Sources and barriers to health care coverage for Haitian immigrants in Miami-Dade county, Florida

Abstract

Haitian immigrants represent one of the largest foreign-born groups in Florida. Limited information is available on the health care issues that they face. This study's objective was to identify and evaluate the sources of and barriers to health care coverage for the Haitian immigrant community of Miami-Dade County, Florida. Information was collected on demographic characteristic and health needs and access from a probability sample of county residents of Haitian origin. Chi-square and logistic regression methods were used for data analysis. Only half of the participants had any type of health coverage, including 28% with private insurance and 15% with publicly financed coverage. Education, family income, U.S. citizenship status, length of U.S. residence, and English proficiency were associated with health coverage in bivariate analysis. Gender, citizenship, family income, and length of residence were also associated with coverage in adjusted analysis. These findings suggest that this community confronts serious access challenges that may negatively affect the health outcomes of Haitians in the U.S.