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Objective:

The objective of the study was to examine time trends and differences in medical expenditures between noncitizens, foreign-born, and US-born citizens.

Methods:

We used multi-year Medical Expenditures Panel Survey (2000–2008) data on noninstitutionalized adults in the United States (N= 190,965). Source specific and total medical expenditures were analyzed using regression models, bootstrap prediction techniques, and linear and nonlinear decomposition methods to evaluate the relationship between immigration status and expenditures, controlling for confounding effects.

Results:

We found that the average health expenditures between 2000 and 2008 for noncitizens immigrants ($1836) were substantially lower compared with both foreign-born ($3737) and US-born citizens ($4478). Differences were maintained after controlling for confounding effects. Decomposition techniques showed that the …