Immigrant perceptions of discrimination in Healthcare: the California Health Interview Survey 2003 (Medical Care)

Background: US healthcare disparities may be due in part to differential experiences of discrimination in healthcare. Previous research about discrimination has focused on race/ethnicity. Because immigrants are clustered in certain racial and ethnic groups, failure to consider immigration status could distort race/ethnicity effects.

Objectives: The authors examined whether foreign-born persons are more likely to report discrimination in healthcare than US-born persons in the same race/ethnic group, whether the immigration effect varies by race/ethnicity, and whether the immigration effect is "explained" by sociodemographic factors.   Research Design: Cross-sectional analysis of the 2003 California Health Interview Survey. Logistic regression models use replicate weights to adjust for non-response and complex survey design.   Subjects: 42,044 adult respondents.   Outcome Measure: Respondent reports that there was a time when they would have gotten better
medical care if they had belonged to a different race or ethnic group.   Results: 7% of Blacks and Latinos and 4% of Asians reported healthcare discrimination within the past 5 years. Immigrants were more likely to report discrimination than US-born persons, adjusting for race/ethnicity. For Asians, only the foreign-born were more likely than Whites to report discrimination. For Latinos, increased perceptions of discrimination were attributable to sociodemographic factors for the US-born, but not for the foreign-born. Speaking a language other than English at home increased discrimination reports regardless of birthplace; private insurance was protective for the US-born only.

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Publication Authors:

• Diane S. Lauderdale
• et al