Essays on health insurance for immigrants in the United States: An examination of federal and state policies

The working--age, adult immigrant population living in the United States is often left out of health policy initiatives and consequentially is more likely to be uninsured. In my dissertation, I provide an analysis of why immigrants are more likely to be uninsured as well as an analysis of what factors make them likely to be covered by Medicaid or private health insurance.;In the first essay, I estimate the effects of state generosity on the likelihood of an immigrant being uninsured, having Medicaid, employer--sponsored insurance (ESI) or other private health insurance (OPHI). I explore the determinants of lacking health insurance and the probability of having Medicaid, ESI or OPHI using a multinomial probit model, focusing on the variable of interest indicating whether or not a state is generous in accepting eligible, recent immigrants who have lived in the U.S. for fewer than 5 years into the Medicaid program.;In the second essay, I research the effect of residency restrictions on immigrants' health insurance coverage rates through the use of a regression discontinuity design. The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA) passed in 1996 requires eligible immigrants to live in the U.S. for five years before they can qualify for Medicaid. My research analyzes the effects of this federal policy on Medicaid rates and explores how PRWORA continues to impact immigrants and their health insurance coverage options.;In the final essay, I use a difference--in--differences (DID) approach to examine how simplifying the Medicaid application/renewal process affects health insurance coverage rates for both natives and immigrants. In recent years, some states have chosen to modify the Medicaid application and/or renewal process in order to make the process easier and break down one of the many barriers to obtain Medicaid benefits. My research evaluates whether simplification policies affect potentially eligible immigrants and natives differently and analyzes the effect of these simplifications on Medicaid coverage rates and rates of ESI, OPHI and uninsurance.