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 Health & Beauty | February 2008 
Study Finds Cross-Border Health Insurance Possible
 Madeline Mccurry Schmidt - The California Aggie
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A study released last week from UC Berkeley found that there is a willingness among Mexican immigrants to pay for cross-border health insurance. The report, published in Health Affairs, found that 62 percent of responding Mexican immigrants would support a cross-border health insurance plan.
According to the report, conducted in 2005, there were 11 million Mexican-born people living in the United States in 2005. The cross-border health insurance plan would not only concern Mexican immigrants nationwide, UC Davis students could be affected as well.
According to the Cross Cultural Center at UC Davis, there are approximately 2,373 students of Mexican descent at UC Davis. This includes undergraduate and graduate students. In 2007, there were 92 international students and scholars from Mexico on campus, according to the UC Davis University Outreach and International Program.
"The Mexican population here is desperate to have a health insurance plan," said Xóchitl Castañeda, coauthor of the report and director of the Health Initiative of the Americas at UC Berkeley.
There are already two health insurance plans in California that aid Mexican immigrants. California is the only state to share a cross-border insurance plan with Mexico. Castaneda said Health Net and Access Baja, offered through Blue Shield, are helping the immigrant population.
"For sure they are doing a wonderful service," Castaneda said. "They can be improved by extending the area in which they provide service."
David Kyle, an associate professor of sociology at UC Davis, said a cross-border health insurance plan should not come before a plan to help Mexican immigrants on this side of the border. Kyle said it is difficult and expensive for immigrants to cross the border often.
"The main focus should be on getting [Mexican immigrants] health insurance and health care this side of the border," Kyle said.
Castaneda said about 90 percent of Mexican immigrants in the U.S. are employed, a higher percentage of employment than among native-born U.S. citizens. Castaneda said job conditions contribute to health concerns for many immigrants. The cost of seeking medical care is a problem for many Mexican immigrants.
According to the report, titled "Willingness to Pay for Cross-Border Health Insurance between the United States and Mexico," 72 percent of respondents were sick in the previous year and 70 percent visited a doctor in the previous year. Those surveyed were chosen randomly but had to be old enough to pay for health insurance and had to have some relationship with Mexico.
The study also found that Mexican immigrants with relatives still in Mexico were more likely to support a cross-border health insurance plan. According to the report, Mexican immigrants in the U.S. sent $20 billion back to relatives in Mexico mostly to cover health care costs.
Of respondents, 57 percent said they would pay $75 to $100 a month for cross-border coverage. Castaneda said this is a realistic price since the current health insurance plans are often about $400 a month.
The survey was funded by UC Berkeley's California Program on Access to Care and The Health Initiative of the Americas.
Madeline Mccurry Schmidt can be reached at campus(at)californiaaggie.com. |
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