Summary
Summary: Since the 1960s the immigrant population in the United States has increased fourfold, reaching 44.7 million, or 13.7 percent of the U.S. population, in 2018. The shifting immigrant demography presents several challenges for U.S. health policy makers. Authors examine recent trends in immigrant health and health care after the Great Recession and the nationwide implementation of the Affordable Care Act.
This study uses data from the 2011–2018 California Health Interview Surveys (CHIS).
Findings: Recent immigrants are more likely to have lower incidence of chronic health conditions than other groups in the U.S., although these differences vary along the citizenship and documentation status continuum. Health care inequities among immigrants and U.S.-born residents increased after the Great Recession and later diminished after the Affordable Care Act took effect. Unremitting inequities remain, however, particularly among noncitizen immigrants. The number of aging immigrants is growing, which will present a challenge to the expansion of coverage to this population. Health care and immigration policy changes are needed to integrate immigrants successfully into the U.S. health care system.
Read the Publication:
- Journal Article: Health Policy Challenges Posed by Shifting Demographics and Health Trends Among Immigrants to The United States