Access to and use of ambulatory health care by a vulnerable Mexican American population on the US-Mexico border

The objective of this study was to determine if health care access is equitable and effective for Mexican Americans at the U.S.-Mexico border. The design was a cross-sectional telephone and door-to-door survey using the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, and the subjects were 1,409 El Paso County residents, ages 18 to 64 years. After controlling for other predisposing, enabling, and need characteristics, the presence of health insurance was significantly associated with health care use in the past year, both for a checkup (odds ratio [OR] = 2.48; 95 percent confidence interval [CI] = 1.83, 3.38) and a visit for any reason (OR = 2.20; 95 percent CI = 1.60, 3.04). Findings were similar for a regular source of care. Those who reported a checkup in the past year were significantly more likely to receive clinical preventive services. The lack of health insurance and a regular source of care for Mexican Americans on the U.S.-Mexico border creates significant inequalities in access to care.