This week there have been 3 important research reports that were released regarding undocu/DACAmented youth. If you are someone who is undocumented or an ally, make sure to check out these important findings focusing on DACA and access to health care within our community.

1. Mapping DACA renewals by Dr. Tom Wong (@twong002)

In this report, Dr. Wong identifies and maps DACA renewal “hotspots” across the country. This includes:

1. A map of DACA applications by county for all counties in the U.S. (see Figure 1).

Figure 1: Number of DACA Applicants by County for All Counties, 8/15/12 – 9/30/12

2. County-level maps for California, Texas, New York, Florida, and New Jersey, which represent the top 5 states of residence for DACA applicants during the initial months of the program (Illinois has since supplanted New Jersey in the top 5; see Figures 2 to 6).

3. Zip-code level maps for the Los Angeles metropolitan area, the New York metropolitan area, the greater Houston area, the greater Chicago area, and the Riverside-San Bernardino metropolitan area. These places represent the top 5 metropolitan areas of residence for DACA applicants during the initial months of the program (see Figures 7 to 11).

Read the full report at: http://ccis.ucsd.edu/2014/02/mapping-daca-renewals/

2. Undocumented and Uninsured by the Dream Resource Center

This is the first statewide study about and by immigrant youth on health care access. The research

Read the full report at: http://www.undocumentedanduninsured.org/

team surveyed 550 undocumented and “DACAmented” (recipients of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) Californians between the ages of 18 and 32.

Selected findings: “71 percent of uninsured immigrant youth have an existing need to access a doctor or specialist about their own health; however, 53 percent stated that they have not seen a doctor for more than a year.”

“53 percent of immigrant youth grew up with other family members who had health insurance.”

“Only 34 percent of immigrant youth in the survey had ever visited an emergency room. because emergency care is generally a last resort, it is also the most costly.”

3. Realizing the dream for Californians eligible for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA): Demographics and health coverage by UCBerkeley Labor Center

Read more at: http://laborcenter.berkeley.edu/healthcare/DACA_health_coverage.shtml

Selected finding: “Of the 154,000 Californians granted deferred action under DACA as of December 2013, we estimate that up to 125,000 (81 percent) are eligible for Medi-Cal. This is an upper-limit estimate because individuals granted work authorization under DACA may have been able to secure better employment with increased income and/or access to employment-based health coverage, reducing eligibility and demand for Medi-Cal among this group.”

“DACA-eligible teens were also less likely (21 percent) to have private insurance coverage through their own job, a family member’s job, or the individual market, compared to their U.S.-born counterparts (63 percent). ”

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Categories: News

Tags: DACA, Immigration, Research