Unauthorized Immigrants Spend Less Than Other Immigrants And US Natives On Health Care

Unauthorized Immigrants Prolong the Life of Medicare’s Trust Fund

“…3 In addition, the imputation procedure we used to estimate unauthorized immigrants' Medicare contributions and expenditures may have limitations, which have been described in other papers that have used this method. 11,12,40 However, given the limited availability of reliable data about the legal status of immigrants in large surveys, the imputation method we used appears reasonably reliable. A sensitivity analysis based on the estimated variation in size of the unauthorized population 41 suggests that unauthorized immigrants provided a subsidy of between $33.6 and $36.5 billion between 2000 and 2011.…”

“…Although the Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP) contains questions used by others to identify unauthorized persons, 33 we used the CPS because of the higher numbers of foreign-born respondents [27,889 (author's analysis, compared to the SIPP's 10,530 33 in 2008)]. To estimate unauthorized immigrants' CPS contributions and MEPS expenditures, an imputation procedure modeled after Stimpson et al (2013) was employed; details are described elsewhere. 11 In brief, we developed a multivariate regression model to predict all noncitizen immigrants' expenditures (or contributions).…”

“…To estimate unauthorized immigrants' CPS contributions and MEPS expenditures, an imputation procedure modeled after Stimpson et al (2013) was employed; details are described elsewhere. 11 In brief, we developed a multivariate regression model to predict all noncitizen immigrants' expenditures (or contributions). We then used the model to impute unauthorized immigrants' expenditures (or contributions) based on differences in demographic, economic, and other characteristics.…”

“…[8][9][10] While public debate and policy are driven by these concerns, data suggest that unauthorized immigrants utilize less health care than US natives, even those enrolled in some public programs. 11,12 Only 7.9 % of unauthorized immigrants incur publicly financed health expenditures (averaging $140 per person annually), compared to 30.1 % of US natives (who received $1,385 per person annually). 11 While we previously assessed…”

“…11,12 Only 7.9 % of unauthorized immigrants incur publicly financed health expenditures (averaging $140 per person annually), compared to 30.1 % of US natives (who received $1,385 per person annually). 11 While we previously assessed…”