Examines the twin effects of health insurance status and place of birth on use of health services by children of the working poor. Previous studies have demonstrated that foreign-born children are at high risk for being underinsured compared to children who are born in the United States and that wide racial variations in insurance coverage exist among the foreign born. The present study involved a random sample of children from the 1997 National Health Interview Survey, sponsored each year by the National Center for Health Statistics. Findings suggested a clear hierarchy in access to health care: foreign-born children in working poor families had lower use of health care than their U.S.-born counterparts, uninsured children were worse off than insured children, and uninsured foreign-born children had the worst access to health care. Moreover, foreign-born uninsured children in less-than-excellent health faced more barriers to timely access to health care than did those whose health status was excellent. In addition, Latino foreign-born children faced more barriers if uninsured than their white counterparts. Extending health insurance coverage to uninsured foreign-born children of the working poor would likely have a major impact on their access to and use of health care.
