Inequities in immigrants’ access to health care services: disentangling potential barriers

Abstract

This study aims to empirically assess whether immigrants suffer from unequal access to health care services, that add to prevailing socioeconomic barriers to care. Using a uniquely rich Italian health survey, we estimate the correlation between immigrant status and the probability of accessing health services, conditional on a rich set of individual and territorial characteristics. Results show that foreigners are more likely to contact emergency services and less likely to visit specialist doctors and use preventive care. Similar results hold for second-generation immigrants. We discuss the sources of observed inequities and suggest tentative policy implications to promote equal access.

Health Care and Migration: What Data Can Tell Us of the Hard-to-Measure Impact of Migrants on the European Health Systems

“…On the specific issue of the impact on European public finances, there is no evidence that in Europe, legal migrants, especially the highly qualified ones, are net beneficiaries of social transfers by the state even though there is a residual dependence on their non-contributory character and that migrants are more likely to approach countries with more generous welfare systems (Preston 2014;Boeri 2009;Boeri et al 2002). In several countries migrants have thus largely supported the local public finances and not affected public health sector performances (Alfano et al 2016;Devillanova and Frattini 2016;Gimeno-Feliu et al 2016;Giuntella and Mazzonna 2015;Wadsworth et al 2016;Wadsworth 2013;Dustmann and Frattini 2014;Gee and Giuntella 2011;Steventon and Bardsley 2011).…”

Disparities in emergency department use between Italians and migrants residing in Rome, Italy: the Rome Dynamic Longitudinal Study from 2005 to 2015

“…There might be different explanations of such pattern. Emergency services are easier to access for migrants and they provide an immediate solution to their healthcare needs by reducing linguistic, bureaucratic, economic, cultural and organizational barriers that migrants may face [ 21 , 24 , 40 , 59 ] when trying to access primary (general practitioners) and secondary (specialist visits) care. Thus, they may tend to use the ED as a first choice [ 36 , 41 , 70 ].…”

“…Time [55][56][57][58][59][60][61][62][63][64], and gender (males as reference category) are considered as confounders.…”

“…In the Italian literature, evidence on migrants' health and their use of health services is poor [47][48][49][50][51][52][53][54][55], and few studies focus on the ED utilisation rate [56][57][58][59]. What is more, as far as we know there are no studies which analyse changes in ED use during the Great Recession.…”

Effects of acculturation, coping strategies, locus of control, and self-efficacy on chronic pain: study of Chinese immigrant women in Italy – insights from a thematic field analysis

“…For example, in various surveys performed by Naga, an important Italian voluntary association that offers free medical care to immigrants, Chinese communities are underrepresented, as such research tends to include subjects who trust Western medicine. 25 , 26 Very little is known about how Chinese women in Italy live with and face chronic pain. The present pilot research was aimed at starting to fill this gap of knowledge.…”