Differentials in Health Care among Vietnamese Immigrants in New Orleans Pre- and Post-Katrina

Mai Do, Tulane University

Little is known about health care among Vietnamese immigrants in New Orleans, before and after Hurricane Katrina. This paper examines inequality in health care utilization among this large immigrant population and how they may have changed over time. A panel of 82 Vietnamese were interviewed in 2005, before the hurricane struck the area, and followed up twice in 2006 and 2007. Outcome is routine physical exam within a year before the interview. Fixed-effect models show that routine exam declined over time. There were significant differences in health care by home ownership, education, and health insurance status before in 2005 and 2007. Most of these differences, however, were significantly reduced in 2006. Comparison with the mainstream populations is planned with data from Louisiana Health and Population Survey 2006. Health programs in post-Katrina era should work to not only increase access to health care, but also to improve equity in service utilization.