Health Care Use Among Latinx Children After 2017 Executive Actions on Immigration

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Health Services Research
• Health Policy

Background:

• US immigration policy shifts can influence healthcare access for Latinx children.
• Restrictive immigration executive actions, implemented in January 2017, were hypothesized to decrease healthcare utilization among Latinx children.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of restrictive US immigration executive actions on healthcare access among Latinx children.
• To assess changes in outpatient cancellation and no-show rates following immigration policy changes.

Main Methods:

• Controlled interrupted time series analysis was employed.
• Data from four North Carolina healthcare systems (October 2016–March 2017) were analyzed.
• Control groups included non-Latinx children and Latinx children from a prior year to account for seasonality.

Main Results:

• An immediate 5.7% decrease in cancellation rates was observed among all Latinx children.
• Uninsured Latinx children experienced an initial 12.7% decrease in cancellations, followed by a sustained weekly increase.
• No significant changes in no-show rates were detected for any group.

Conclusions:

• Sustained increases in cancellations among uninsured Latinx children suggest reduced healthcare access.
• Continued monitoring of immigration policy effects on child health is crucial.
• Measures are needed to ensure all children receive essential healthcare services.