Many US Citizen Migrant Children Living In Mexico Have Inadequate Health Coverage

Children born in the United States are born US citizens. Some of these children are born to immigrant parents who returned to their country of origin, either voluntarily or because they were deported.

In 2015, more than half a million US citizen children lived in Mexico having returned with their parents. These children may face language and school adjustments, stressful living arrangements and economic and heath challenges. Fewer than half of them report holding Mexican citizenship, complicating their access to health and social services.

The well-being of US citizen children living in Mexico is the topic of today's A Health Podyssey. Sharon Borja, an assistant professor from the University of Houston, joins the program to discuss research she and colleagues published in the July 2021 issue of Health Affairs, an issue dedicated to borders, immigrants, and health.

In the issue, Borja and colleagues investigated health insurance coverage among US citizen migrant children living in Mexico. They found that about half of US citizen migrant children living in Mexico had limited, inadequate health insurance, which is a barrier to receiving necessary health care services.

Order your copy of the July 2021 issue of Health Affairs.

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