Differences in the Availability and Utilization of Employer-Sponsored Health Benefits by Documentation Status among Farmworkers in the United States

Ryan S. Klein, University of Minnesota
Jessie Kemmick Pintor, University of Minnesota

Employer-sponsored health benefits, such as workers’ compensation insurance and employer-sponsored health insurance, increase the probability that a worker is able to obtain health care in the event of an injury or illness. Documentation status has been previously identified as a demographic factor associated with access to employer-sponsored health benefits, but has not been examined within the context of a nationally representative sample of farmworkers in the United States. Using data from the National Agricultural Workers Survey for the years 1999-2000, this study finds significant differences in both access and knowledge of access to employer-sponsored health benefits based on the documentation status of farmworkers in the United States. The study also finds no significant difference in the utilization of employer-sponsored health benefits by farmworker documentation status.