Immigrant Children's Health Insurance Coverage by Maternal Region of Origin and Acculturation

Daphne C. Hernandez, Pennsylvania State University

Among a sample of US-born children of immigrants, we assess the association between the mother’s region of origin and acculturation on health insurance coverage using the Early Childhood Longitudinal Survey - Kindergarten Cohort data set. Results indicate that children whose mothers are from Latin America and Mexico compared to Europe/Canada are at greater risk of being uninsured versus having public or private coverage. Children whose mothers are from Latin America and the Caribbean compared to Europe/Canada are at greater risk of receiving public coverage than private. Overall, children of less acculturated mothers are at increased risk of being uninsured or receiving public insurance; U.S. citizenship mediates the increased risk of Mexican immigrant children being uninsured versus receiving private coverage. We discuss the findings in relation to socioeconomic factors from the mother’s region of origin and the potential for education to increase health insurance coverage among U.S.-born children of immigrants.