Health Differentials of Older Hispanic Immigrants by Age at Arrival

Elisha Cohen, Princeton University

Increasing numbers of Hispanic immigrants are arriving to the United States at ages 50 and above. There is little evidence evaluating healthcare needs and service utilization of foreign-born seniors. In light of rising health care needs of the aging US population, it is important to understand both the health status at arrival of immigrant seniors as well as changes in health status and care needs. Using the 2003 New Immigrant Survey (NIS) we examine variations in self-reported health of new immigrants by age at arrival and address whether the immigrant advantage obtains for late-age immigrants. Our focus on Latin American immigrants will be informed by comparisons with late-age arrivals from other regions and a sample of native-born Hispanics using the 2003 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS). Finally, we will use the recently released NIS follow-up survey conducted from 2007-2009 to analyze changes in health status and health care utilization.