New report shows children of Mexican immigrants face severe barriers to health insurance and care in

More than six million children of Mexican immigrants face significant challenges with access to health insurance and health care, according to a new report, Migration & Health: The Children of Mexican Immigrants in the United States.

The children, most of whom are U.S. citizens:

Face the worst barriers to health insurance.

• Over 1.5 million children of Mexican immigrants in the U.S. have no health insurance.
• They are about three times more likely than other children in the U.S. to be uninsured (19.4 percent vs. 6.8 percent).

Experience extensive barriers in obtaining health care services.

• Children of Mexican immigrants are three times more likely than children of U.S. born whites to have no usual place to obtain regular medical care (13.8 percent versus 3.9 percent).
• They are also three times more likely to depend on public clinics and health centers than other children (52.0 percent versus 16.7 percent).

Are at higher risk for several serious health conditions. 

• Young children (age three or younger) of Mexican immigrants are more likely to have anemia than children of U.S. born whites (28 versus 13 per 1000) and have high rates of obesity.

The report, available in both English and Spanish, will be released Oct. 5 at the IX Annual Binational Policy Forum on Migration and Health in Santa Fe, N.M..  The report is a collaborative effort between the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research, the Mexican National Population Council and the University of California, Berkeley.