Differences in health insurance, employment prospects and health service use: evidence from longitudinal and cross-sectional analyses of U.S. legal permanent residents

Compared to people born in the U.S., immigrants generally are employed in low quality and low paying jobs that do not offer health insurance. They are also known to not have a set place where they can get routine treatment. This is troubling because it suggests that immigrants are more likely to be poor and less likely to receive crucial preventative care to sustain long term health. However, some have backgrounds, such as high education, income, job trainings and legal documentation that help them overcome challenges in accessing good employment and healthcare. In this study, I wanted to know if differences in immigrants’ visa types affect their chance of getting health insurance, employment, and treatment from an inpatient or outpatient facility. I also wanted to know if immigrants doing jobs that require different skill levels have different chances of getting health insurance. I found that the type of visa an immigrant has can affect opportunities of getting insurance, employment and getting treated at both inpatient and outpatient centers. Health insurance was an important contributor to whether immigrants with different visas received treatment. Immigrants with the diversity visa were least likely to access these resources, thus, should be prioritized when intervening. Working in either medium or low skill jobs reduced chances of getting health insurance. This knowledge can help lawmakers better understand the immigrant population and their unique needs. Lawmakers can reference these results to decide whether to remove laws that prevent certain groups of immigrants from accessing healthcare and employment.