Unfriendly shores: How immigrant children fare in the US health system

The proliferation of poor immigrant children in the United States raises co ncern about their high uninsurance rates and access to care. We examined th e joint effects of health insurance status and place of birth on use of hea lth services by children of the working poor. Of foreign-born children, 52 percent were uninsured and 66 percent had a regular care source, compared w ith 20 percent and 92 percent, respectively, of native-born children. Forei gn-born uninsured children were less likely than their native-born peers we re to have a regular care source or to have sought care. Health insurance a nd immigration policies must act in concert to increase health care access for foreign-born children.