This brief article from HealthDay (via MedlinePlus Health News) summarizes the findings of a recent study that analyzed four specific subsets of data from the 2003 California Health Interview Survey to identify patterns in the healthcare choices and experiences of California Hispanics — patterns which are very much worth our attention here in South Texas.
The study, entitled “Health Care Access, Use of Services, and Experiences Among Undocumented Mexicans and Other Latinos,” analyzed responses from four specific subsets of the 42,000+ respondents to the 2003 CHIS: 1,317 undocumented Mexicans, 2,851 US-born Mexicans, 271 undocumented Hispanics from countries other than Mexico, and 852 US-born Hispanics from non-Mexican heritage. Results found that…
undocumented Mexicans had 1.6 fewer physician visits compared with US-born Mexicans; other undocumented Latinos had 2.1 fewer visits compared with their US-born counterparts. Both undocumented groups were less likely to report difficulty obtaining necessary health care than US-born Mexicans and other US-born Latinos. Undocumented Mexicans were less likely to have a usual source of care and were more likely to report negative experiences than US-born Mexicans. Findings were similar for other undocumented Latinos, with the exception of having a usual source of care. Patterns of access to and use of health care services tended to improve with changing legal status.
Here’s the citation for the complete study:
Ortega AN, Fang H, Perez VH, Rizzo JA, Carter-Pokras O, Wallace SP, Gelberg, L. Health Care Access, Use of Services, and Experiences Among Undocumented Mexicans and Other Latinos. Arch Intern Med 2007;167(21):2354-2360. http://archinte.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/167/21/2354 
