Despite relatively high levels of employment, immigrant Hispanic parents have relatively low rates of employer-sponsored health insurance, according to a research brief examining the employment patterns of low-income parents. The study from The National Research Center on Hispanic Children & Families found that 35 percent of Hispanic fathers and 42 percent of Hispanic mothers who were born outside of the United States worked in a job with access to employer-sponsored health insurance. In contrast, access to employer-sponsored health insurance was more common among Hispanic parents who were born in the United States, as well as among black and white parents. Access to health insurance through employers ranged from 48 to 55 percent for low-income black, white, and nonimmigrant Hispanic fathers and from 54 to 60 percent for low-income mothers across these groups.

With rising health care costs, access to health insurance has become increasingly important for everyone, but particularly for low-income families. Insurance can provide access to health care services that increase parents’ chances of remaining healthy enough to work and earn an income, and it can also buffer against the potentially devastating costs of a medical emergency.