Barriers Undocumented Immigrants Face in Accessing Healthcare in the United States

BY SANIA QAZI – Undocumented immigrant communities in the United States are a constant fixture in our political discourse. There are approximately 12 million undocumented immigrants currently living in the United States, representing 3.6% of the population. One policy debate happening now is whether or not individuals in this community should have access to healthcare. Undocumented immigrants are excluded from federal healthcare options such as Medicare and Medicaid and are also not eligible for insurance through a marketplace set up by the Affordable Care Act. Even individuals with Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals or DACA are ineligible for any health coverage options. Undocumented children under the age of 18 can obtain coverage through CHIP and Medicaid. Still, many undocumented families are hesitant to enroll their children in the program out of fear that they may face deportation for doing so.

There are around 1,400 health centers with locations across the country that provide primary and preventative care health services to individuals regardless of income, insurance, or citizenship status.  Many of these centers, however, are underfunded and lack the necessary resources to deal with many severe conditions. These barriers to care for undocumented immigrants are not only damaging their health but are also affecting the health of other individuals they come in contact with throughout the day. Without access to proper medical services, infectious diseases can go unchecked. This bolsters the spread of disease and threatens the public’s health. 

Contrary to the current public concern about immigrants overburdening healthcare resources, immigrants are less likely to seek out medical services for several reasons. One study found that undocumented immigrants are more likely to report difficulty in understanding and communicating with their healthcare providers than U.S. born citizens. Immigrants also reported having less knowledge about the U.S. healthcare system than native-born citizens. These disparities highlight a need for more foreign language speaking medical providers that can adequately communicate with non-native speakers about their health and provide them with a high-quality care experience. The disparities also bring to light the need for the medical community to reach out to these communities so that they can be provided the same care as native-born residents.

Currently, every Democratic candidate for president supports a healthcare plan that provides some form of improved care to undocumented individuals. Detractors have pointed out that this may be unfair to native-born citizens or documented immigrants, but one of the ethical obligations of clinicians, as indicated by the Department of Justice, is to treat patients equally regardless of social, political, and citizenship status.

Legislation like The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 signed into law by President Clinton, that prevent certain clinicians from providing care to immigrants, are antithetical to the medical profession and harmful to the public’s health. Undocumented immigrants are vulnerable communities that should have medical professionals on their side because the poor and less-fortunate are no less deserving of care than anyone else in our healthcare system.  

Editor: Neha Kotike

Photography Source: https://journalofethics.ama-assn.org/article/immigration-daca-and-health-care/2019-01