections to Latino noncitizens may help improve their access to health

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Non-citizen Latinos living in states that have policies that include and protect them are more likely to have health insurance compared to those living in states that lack such policies, according to a new fact sheet from the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research.   However, their overall chance of having health insurance is still far below that of naturalized Latino immigrants and Latino citizens.  

 ''Immigrants are likely to be healthier in states with friendly policies,'' said Maria-Elena Young, author of the fact sheet. ''But they still lag far behind naturalized Latinos and even farther behind citizens generally.'' Building on findings from a recent study, Young found that adult noncitizen Latinos living in states that give noncitizens greater access to higher education, workplace and other policy protections, such as California and Washington, are nearly 10 percent more likely to have health insurance compared to states that have restricted policies, such as Ohio and Alabama.   Yet, the probability of noncitizen Latinos having insurance still lags far behind that of naturalized and U.S.-born Latinos.   ''There are health benefits not only from health care policies, but from policies that expand rights and opportunities where Latino immigrants study, work, and seek services,'' Young said. ''However, many states still lack these policies. What we need are leaps in policy improvements to improve the health environment for noncitizens.''   ​Read the fact sheet: Latino Immigrants Have Higher Rates of Health Insurance in States with Inclusive Policies  

About the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research
The UCLA Center for Health Policy Research (CHPR) is one of the nation’s leading health policy research centers and the premier source of health policy information for California. UCLA CHPR improves the public’s health through high quality, objective, and evidence-based research and data that informs effective policymaking. UCLA CHPR is the home of the California Health Interview Survey (CHIS) and is part of the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health. For more information, visit healthpolicy.ucla.edu.