Mind the Gap: Parents' Citizenship as Predictor of Latino Children's Health Insurance

Parents' citizenship appears to be correlated with high rates of uninsurance and low rates of job-based insurance among Latino citizen children in families headed by citizens and non-citizens. Few studies have examined the direct relationship between parents' citizenship and children's insurance status. Data for U.S.-born Latino and non-Latino white children ages 0–18 years in working two-parent households obtained from the March 2001 Current Population Survey were analyzed. Results from logistic regressions were adjusted for a design effect to account for survey design. After controlling for other sociodemographic and employment characteristics, only Latino children in families headed by non-citizen couples are more likely to be uninsured and less likely to have employer-based insurance than others in the dataset. Even controlling for non-citizen parents' duration in the U.S., citizenship status of the head of household predicts children's coverage. Latino children are more likely to have health insurance if they have at least one citizen parent. Continued and varied efforts are needed to promote coverage among U.S.-born Latino children.