Effects of immigration on the health insurance status of natives

Abstract

The objective of the paper is to estimate the effects of immigration on natives' probability of having private coverage and being uninsured. To examine whether immigrants affected employers' decisions to offer health benefits the study estimates immigration effects on natives' probability of being offered, eligible for, and a policy-holder of health insurance. Although in many cases the effects are statistically significant, most effects are very small. The increase in immigrant labor supply from 1995 to 2005 increases natives' uninsurance rates by about 0.7 percentage points and reduces the natives' probability of being offered and a holder of coverage by 0.8 and 1.9 percentage points, respectively. Immigrants' weaker preferences for coverage relative to natives' may be the key factor in this result.