More Californians without dental insurance head to Mexico

May 27, 2009

Almost 1 million Californians cross the border into Mexico each year for healthcare -- many of them for dental care because they have no dental insurance, according to a study by the Center for Health Policy Research at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).

An estimated 952,000 California adults sought medical, dental, or prescription services in Mexico in 2001, and of these, 488,000 were Mexican immigrants, according to the research paper, "Heading South: Why Mexican Immigrants in California Seek Health Services in Mexico."

The paper is the first large-scale population-based research ever published on U.S. residents who travel to Mexico for health services. It is based on an analysis of 2001 data from the California Health Interview Survey, the nation's largest state health survey.

"What the research shows is that many Californians, especially Mexican immigrants, go to Mexico for health services," said lead author Steven Wallace, the associate director of the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research, in a press release. "We already know that immigrants use less healthcare overall than people born in the U.S. Heading south of the border further reduces the demand on U.S. facilities."

Cost and lack of insurance were primary reasons both Mexican and non-Mexican U.S. residents sought health services across the border. Dental care was the most common service obtained by immigrants, the researchers found.

State officials are concerned that the numbers will rise come July, when Medi-Cal dental benefits for adults will be eliminated, according to a related story in the Sacramento Bee.