The Affordable Care Act and Health Care Access and Utilization Among White, Asian, and Latino Immigrants in California

Bibliographic Data

ID9104580
AuthorsJun Chu (0000-0002-4610-9365, Department of Health Policy and Management, School of Public Health, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, corresponding author), Alexander N Ortega (0000-0001-6861-6993, Drexel University), Sungchul Park (0000-0002-7546-9685, Drexel University), Arturo Vargas Bustamante (0000-0003-0414-5015, University of California, Los Angeles), Arturo Vargas-Bustamante (Department of Health Policy and Management, Fielding School of Public Health, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA), Dylan H Roby (0000-0001-5005-9287, Department of Health Policy and Management, School of Public Health, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, corresponding author)
Year2021
Volume59
Issue9
Pages762-767
Publication date2021-09-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueMedical Care (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0025-7079 • E-ISSN: 1537-1948
PublisherOvid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer Health) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1097/mlr.0000000000001586
PMID34081680
OpenAlexW3164902472
LanguageEN
Citations received6
References cited24

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to examine changes in health care access and utilization for White, Asian, and Latino immigrants associated with the implementation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) in California. STUDY DESIGN: Using the 2011-2013 and 2015-2017 California Health Interview Survey, we examined changes in 2 health care access and 2 utilization measures among 3 immigrant racial/ethnic groups. We estimated the unadjusted and adjusted percentage point changes in the pre-ACA and post-ACA periods. Adjusted estimates were obtained using linear probability models controlling for predisposing, enabling, and need factors. RESULTS: After the ACA was nationally implemented in 2014, rates of insurance increased for non-Latino (NL) White, NL Asian, and Latino immigrant groups in California. Latino immigrants had the largest increase in insurance coverage (14.3 percentage points), followed by NL Asian immigrants (9.9 percentage points) and NL White immigrants (9.2 percentage points). Despite benefitting from the largest increase in insurance coverage, the proportion of insured Latino immigrants was still lower than that of NL White and NL Asian immigrants. Latino immigrants reported a small but significant decrease in the usual source of care (-2.8 percentage points) and an increase in emergency department utilization (2.9 percentage points) after the ACA. No significant changes were found after the ACA in health care access and utilization among NL White and NL Asian immigrants. CONCLUSIONS: Insurance coverage increased significantly for these 3 immigrant groups after the ACA. While Latino immigrants had the largest gain in insurance coverage, the proportion of Latino immigrants with insurance remained the lowest among the 3 immigrant racial/ethnic groups

Asian americans · Ethnic group · Geography · Health care · Health insurance · Immigration · Political science · Sociology · White (mutation) · Demography · Healthcare Policy and Management · Interpreting and Communication in Healthcare · Medicine · Migration, Health and Trauma · Gerontology