As in most immigrant-receiving countries in the global North, countries in the South face challenges regarding migrant access to social rights and the effect of migrants on the sustainability of the welfare state. In the Latin American context, this holds especially for countries such as Costa Rica, which has one of the strongest social policy regimes in the South and the highest (Nicaraguan) immigrant stock in Latin America. Set in the context of Costa Rica, this paper assesses two views which seem hard to reconcile, and, are common in the country. First, it is claimed that Nicaraguan migrants use public health services disproportionately, thereby threatening the country’s welfare system. Second, pro-migrant rights non-governmental organizations and academics are concerned, primarily based on qualitative studies, that access to health services for Nicaraguan immigrants is limited, and that they are discriminated based on nationality. This paper relies on administrative data and a unique data set representative of Nicaraguan born individuals residing in Costa Rica to examine the validity of both these claims. We do not find support for either. The incidence of migrant health care use is lower than their share in the population and at the same time there is no evidence of discrimination in health care access for migrants based on their nationality. The paper underlines the need for more informed migration debates.

像全球北部的大多数移民接收国一样，南方国家在移民获得社会权利以及移民对福利国家可持续性的影响方面面临挑战。在拉丁美洲的情况下，这尤其适用于哥斯达黎加等国家，该国拥有南部最强大的社会政策制度之一，拉丁美洲的尼加拉瓜移民人口最多。本文以哥斯达黎加为背景，评估了两种似乎难以调和的意见，这两种意见在该国很普遍。首先，据称尼加拉瓜移民过度使用公共卫生服务，从而威胁到该国的福利制度。其次，主要基于定性研究，关注促进移民权利的非政府组织和学者，尼加拉瓜移民获得医疗服务的机会是有限的，而且他们是根据国籍受到歧视的。本文依靠行政数据和代表居住在哥斯达黎加的尼加拉瓜出生的个人的独特数据集来检验这两种说法的有效性。我们都找不到支持。移民医疗服务的使用率低于其在人口中的比例，同时，没有证据表明移民因其国籍而在获得医疗服务方面受到歧视。该文件强调有必要进行更充分的移民辩论。本文依靠行政数据和代表居住在哥斯达黎加的尼加拉瓜出生的个人的独特数据集来检验这两种说法的有效性。我们都找不到支持。移民医疗服务的使用率低于其在人口中的比例，同时，没有证据表明移民因其国籍而在获得医疗服务方面受到歧视。该文件强调有必要进行更充分的移民辩论。本文依靠行政数据和代表居住在哥斯达黎加的尼加拉瓜出生的个人的独特数据集来检验这两种说法的有效性。我们都找不到支持。移民医疗服务的使用率低于其在人口中的比例，同时，没有证据表明移民因其国籍而在获得医疗服务方面受到歧视。该文件强调有必要进行更充分的移民辩论。