Publications on Immigrant Health Care and Linguistic Access

In 2000, there were over 32 million foreign-born residents in the U.S. Immigrants often face barriers to health coverage and health services. The disparities confronting immigrants can be similar to those faced by low-income working families generally, but immigrants also face other barriers, including linguistic issues and eligibility changes that have limited their ability to qualify for Medicaid.

These new or updated publications address issues related to how race, immigration status, and language affect insurance coverage and access to care for non-citizens. Additionally, one report focuses on issues of linguistic access in health care settings and provides an overview of the current legal rights and responsibilities of health care service and coverage providers.

Immigrants’ Health Care Coverage and Access fact sheet (.pdf)

Disparities in Health Coverage, Access, and Quality: The Impact of Citizenship Status and Language on Low-Income Immigrants (.pdf)

How Race/Ethnicity, Immigration Status, and Language Affect Health Insurance Coverage, Access to and Quality of Care Among the Low-Income Population (.pdf)

Ensuring Linguistic Access in Health Care Settings: An Overview of Current Legal Rights and Responsibilities (.pdf)

Toplines (.pdf)

District of Columbia Health Care Access Survey, 2003 – Highlights and Chartpack

Chart Pack: Highlights and Chartpack (.pdf)

This report summarizes findings from a series of focus groups with women and teenage girls at risk for HIV. Focus group participants discuss their views on a range of issues including prevention and testing, women’s knowledge about HIV/AIDS, and the effectiveness of public education messages.

Report (.pdf)

The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation District of Columbia Health Care Access Survey, 2003, is based on a representative sample of 1,581 adults, ages 18 and older, living in Washington, DC. The survey is intended to inform discussion of health care issues in the District of Columbia by examining the views and experiences of some of the city’s most vulnerable populations, as well as the general population. It provides an opportunity to assess health care access by age (nonelderly adults vs. elderly adults), race/ethnicity (African Americans, Latinos and whites), and income (lower-income vs. higher-income residents). It also provides insight on how the public perceives DC’s health problems and health institutions.

Highlights and Chartpack (.pdf)

Toplines (.pdf)

Fact Sheet – Coverage and Access of Adults 18-64 in the District of Columbia: Key Facts

Report – Uninsured and Underserved: The Health Care Experiences of Latinos in the Nation’s Capital

As part of an on-going public information partnership called SexSmarts, seventeen and the Kaiser Family Foundation conduct nationally-representative surveys of teens 15 to 17 on issues related to their sexual health. The latest in the series is about perceptions of virginity and first sexual activity among adolescents. It covers a variety of issues related to decision making by adolescents about virginity, including when and why they choose to have sex and what issues and concerns influence their decision to have or not have sex. The survey also provides insight into how sexually active adolescents feel about having had sex.

Summary of Findings: Virginity and The First Time (.pdf)

Toplines/Survey: Virginity and The First Time (.pdf)

Zero to Six: Electronic Media in the Lives of Infants, Toddlers and Preschoolers

Recent years have seen an explosion in electronic media marketed directly at the very youngest children in our society, yet very little is known about how these changes have played out in young people’s lives. In order to help understand the implications, the Foundation conducted a national study of more than 1,000 parents of children ages six months through six years. The findings are published in the report Zero to Six: Electronic Media in the Lives of Infants, Toddlers and Preschoolers.

Report (.pdf)

Key Facts: Women and HIV/AIDS

Key Facts: Women and HIV/AIDS provides comprehensive data on the impact of HIV/AIDS epidemic on women in the United States. Based on the most recent data and research on the epidemiology of HIV/AIDS among women, the report includes an overview of the epidemic profile, a profile of women living with HIV/AIDS, data on access to and use of health services, and women’s perceptions of HIV/AIDS.

Report (.pdf)

The Healthcare Experiences of Women with HIV/AIDS: Insights from Focus Groups

This report summarizes findings from a series of focus groups with women living with HIV/AIDS. Focus group participants describe their first-hand experience with the health care system, including issues of to financing and coverage, relationships with providers, the role of AIDS support organizations, and challenges in care and treatment.

Executive Summary (.pdf)

The Healthcare Experiences of Women with HIV/AIDS: Insights from Focus Groups

This report summarizes findings from a series of focus groups with women living with HIV/AIDS. Focus group participants describe their first-hand experience with the health care system, including issues of to financing and coverage, relationships with providers, the role of AIDS support organizations, and challenges in care and treatment.

Report (.pdf)