Doctors say children of immigrants are missing healthcare

Four in 10 pediatricians reported kids in immigrant families are avoiding coming in for healthcare out of concerns around immigration status, according to a new survey published Tuesday.

More than 1,600 pediatricians responded between April and June to the survey by American Academy of Pediatrics researchers.

In the survey, pediatricians were asked whether over the past year, their patients or the families they care for avoided seeking medical care for their child due to concerns around the immigration status of a household member. They were also asked the same about sending kids to school and about applying for safety net programs such as Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program or food stamps. 

On average, pediatricians reported that about a quarter of their patients are in immigrant families. Forty percent of pediatricians reported those families avoided seeking medical care for their child out of concern for the patient or family’s immigration status. 

Thirty-one percent of the surveyed physicians reported immigrant families avoided applying for government programs. Just over a fifth reported that families had avoided sending their child to school.

The American Academy of Pediatrics said the findings are likely an undercount and that more children are likely going without care.

Immigration activity is taking a toll on children’s health, doctors say

Stateline reported this month that many clinicians are seeing more advanced illnesses among kids of immigrants, as well as skipped preventive care and forgone surgeries amid immigration status fears.

In the survey, answers varied across different service areas and subspecialities. For example, nearly 45% of pediatricians with subspecialities and almost half — 48% — of urban, inner city pediatricians said families retreated from seeking medical care for their child, versus 32% of rural pediatricians surveyed.

In January of last year, the Trump administration rescinded Biden- and Obama-era restrictions on places where immigration agents generally could not arrest people, such as hospitals, clinics and schools. 

In 2024, a quarter of children nationwide were in immigrant families with one or both parents born in another country, with the percentages varying by state, the researchers noted.

Healthcare professionals have also raised concerns about a new federal policy that goes into effect Friday. It broadens the discretion of immigration officers reviewing applications for green cards, certain visas or admissions into the U.S., allowing officers to consider enrollment in public benefits — such as housing and food assistance, Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program — as a “public charge,” which is grounds for inadmissibility under federal law. 

“Pediatricians have long spoken out against changes to the public charge policy because we know that it leaves families fearful of accessing programs and services that are critical for their health and well-being,” Dr. Sural Shah, chair of the academy’s Council on Immigrant Child and Family Health, said during a news conference on the policy last week.

Stateline reporter Nada Hassanein can be reached at [email protected].