Research Article

Health insurance for undocumented immigrants: opportunities and barriers on the Mexican side of the US border

  1. Armando Arredondo1,*,
  2. Emanuel Orozco1,
  3. Steven P. Wallace2,3,
  4. Michael Rodríguez4

Article first published online: 5 AUG 2011

DOI: 10.1002/hpm.1100

Issue

The International Journal of Health Planning and Management

The International Journal of Health Planning and Management

Volume 27, Issue 1, pages 50–62, January/March 2012

Additional Information

How to Cite

Arredondo, A., Orozco, E., Wallace, S. P. and Rodríguez, M. (2012), Health insurance for undocumented immigrants: opportunities and barriers on the Mexican side of the US border. Int. J. Health Plann. Mgmt., 27: 50–62. doi: 10.1002/hpm.1100

Author Information

  1. 1

    National Institute of Public Health, Cuernavaca, Mexico

  2. 2

    Department of Community Health Sciences, University of California—Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA

  3. 3

    Center for Health Policy Research, University of California—Los Angeles, Los Angeles,, California, USA

  4. 4

    Department of Family Medicine, University of California—Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA

*A. Arredondo, National Institute of Public Health—Mexico Av Univ 655, Cuernavaca, México. E-mail: armando.arredondo@insp.mx

Publication History

  1. Issue published online: 2 MAR 2012
  2. Article first published online: 5 AUG 2011
  3. Manuscript Accepted: 2 JUN 2011
  4. Manuscript Revised: 14 MAR 2011
  5. Manuscript Received: 7 OCT 2010

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Keywords:

  • binational health insurance;
  • undocumented immigrants;
  • Mexico;
  • USA

SUMMARY

Objective

This article aims to identify opportunities, barriers and challenges in Mexico's policy networks for the development of healthcare programs for undocumented migrants in the USA and their families.

Methods

We used policy analysis, in-depth interviews and a case study. Key stakeholders at the federal, state and municipal levels in one major migrant-sending state were interviewed. We also conducted an in-depth case study of one community to obtain the perceptions of local health workers, migrant families and local nongovernmental organizations.

Results

Findings identified opportunities and barriers involving the stakeholders, institutions, social interactions and types of relationships necessary for further progress on binational policies. There was wide interest in creating binational health insurance with different degrees of potential involvement by political actors and variation in local actors' willingness to be covered by some type of health insurance scheme.

Conclusions

The use of the opportunities to overcome barriers depends on the identification of high, medium or low interaction among key stakeholders, integration of coalitions and negotiating skills of all stakeholders involved. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

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