While the uninsured population in the United States is still dominated by native-born Americans, it is becoming increasingly comprised of immigrants, who account for about 55 percent of the increase in the U.S. uninsured population over a 12-year period ending in 2006, according to a study released by the nonpartisan Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI).
The study found that:
• In 1994 immigrants accounted for 18.8 percent of the U.S. uninsured population, while by 2006 they accounted for 26.6 percent of the uninsured population. During the same period, native-born Americans dropped as a percentage of the uninsured, from 81.2 percent in 1994 to 73.4 percent in 2006.
• The uninsured immigrant population increased from 6.9 million in 1994 to 12.3 million in 2006, an 80 percent increase. By comparison, the uninsured native-born population increased from 29.7 million to 34.1 million, a 15 percent increase over the same period.
• Immigrants are much more likely to be uninsured than native-born citizens. More than 46 percent of foreign-born noncitizens were uninsured in 2006. This compares with 19.9 percent uninsured among foreign-born individuals who have become U.S. citizens and 15 percent uninsured among native-born persons.
• Whether an immigrant is uninsured is highly correlated with his or her length of time in the United States. Just over 27 percent of foreign-born noncitizens who entered the United States before 1970 were uninsured in 2006. This compares with 45.5 percent uninsured among foreign-born noncitizens who entered the United States during the 1980s and 49 percent uninsured among foreign-born noncitizens who entered the country during 2000–2006.
• Immigrants are disproportionately employed in low-wage jobs, in small firms and in service or trade occupations, jobs that are less likely to offer health benefits.
• Well over half (58.8 percent) of the uninsured immigrant population is concentrated in four states. Based on a three-year average across 2004–2006, those four states are: California (27.1 percent), Texas (14.0 percent), Florida (9.9 percent) and New York (7.7 percent).
In addition, the study reports that the relative lack of employment-based health coverage for immigrants is compounded by the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Act of 1996, which imposed a five-year ban on receipt of health and other public programs by most newly arrived legal immigrants.
Source: Employee Benefit Research Institute, August 5, 2008
http://www.ebri.org/pdf/PR_809_05Aug08.pdf
