Asset ownership and healthcare use among US immigrants

Author Haenim Lee examined how asset ownership affects health care use among US immigrants, by analyzing data from the New Immigrant Survey Round 1 (NIS-2003-1), available from DSDR. The NIS-2003-1 was a nationally representative longitudinal study that collected a wide range of information from over 8,500 legal immigrants, including refugees, who received permanent residency in 2003. Lee analyzed data from 4,370 adults who responded to questions about financial asset and real asset holdings. Lee found that owning assets significantly enabled respondents’ health care utilization– more than income alone. Immigrants with financial assets (like savings and stocks) were 124 percent more likely to visit doctors and 66 percent more likely to see dentists, while those with real assets (like homes) showed smaller but still significant increases. These effects varied by ethnic group, with European and Asian immigrants benefiting most from asset ownership, while African immigrants showed little connection between assets and health care use. Other significant factors included health insurance coverage, education level, time spent in the US and immigration status, with refugees using health care services less frequently than other groups. Lee suggested that policies addressing immigrant health should focus on financial literacy and asset-building programs tailored to different immigrant communities.