Determinants of Health Insurance Status for Children of Latino Immigrant and Other US Farm Workers

Abstract

Farm workers' children were uninsured at roughly 3 times the rate of all other children and almost twice the rate of those at or near the federal poverty level. Programs aimed at extending insurance coverage for children should consider the unique social barriers that characterize this vulnerable population of US children. Moreover, there is significant regional variation that may reflect varying levels of insurance resources and eligibility from state to state.

Health Care Access Among Hispanic Immigrants: ¿alguien Está Escuchando?[is Anybody Listening?]

“…Furthermore, children from migrant farm workers (i.e., seasonal agricultural workers that move around the U.S. during the year) are at even greater risk for not having access to health care. Rodriguez et al (2008) found that the caretaker's level of education and amount of time living in the U.S. were inversely associated with the risk of being uninsured among Hispanic children under 18 years; analyses were based on the Department of Labor National Agricultural Worker Survey. One‐third of the children in this sample were uninsured, with significant differences by migration status: 45 percent of migrant versus 30 percent of nonmigrant parents.…”

“…Also, insurance rates among children of Hispanic farm workers vary substantially across regions depending on state–specific resources and eligibility criteria. Thus, pursuing initiatives such as enhanced health insurance portability and reciprocity of Medicaid benefits can help address this gap (Rodriguez et al 2008). Second, the fear of deportation is likely to limit health care access seeking behaviors from Hispanic caretakers, even if their children were born in the U.S. and are thus entitled to be covered through programs for U.S. citizens (Casey et al 2004).…”

“…Also, changes in farm worker medical leave labor policies are needed to diminish the fear of losing a job for missing work because of the need to bring a child to receive health care (Weathers et al 2004). In addition to policy measures, community outreach efforts can go a long way to overcome well‐documented barriers including misunderstanding of eligibility guidelines, complex application forms and processes, lack of enrollment sites in rural areas, and fear of deportation (Flores et al 2006, Rodriguez et al 2008, Weathers et al 2004).…”

Loneliness of left‐behind children: a cross‐sectional survey in a sample of rural China

“…When these labour migrants leave their children behind with extended family members, a vulnerable group described as ‘left‐behind’ comes into being. The status of left‐behind children regarding nutrition, physical well‐being and behaviour have been examined (Rodriguez et al . 2008), but psychological, social and emotional problems have not been fully evaluated.…”

Physical Activity States of Preschool-Aged Latino Children in Farmworker Families: Predictive Factors and Relationship With BMI Percentile

“…3 Therefore, some parents are reluctant or unable to access government programs intended to provide children with adequate nutrition and access to medical care. 8 Children in farmworker families have been shown to lack health care at three times the rate of children whose parents are not farmworkers, 9 and over half have at least one unmet medical need, 10 limiting the ability of health care professionals to identify children as overweight and suggest courses of action to mitigate future excess weight gain.…”