A new study reveals nearly one-million Californians go to Mexico every year for health care. The report from the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research says people are going for medical, dental care, and prescription drugs.
The study says cost and a lack of insurance are the biggest reasons why Californians go to Mexico for care.
Mexican immigrants who have been in the U.S. for more than 15 years use Mexican health services the most. Cheaper prescription drugs are what drive most whites to go south of the border.
UCLA professor Steven Wallace wrote the report.
"While you would expect large numbers of people living near the border to go into Mexico for medical care, they're actually quite a few people from San Francisco and the Central Valley who go down, too," Wallace points out.
Wallace says dental care is the most common service sought out by Mexican immigrants. He says that's because less than one-third have dental insurance.
