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Objectives: We explore the effects of non-contributory pensions on functional limitations and receipt of unpaid family care by gender and frequency of pension payment. Methods: We employ a difference-in-differences estimator to identify the causal effects of non-contributory pension programs disbursed monthly or every two months for adults 70 years and older in the state of Yucatan, Mexico. Results:The monthly payment program led to lower difficulties in functional limitations and less receipt of help from family or relatives for older men and women as compared to the bimonthly program. We found a larger decline on receipt of family care for older women than for men. Discussion:Our results suggest that more frequent pension payments may have greater health benefits for recipients. They also highlight the need for greater understanding of policies that prevent or delay functional limitations and that could indirectly alleviate unpaid caregiver burden.

In countries such as Mexico without formal public long-term care policies, informal care becomes the main source of support for older adults. Alternative social programs, such as supplemental income programs, for older adults could alleviate caregiver burden, especially if supplemental income were to be used for paid care or to compensate non-paid family caregivers. This work is the first to analyze the effects of a supplemental income program for older adults on primary caregiver burden. To identify how such a program might affect caregiver burden, we analyze rich panel data on 433 adults 70 years and older in two communities, one receiving a supplemental income program and the other not, in Yucatan, Mexico. Data were collected in 2008 and 2009 among treatment and control groups before and six months after program introduction. We employ a difference-in-differences approach. In our sample, most care is provided by non-paid female caregivers. We find that individuals in both the treatment and control groups received fewer hours of care over time. The decrease was lower for older adults who received the supplemental income, but the difference with those who did not was not statistically significant. We also observe few changes on caregiving burden; even after program introduction, more than 98 percent of caregivers remained unpaid and the same primary caregiver remained. Altogether, our work suggests supplemental income programs have negligible effects on caregiving, making evident the urgent need for other strategies to support non-paid caregivers who bear most of the burden for old-age care in Mexico.

Objective: To estimate the short-run (6-9 months) impact and mediating mechanisms of an intervention providing supplemental income to individuals 70 years and above from the Mexican state of Yucatan on markers of cognitive functioning (immediate and delayed word recall). Method: Regression-adjusted difference-in-differences (DID) analysis using baseline and follow-up data collected at treatment and control sites from an experiment. Results: The intervention improved immediate and delayed recall scores for men and women. We found no effects on diagnoses of dementia risk factors, depression, and activities of daily living (ADLs). The intervention increased health care use and decreased anemia for men and women, and improved food availability for men. The effects on cognitive outcomes were mediated by health care use for both men and women, and food availability for men. Discussion: In low- and middle-income countries, supplemental income for elderly may be an effective strategy to improve cognitive function by increasing food security and health care utilization.

Older adults with multiple chronic conditions have a higher risk than those without multiple conditions of developing a mental health condition. Individuals with both physical and mental conditions face many substantial burdens. Many such individuals also belong to racial and ethnic minority groups. Private insurance coverage can reduce the risks of developing mental illnesses by increasing healthcare utilization and reducing psychological stress related to financial hardship. This study examines the association between private insurance and mental health (i.e., depressive symptoms and cognitive impairment) among older adults in the United States with multiple chronic conditions by race and ethnicity. We apply a multivariate logistic model with individual fixed-effects to 12 waves of the Health and Retirement Study. Among adults with multiple chronic conditions in late middle age nearing entry to Medicare and of all racial and ethnic groups, those without private insurance have a stronger probability of having depressive symptoms. Private insurance and Medicare can mediate the risk of cognitive impairment among non-Hispanic Whites with multiple chronic conditions and among Blacks regardless of the number of chronic conditions. Our study has implications for policies aiming to reduce disparities among individuals coping with multiple chronic conditions.

The world’s population is aging rapidly, with the proportion of persons age 60 and older in the total population expected to increase from 12% in 2015 to 22% by 2050 (World Health Organization, 2017). Similarly, in Mexico, the proportion of persons age 60 and older is expected to increase from 11.0% in 2019 to 22.6% by the year 2050 (The World Bank, n.d.).

As older populations around the world continue to increase, so does the number of individuals living with dementia (Prince et al., 2008; Prince, Ali, et al., 2016). Growth in older populations, and hence in likely numbers of persons living with dementia, is particularly rapid for persons of Mexican origin on both sides of the U.S.–Mexico border. In Mexico, the population 60 years and older is projected to increase from 8.9% to 21.5% of the total population between the years 2010 and 2050 (CONAPO, 2012). In the United States, Hispanics are the fastest-growing group among older adults (CDC, 2020), and are expected to increase from 7.1% to 19.8% of the U.S. population 65 or older between 2010 and 2050 (Vincent & Velkoff, 2010). U.S. Hispanics are a diverse population with subgroups defined by nativity, country of origin, and time spent in the United States (Andrade & Viruell-Fuentes, 2011). Among U.S. Hispanics, individuals of Mexican descent comprise a majority, accounting for more than 60% of the total U.S. Hispanic population (Markides et al., 1997; Garcia et al., 2018).

Living arrangements often reflect important quality-of-life indicators for elderly adults. In particular, increased income can prompt changes in household living arrangements for elderly adults. Using a differences-in-differences approach, we examine whether a supplemental income program in Mexico for adults aged 70 and older influenced household size and composition. We compare outcomes at baseline and at six-month follow-up for elderly adults in the treatment group with those in the control group that did not participate in the program. We find that household size increased by 3% in the treatment group relative to the control group. We also find a statistically significant increase in the number of girls aged 6–11 in the household, likely the granddaughters or great-granddaughters of program recipients. Increases in household size were greatest for adults aged 70–79, couples, households receiving two or more supplemental incomes, and households in the top income tercile. Household size did not increase for households of adults aged 80 and older, singles, households with only one supplemental income recipient, and households not in the top income tercile. These results suggest that when older adults have more income, they use part of this income to house their grandchildren.

Introduction Substantial gaps in research remain across oldest‐old ethnic populations while the burden of dementia increases exponentially with age among Mexican and Mexican American older adults. Methods Prevalence and correlates of dementia among individuals ≥82 years of age were examined using two population‐based cohort studies: The Mexican Health and Aging Study (MHAS, n = 1078, 2012) and the Hispanic Established Populations for the Epidemiologic Study of the Elderly (HEPESE, n = 735, 2012–2013). The analytic MHAS and HEPESE samples had an average age of 86.4 and 88.0 years, 1.2 and 1.8 women to men, and 2.7 and 5.1 average years of education, respectively. Results We identified 316 (29.2%) and 267 (36.3%) cases of likely dementia in the MHAS and HEPESE cohorts, respectively. For Mexicans but not Mexican Americans, age‐adjusted prevalence rates of likely dementia were higher in women than men. For both populations prevalence rates increased with age and decreased with education for Mexican Americans but not for Mexicans. In both populations, odds of likely dementia increased with age. Health insurance for the low‐income was significantly associated with higher odds of likely dementia for Mexican American men and women and Mexican women but not men. Living in extended households increased the odds of likely dementia in women, but not in men for both studies. Multiple cardiovascular conditions increased the odds of likely dementia for Mexicans but not for Mexican Americans. Discussion Our study provides evidence of the high burden of dementia among oldest‐old Mexicans and Mexican Americans and its association with health and social vulnerabilities.

Immigrants are ineligible for federally-funded Medicaid in the U.S. until at least 5 years after arrival. There is little information on where they receive care in light of this restriction. Using Blinder-Oaxaca decomposition, this study examines whether the setting in which older recent immigrants receive care (i.e., health clinic, emergency room or doctor's office) explains delays in care. Among older adults with a usual source of care, 13.5% of recent immigrants had not seen a health professional in the past year compared to 8.6% of non-recent immigrants and 6.3% of native-born. Approximately 23% of these differences is attributable to recent immigrants' tendency to receive care in clinics and community health centers. Even when older recent immigrants manage to find a usual source of care, it is of lower quality than that received by their non-recent immigrant and native-born counterparts.

Growth in older populations, and hence in the number of persons living with dementia, is particularly rapid for individuals of Mexican origin living in the U.S. and Mexico. In order to identify influences on cognitive health in this diverse population, the University Texas at Austin and Mexican National Institute of Geriatrics (INGER) organized their second Bridging Conference titled: "Framing Challenges of Cognitive and Mental Health Care in Mexican-origin Older Adults in Mexico and the U.S". In this presentation, we highlight the results of a consensus-building session, during which bi-national expert opinions were generated and synthesized addressing gaps in research, knowledge, and policy, as well as the setting of priorities for immediate action and future research. Reducing barriers to adequate care for those aging-in-place with dementia was a central theme of the identified priorities. Critical areas of identified need, more specifically, included reducing social isolation, caregiver burden, and diminishing retirement income.

Aging populations and the prevalence of poverty in old age have led to the introduction of noncontributory pensions in many countries. We consider a number of alternative targeting approaches and simulate their effects in an empirical application in the State of Yucatan, Mexico. We compare the approaches with respect to leakage, under-coverage, and their effects on government budgets. We are also able to compare the simulated effects of one alternative with the observed effect of a recently introduced demogrant and find that the simulation is a close approximation of the empirical outcomes. We discuss issues of implementation and political feasibility.

We analyze two noncontributory Mexican pension programs for the elderly. Both paid similar amounts, but one paid monthly while the other paid every two months. The Life Cycle Hypothesis suggests frequency of benefits payments should not affect consumption smoothing, but we find the monthly program was more effective in smoothing food expenditure. It also increased doctor visits and reduced the incidence of hunger spells. Under the bimonthly program, expenditures on food significantly decline between paychecks but ownership of durable goods increased. This suggests the importance of payment frequency in social programs.

Older adults make up an increasing share of new legal immigrants to the United States. These immigrants are often financially dependent on family since they are often barred from receiving several U.S. support programmes and are less likely to receive U.S. retirement benefits than natives. However, little information exists as to whether they receive retirement income from abroad. Using the New Immigrant Survey (N=2,150), we find that only 8.1 per cent of older recent immigrants report receiving foreign retirement income. In logistic modeling, older immigrants from Asia and Latin America were less likely to receive retirement income from abroad than those from Europe (Odds ratio = 0.50, p

For decades scholars have attempted to understand the effects of immigration on the U.S. Social Security system. To date, this research has been primarily limited to migrants in the U.S. and does not consider those who return to their countries of origin. Immigrants often pay OASDI taxes using illegitimate Social Security numbers and may return to their home countries without collecting U.S. Social Security benefits. In this study, we analyze the socioeconomic and labor characteristics, health, migration histories, and transitions to retirement of male Mexican return migrants who contributed to the U.S. Social Security system. Using the 2003 and 2012 Mexican Health and Aging Study (MHAS), we find that in 2012, 32 percent of male return migrants reported having contributed to the U.S. Social Security system but only five percent of those who contributed, received or expected to receive benefits. Those who reported having contributed were more likely to have completed college, spent more years in the U.S., and were more likely to be U.S. citizens or legal permanent residents than those who did not contribute. We also find that return migrants who spent one to nine years in the U.S. had a lower probability of transitioning to retirement between 2003 and 2012 than those had never been to the U.S. In contrast, those who spent 20 or more years in the U.S. had a higher probability of transitioning to retirement.

This paper uses data from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) and the Mexican Health and Aging Study (MHAS) to study the cognitive function of Mexican-born older adults residing in the United States (Mexican immigrants). We find that, once differences in socioeconomic factors are accounted for, the cognitive function of male Mexican immigrants is statistically indistinguishable from that of male non-Hispanic (NH) whites, but the cognitive scores of female Mexican immigrants remain significantly below those of their NH white counterparts. We explore four potential hypotheses that may explain the cognition gap for female Mexican immigrants. Namely, we investigate whether the relative incidence of risk factors for dementia, when compared to NH whites, is higher for female than for male Mexican immigrants (the "risk factor hypothesis"); whether the mortality rate of male Mexican immigrants with low cognition is higher, relative to their white counterparts, than that of female Mexican immigrants (the "survival bias hypothesis"); whether female Mexican immigrants are less positively selected than their male counterparts in terms of predisposition to cognitive decline when compared with either the non-migrant Mexican population or the population of return migrants (the "differential selection hypothesis"); and whether male immigrants are better acculturated to life in the United States than female immigrants (the "acculturation hypothesis). We find no support for the risk-factor, survival, or acculturation hypotheses but we find evidence suggesting that the differential selection hypothesis may explain part of the female cognitive gap. Our results imply that older Mexican females currently residing in the U.S. may be at elevated risk for dementia and should be targeted by campaigns aimed at preventing or diagnosing the condition.

We study health effects of financial inclusion, particularly ownership of a checking account of older minorities, with focus on Hispanics. Using data from the Health and Retirement Study from 2000 to 2012, we find that, for Hispanics, being banked has a positive effect on mental health but is not associated with effects on physical health. Mental health benefits are likely to be larger for those who face greater hurdles to access formal financial institutions. Hispanics in less well-off neighborhoods and with below-median wealth appear to experience the greatest mental-health benefits associated with ownership of a checking account.

Background We documented results from a cluster-randomized controlled trial we designed to supplement incomes in poor towns among adults 70 or older. We analyzed effects on health by gender, persistence over time, and variation by payment frequency. Methods We compared supplemental income effects over an 18-month period for two towns in Yucatan, Mexico: Valladolid, where eligible individuals received a monthly income supplement over the entire analysis period, and Motul, a demographically matched control town, where eligible individuals received a bimonthly income supplement over the last 12 months of the analysis period. While differing in frequency of payment, supplements provided similar levels of income. We conducted three surveys of recipients: (1) at baseline, (2) six months after baseline, and (3) 18 months after baseline. Results The primary outcomes we examined were peak expiratory flow, hemoglobin level, and verbal recall. The secondary outcomes were health care use and food availability. We found health benefits persisted for at least eighteen months for the monthly income supplement, with both males and females benefiting. Bimonthly income supplements had smaller health benefits. Conclusions Older people in the developing world who lack social security benefits and health care may benefit most from monthly income programs. The greater payment frequency of monthly programs may influence how household resources are allocated. Supplemental income programs are common in low- and middle-income countries; hence, our results have implications for program design in many nations.

We investigate whether an intervention providing old age individuals with supplemental income in the Yucatan state of Mexico was successful at improving cognitive performance. This program differed from a similar one implemented nationally in the size of the transfer (smaller) and target population (more urban). Using data from a randomized control trial (N=1015), we estimate the effect of the intervention on immediate and delayed word recall scores, finding the intervention improved both scores significantly for both men and women (0.25–0.50 standard deviations; p

In this study, we analyze factors that determine the likelihood of an individual undertaking caregiving responsibilities as well as the time spent providing assistance. We utilize a large sample of older adults (N = 2821) from a survey with rich information at the child and household member level (N = 16,014) in the State of Yucatan, Mexico. We define caregivers as those that provide assistance with activities of daily living (ADLs) to an older adult—both those living inside and outside the household—and non-caregivers as any person living in the household as well as children living outside that do not provide care. The Heckman two-step procedure is employed to account for sample selection bias in the analysis. We find that 77.7% of caregivers were women and 22.3% were men. In addition, daughters were most likely to take on the role as caregiver. A larger proportion of men in comparison to women worked while providing care, and women provided more hours of care work per month on average than men. We find that caregivers have lower educational attainment, a lower proportion worked, and a higher proportion lived with the older adult in comparison to non-caregivers. Also, non-caregivers provide a higher amount of monetary and in-kind transfers to older adults on average. The oldest adults—80 years and older—and those with the worst health status are more likely to receive care and received higher amounts of caregiving time. Moreover, older women are more likely to receive care than older men. Taking up caregiving activities reflects a two-way decision-making process consisting of older adult needs and caregiver characteristics influenced by societal and economic structures. Taking into account the increasing needs for older adult caregiving in Mexico due to changes in life expectancy and family composition, this model of informal caregiving is unsustainable and requires intervention.

The observed racial/ethnic gap in bank account ownership among older adults is substantial. We investigate socioeconomic, cognitive, and cultural barriers underling it. As additional potential barriers are accounted for, the residual gaps in financial inclusion with respect to Whites are reduced by 19% for blacks and 46% for Hispanics. We find that citizenship and "taste for privacy" play a limited role for both minority groups, while real asset ownership, health, cognitive ability, and cultural hurdles contribute substantially to the gap. For Hispanics, language barriers explain most of the gap, while neighborhood-level socioeconomic characteristics are more salient for blacks. We also examine how the racial/ethnic composition of couples influences financial decisions. We estimate a significantly smaller residual gap between "mixed" and white couples than between minority and white couples. We provide empirical evidence suggesting that, other things equal, mixed couples are less concerned with the cultural/psychological barriers facing minority couples.

Non-contributory pension programs in the developing world seek to provide older adults with an income that may improve their health and wellbeing in old age by enabling access to health care and better nutrition. There is no previous evidence of the effects of non-contributory pensions on frailty, a comprehensive measure of health and well-being of the oldest old. We aimed to estimate the effects of non-contributory pension programs on frailty of older adults in the state of Yucatan, Mexico. We use rich panel data, including objective markers and self-reported assessments of health and well-being, for 944 adults at least 70 years of age in two communities of Yucatan, Mexico. The first wave was collected in 2008; the second wave was collected in 2010, 18 months after implementation of a monthly state pension in one community and 12 months after a federal pension paid every two months in the other. We found the state pension led to a statistically significant decrease in the severity of frailty for women, but the federal pension was associated with an increase. We found no statistically significant change in the frailty index for men in either community. Among explanations for these findings are monthly payments being more likely to be spent on health care, medicines, and more regular food expenditures, enabling women who previously lacked independent means of support to increase their longer-term health. The federal program paid every two months led to irregular patterns of food expenditure and increased ownership of durable goods but had no effects on health care utilization, subsequently leading to deterioration in longer-term health for women.

The United States and Mexico differ greatly in the organization and financing of their old-age welfare states. They also differ politically and organizationally in government response at all levels to the needs of low-income and frail citizens. While both countries are aging rapidly, Mexico faces more serious challenges in old-age support that arise from a less developed old-age welfare state and economy. For Mexico, financial support and medical care for older low-income citizens are universal rights, however, limited fiscal resources for a large low-income population create inevitable competition among the old and the young alike. Although the United States has a more developed economy and well-developed Social Security and health care financing systems for the elderly, older Mexican-origin individuals in the U.S. do not necessarily benefit fully from these programs. These institutional and financial problems to aging are compounded in both countries by longer life spans, smaller families, as well as changing gender roles and cultural norms. In this interdisciplinary panel, the authors of five papers deal with the following topics: (1) an analysis of old age health and dependency conditions, the supply of aging and disability services, and related norms and policies, including the role of the government and the private sector; (2) a binational comparison of federal safety net programs for low-income elderly in U.S. and Mexico; (3) when strangers become family: the role of civil society in addressing the needs of aging populations; and (4) unmet needs for dementia care for Latinos in the Hispanic-EPESE.

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This analysis of aging and income security in Mexico establishes that the older population in Mexico is increasing quickly and that this population is especially vulnerable to poverty. Mexican citizens are living longer and overall have experienced an improvement in the quality of life compared to that of prior generations. However, this study demonstrates that social improvements are not affecting the daily lives of all persons equally. The authors attempt to uncover and highlight those differences. One of the primary challenges facing Mexico is a growing older population. The demographic transition in Mexico combined with the lack of formal sources of income in retirement place many older persons in a state of financial insecurity. The information contained in this study and the proposed policy research areas are intended to enlarge the portfolio of options for older Mexicans. The authors analyze wealth and sources of income during retirement, the relationship between health and wealth, urban and rural disparities, and the impact of migration spells to the United States on wealth accumulation and health insurance in Mexico.

We use an income supplementation experiment we designed in the state of Yucatan in Mexico for residents 70 y and older to evaluate health impacts of additional income. Two cities in the State of Yucatan, Valladolid (treatment) and Motul (control), were selected for the income supplementation experiment. Elderly residents of Valladolid were provided the equivalent of an additional $67 per month, a 44% increase in average household income. We designed a survey given to residents of both cities before and 6 mo after the income supplement about their health and other aspects of overall well-being. Both baseline and follow-up surveys collect self-reported data on health, physical functioning, and biomarkers. Anthropometric measurements for every age-eligible respondent, including height, weight, and waist circumference, were collected. We also collected lung capacity, grip strength, a series of balance tests, and a timed walk. Our results show significant health benefits associated with the additional income. Relative to the control site, there was a statistically significant improvement in lung function and an improvement in memory. These improvements are equivalent to a reduction in age of 5-10 y. Residents used their extra income to go to the doctor, buy their medications, and alleviate their hunger. The fear that this extra income could be undone by reduced transfers from other family members or unwise expenditures by the poor elderly appears to be unfounded.

In 1997, Mexico transformed its pay-as-you-go social security system to a fully funded system with personal retirement accounts, including management fees. This article examines changes in retirement wealth resulting from this new system. It shows that management fees have drained a significant proportion of individuals' retirement wealth and have increased the number of persons claiming a government-subsidized minimum pension, particularly from the time the system was introduced in 1997 until adjustment to management fees in 2008. Since 2008, retirement wealth accumulation has been similar to that of the previous system. En 1997, Mexico transformo su sistema de pensiones basado en cotizaciones individuales a uno de ahorro para el retiro que incluyen cuotas por la administracion de las cuentas. El presente estudio examina los cambios en el monto de las pensiones como resultado de la introduccion del nuevo sistema. Los resultados muestran que las cuotas de administracion han drenado una proporcion significativa del ahorro para el retiro de los individuos por lo que ha aumentado el numero de personas que solicita la pension minima garantizada subsidiada por el gobierno desde que se introdujo el sistema en 1997 hasta que se hicieron ajustes en las cuotas de administracion de los fondos de pensiones en 2008. A partir de 2008, la acumulacion del ahorro para el retiro ha sido similar que la del sistema anterior.

Population aging in Mexico as in the United States is expected to accelerate over the next thirty years, and the proportion of individuals 65 and older will triple to approximately 20 percent by 2050 in both nations. Older people of Mexican origin are at high risk of protracted periods of poor health, a reality exacerbated by poverty. We use the Health and Retirement Study (HRS 2012-2014, N= 2,575) and Mexican Health and Aging Study (MHAS 2012-2015; N=16,131) to compare profiles of older Mexican-origin recipients of income supplements. We find Mexican immigrants are lower-income, less healthy, and less likely to receive supplements than Mexican origin in U.S. In contrast, return migrants are more likely to receive supplements than non-migrants in Mexico. Income supplement recipients are more likely to receive Medicaid and Seguro Popular. We discuss implications of financing safety net programs and the potential dependency burden in two countries aging rapidly.

Labor force participation among Mexican males in their early retirement years (60–64 years of age) has decreased in recent decades, from 94.6% in 1960 to 65.2% in 2010. Similar trends are evident elsewhere in Latin America, and have occurred in the developed world. Such trends pose challenges to the financial sustainability of social security systems as working-age populations decrease and those in retirement increase both because of demographic trends and decisions to take early retirement. In this study, we find that the Mexican social security system provides incentives to retire early. The retirement incentives of the Mexican social security system affect retirement behavior, and may be one of the main contributors to early retirement decisions, particularly for lower-income populations. We simulated the effect of the reform from a pay-as-you-go to the new Personal Retirement Accounts (PRA) system and we find that the PRA system also provides incentives for early retirement. Further analysis is needed to assess the financial sustainability of the social security system and financial security in old age for the largest cohorts in Mexico that will begin to retire by 2040.

Resume En l'absence de contrat bilateral entre les Etats-Unis et le Mexique sur la portabilite et la totalisation des cotisations de securite sociale, le present article examine l'acces aux prestations d'assurance-maladie et de retraite et le statut d'emploi des travailleurs migrants mexicains. Nous avons constate que les migrants qui rentrent chez eux apres avoir passe moins d'un an aux Etats-Unis beneficient du meme acces aux prestations de securite sociale que les non-migrants. Ceux qui ont passe au moins un an aux Etats-Unis ont en revanche moins acces a l'assurance-maladie publique ou aux prestations de securite sociale et pourraient etre davantage touches par la pauvrete en vieillissant. Ces resultats sont destines a alimenter le debat sur l'instauration d'un accord de securite sociale entre les Etats-Unis et le Mexique, qui ameliorerait la securite sociale des migrants rentres chez eux.

Auszug Angesichts einer fehlenden bilateralen Vereinbarung uber die Ubertragbarkeit und Summierung von Beitragen der sozialen Sicherheit zwischen den Vereinigten Staaten und Mexiko widmet sich diese Untersuchung den Fragen zum Zugang zuruckkehrender alterer mexikanischer Migranten zu Renten- und Krankenversicherungsleistungen sowie ihres Beschaftigungsstatus. Wir kommen zum Ergebnis, dass zuruckgekehrte Migranten, die sich weniger als ein Jahr in den Vereinigten Staaten aufhielten, ahnliche Leistungen der sozialen Sicherheit erhalten wie Nichtmigranten. Bei zuruckgekehrten Migranten, die mindestens ein Jahr in den Vereinigten Staaten verbrachten, ist die Wahrscheinlichkeit geringer, dass sie uber eine staatliche Krankenversicherung verfugen oder Leistungen der sozialen Sicherheit beziehen. Sie konnten daher im Alter in hoherem Mas armutsgefahrdet sein. Vor diesem Hintergrund wurde die Ausarbeitung einer bilateralen Ubereinkunft im Bereich der sozialen Sicherheit zwischen den Vereinigten Staaten und Mexiko helfen, die soziale Sicherheit zuruckkehrender Migranten zu verbessern.

A falta de un convenio entre los Estados Unidos y Mexico sobre la portabilidad y la totalizacion de los periodos computables a la seguridad social, en el presente articulo se examina el acceso a las pensiones y las prestaciones del seguro social, asi como la situacion laboral de los trabajadores migrantes mexicanos de edades mas avanzadas que regresan a su pais. Vemos que los migrantes que regresan tras haber pasado menos de un ano en los Estados Unidos tienen un nivel similar de acceso que los no migrantes a las prestaciones de la seguridad social. Los migrantes que regresan tras haber pasado al menos un ano en los Estados Unidos tienen menos posibilidades de tener un seguro de salud publica o prestaciones de la seguridad social que si no hubieran migrado, y su vulnerabilidad ante la pobreza en la vejez es mayor. Estos resultados aportan informacion para el debate sobre un acuerdo bilateral en materia de seguridad social entre los Estados Unidos y Mexico con el objetivo de mejorar la seguridad social de los migrantes.

In the absence of a bilateral agreement for the portability and totalization of social security contributions between the United States and Mexico, this article examines the access to pension and health insurance benefits and employment status of older Mexican return migrants. We find that return migrants who have spent less than a year in the United States have a similar level of access to social security benefits as non-migrants. Return migrants who have spent at least a year in the United States are less likely to have public health insurance or social security benefits, and could be more vulnerable to poverty in old age. These results inform the debate on a bilateral social security agreement between the United States and Mexico to improve return migrants' social security.

We conducted a qualitative study on retirement preparedness among middle-aged and older low-income Hispanics in Los Angeles. Data were derived from four focus groups conducted in the greater Los Angeles area. Findings demonstrate how behavioral and cultural factors-family experiences, religiosity, and denial of retirement-explain the lack of savings and preparedness for retirement. Findings also indicate that the majority of participants want to be economically independent and to keep working until they are unable to do so. Participants helped their parents financially but did not feel comfortable asking their own children for help. Instead, participants placed their survival in retirement "in God's hands."

Background Despite increasing concern about the quality of life of older adults, little is known about characteristics associated with health risk behaviors among older adults in middle-income countries. This study relied on unique longitudinal data to examine the relationship between sociodemographic characteristics and alcohol use among low-income older adults, one of the fastest-growing populations worldwide. Methods This multilevel longitudinal analysis involved three waves of data (2008–2010) from 2,351 adults aged 70 or older in Yucatán, Mexico. Multilevel regressions models were used to test interactions among gender, speaking Mayan (indigenous language), and socioeconomic status to understand conditions associated with the odds of current alcohol use and the frequency and amount of alcohol use. Results Half of the participants in this study report consuming alcohol in their lifetime, 21.58 % of whom were current alcohol users. Older adults reported consuming alcohol 1.15 days a week and 1.60 drinks per day. Speaking Mayan was associated with lower odds of current alcohol use. However, men who spoke Mayan reported higher odds of drinking alcohol compared to women and non-Mayan (Spanish) speakers. The positive relationship between socioeconomic status and alcohol use was also moderated by gender (male). Conclusions Findings show that older and Mayan populations had lower odds of drinking in Yucatán, Mexico, whereas men were at highest risk of drinking alcohol, after adjusting for ethnic culture and socioeconomic status. Implications for health policy and epidemiological studies on substance use among older adults residing in low-income settings are discussed. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13011-016-0061-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Objectives: Investigate the “salmon-bias” hypothesis, which posits that Mexicans in the U.S. return to Mexico due to poor health, as an explanation for the Hispanic health paradox in which Hispanics in the United States are healthier than might be expected from their socioeconomic status. Method: Sample includes Mexicans age 50 years or above living in the United States and Mexico from the 2003 Mexican Health and Aging Study and the 2004 Health and Retirement Study. Logistic regressions examine whether nonmigrants or return migrants have different odds than immigrants of reporting a health outcome. Results: The salmon-bias hypothesis holds for select health outcomes. However, nonmigrants and return migrants have better health outcomes than immigrants on a variety of indicators. Discussion: Overall, the results of this study do not support the salmon-bias hypothesis; other explanations for the paradox could be explored.

Many countries are including personal retirement accounts (PRAs) as part of their social security systems. PRA systems boost private savings at the macro level by converting a government financial liability into private wealth. At the micro level, however, crowing-out effects on household savings could be offsetting some of this increase in private savings and may lead to inadequate preparedness for retirement. The author tests this hypothesis by using the Mexican social security reform of 1997 as a natural experiment, because only part of that system was changed from pay-as-you-go to PRAs. She finds that social security reform with PRAs does indeed crowd out household savings and recommends strengthening voluntary savings for retirement along with social security reform.

In this study, we examine the factors associated with self-employment for Mexicans close to retirement age, including the role of U.S. migration experience and health insurance. Using cross-tabulation and probit models on a unique source of information, the Mexican Health and Aging Study (MHAS) panel data for 2001, 2003, and 2012, we find that individuals with 1–9 years of U.S. migration experience are more likely to be self-employed than those who had never been to the United States. Moreover, consistent with the literature, we find that self-employed workers are less likely to have health insurance than salaried workers and are also less likely to retire. This may indicate that self-employed workers are more likely to be in the informal sector and not eligible for social security benefits during retirement.

For decades scholars have attempted to understand the effects of immigration on the U.S. Social Security system. To date, this research has been primarily limited to migrants in the U.S. and does not consider those who return to their countries of origin. Immigrants often pay OASDI taxes using illegitimate Social Security numbers and may return to their home countries without collecting U.S. Social Security benefits. In this study, we analyze the socioeconomic and labor characteristics, health, migration histories, and transitions to retirement of male Mexican return migrants who contributed to the U.S. Social Security system. Using the 2003 and 2012 Mexican Health and Aging Study (MHAS), we find that in 2012, 32 percent of male return migrants reported having contributed to the U.S. Social Security system but only five percent of those who contributed, received or expected to receive benefits. Those who reported having contributed were more likely to have completed college, spent more years in the U.S., and were more likely to be U.S. citizens or legal permanent residents than those who did not contribute. We also find that return migrants who spent one to nine years in the U.S. had a lower probability of transitioning to retirement between 2003 and 2012 than those had never been to the U.S. In contrast, those who spent 20 or more years in the U.S. had a higher probability of transitioning to retirement.

The goal of this study is to deepen the understanding of how middle age and older Hispanics plan for retirement, where we conducted four focus groups in the Los Angeles area with a total of 38 participants. Our study provides interesting findings, specifically for women since 84 percent of the participants were female. We find that that most participants, whether they were already retired or not, are not well prepared for retirement since they have been unable to save for retirement and have not made specific retirement plans, such as determining desired retirement age, estimating retirement budget, and collecting information about expected retirement benefits. In relation to saving on a regular basis, results were mixed. Some participants are able to save on a regular basis, but others cannot save because they live day to day. Our study contributes to the literature by showing how family experiences and religion play a significant role in retirement planning among this population. We found that the majority of the participants had parents who did not plan for retirement, and very few had parents who were able to save. We also found that many participants do now worry about retirement because they believe “God will provide.” We also found an interesting shift in relation to intergenerational transfers and family networks. While many participants help their parents, most of them do not want to ask children for help and do not expect getting help from them.