in brief
Medical Care in Mexico
Californians Seek
Driven by rising health-care costs at home, nearly 1 million Califor- nians cross the border each year to seek medical care in Mexico, according to a research paper by UCLA researchers published in the journal,
Medical Care.
An estimated 952,000 California adults sought medical, dental or
prescription services in Mexico annually. Of these, 488,000 were Mexican immigrants, according to the paper, “Heading South: Why Mexican
Immigrants in California Seek Health Services in Mexico.” The paper is
the first large-scale population-based research published on U.S. residents
who travel to Mexico for health services. It is based on an analysis of 2001
data from the California Health Interview Survey, the nation’s largest state
health survey.
Cost and lack of insurance were primary reasons both Mexican and
non-Mexican U.S. residents sought health services across the border. Both
“long-stay” Mexican immigrants (those in the U.S. for more than 15 years)
and “short-stay” immigrants (fewer than 15 years) have high rates of being
uninsured: 51. 5 percent of short-stay immigrants and 29 percent of long-stay immigrants do not have medical insurance.
Both short-stay and long-stay immigrants have even higher rates of not
being insured for dental care: 77.6 percent and 51. 6 percent, respectively. Not surprisingly, dental care was the most common service obtained by
immigrants. Among non-Latino whites, prescription drugs were the most
common medical service obtained in Mexico.
Other findings show that immigrants who travel to Mexico for health
services are not necessarily the poorest. One explanation: The cost of
travel may offset any financial savings, creating a disincentive for the very
poor to travel. For more information, visit www.newsroom.ucla.edu.
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