Posted on 22,883 Comments on Access to Healthcare for Immigrants

Access to Healthcare for Immigrants

Access to healthcare can be determined by several factors (i.e. geographical location, income, insurance)–being an immigrant, especially a recent immigrant to the U.S., is one of these factors. In Albany, NY, the immigrant population has grown over the past few years and currently, 13.2% of the population consists of individuals that were not born in the U.S. (1). Coming to a new country presents many unique challenges, but access to healthcare is one that can prevent individuals from adjusting well and living a safe and healthy lifestyle.

Health Insurance

Due to their lack of citizenship after first moving to the U.S., health insurance options can be limited for immigrants, especially for undocumented immigrants (2). This limits access to many providers who only accept patients with insurance, and while undocumented immigrants can sometimes receive care from community health centers, this care is often only basic primary care or to be used in emergencies (2).

In New York state, all children can receive the Child Health Plus plan, regardless of their immigration status. This plan is comprehensive and includes preventative care, well-child visits, and emergency services (3). Additionally, pregnant women can receive Medicaid regardless of immigration status and some documented immigrants may qualify for the Essential Plan soon after they move to NY (2). However, if an individual does not fit into these categories, the only services that an undocumented immigrant may receive are emergency services (2). While this is beneficial, it leaves out the preventative care and services that can treat symptoms before they worsen beyond control.

Translation Services & Health Literacy

Many immigrant families, especially when they first immigrate to the U.S., are considered to have low English proficiency (LEP). This makes communication in healthcare settings a challenge and can be a barrier to receiving quality care, as the patient and provider cannot have a direct, fluid conversation. Some health care settings in New York have put up this ‘Language Identification Tool Poster’ that allows patients to point to their language, so that appropriate translation services may be provided.  A portion of the poster is shown below, with a link to the full poster here:

While resources such as this poster can help, patients and providers would still not be able to speak directly to each other, and would only be able to communicate through a translator.

Additionally, understanding health insurance options can also be difficult when there is a language barrier, as there are different requirements for each plan. A search engine can be found here for in-person help. This search engine consists of a directory of in-person helpers that can assist individuals in navigating the health system and health insurance plans specifically. While only eight languages are supported, including English, this service can benefit some individuals in understanding how to receive health services for themselves and their families.

COVID-19

With the current pandemic, language barriers present a unique challenge in being able to transmit public health information clearly to the general population. As immigrants make up a large portion of the population, it is essential that they understand basic information about the virus and are able to practice appropriate measures to limit the spread of the virus. Valleywise Health Medical Center in Arizona has made a series of videos available on Youtube that describe what COVID-19 is and what to do if you are sick. These videos have been made available in 12 languages, one of which can be played below.

These videos can be incredibly helpful for individuals that may not understand what is happening in their local communities as a result the virus, but coming across these videos may not be common for many immigrants, as they require some searching. It would therefore be helpful for similar resources and information to be sent to or made available to local communities, either in the style of videos or in pamphlet form.

While many resources exist to help immigrants navigate the healthcare system and obtain information about resources, these resources are not always used or made readily available to immigrant families. Many require searching and prior knowledge about websites and organizations that usually provide public health, insurance, and language services. In the future, it would be important to ensure that immigrants are aware of the resources that exist so that they can have access to the healthcare that they might need. What are some ways this could be done?

22,883 thoughts on “Access to Healthcare for Immigrants”

  1. I REALLY DEFINITELY LIKED EVERY PART OF IT AND I ALSO HAVE YOU SAVED TO FAV TO LOOK AT NEW INFORMATION IN YOUR SITE. THANKS
    슬롯머신

    Reply

  3. WHAT A WONDERFUL POST, YOU HAVE POINTED OUT SOME EXCELLENT POINTS, I AS WELL BELIEVE THIS IS A SUPERB WEBSITE. I HAVE PLANNED TO VISIT IT AGAIN AND AGAIN.

    Reply

  4. THIS ARTICLE IS AN APPEALING WEALTH OF USEFUL INFORMATIVE THAT IS INTERESTING AND WELL-WRITTEN. I COMMEND YOUR HARD WORK ON THIS AND THANK YOU FOR THIS INFORMATION. THANKS
    바카라

    Reply

  6. I wanted to thank you for this great read!! I definitely enjoying every little bit of it I have you bookmarked to check out new stuff you post. Commercial Land

    Reply

  9. GrantPharmacy Best Place to order Prescription Medications – Our Store is Working from the past 17 years to provide top quality generic medications at lowest price. grant pharmacy

    Reply

  10. linki eklenecek yazıMotorsiklet Parçaları ve Aksesuarları Motorunuzu özelleştirin, performansını artırın ve tarzınızı yansıtın. Frenlerden özel aksesuarlara yedek parçalara kadar her şeyi bulun.

    Reply

  12. JASABOLA adalah agen resmi dari bandar bola online KUBET yang telah berdiri 18 tahun menjadi situs judi bola terbesar di Asia. Fitur live streaming pertandingan bola gratis untuk semua liga sepakbola dunia lengkap. Gak ketinggalan game seru lain nya seperti slot gacor, livecasino, dan hiburan dewasa khusus member VIP. JASABOLA

    Reply

  13. This is a appropriate blog for everyone who hopes to learn about this topic. You already know a lot its practically challenging to argue with you (not that I just would want…HaHa). You definitely put a whole new spin with a topic thats been revealed for some time. Fantastic stuff, just excellent! pi123

    Reply

  33. Good post but I was wondering if you could write a litte more on this subject? I’d be very thankful if you could elaborate a little bit further. Appreciate it! 메이저사이트

    Reply

  37. Through their writings and orations, Marcelo H. del Pilar, Graciano López Jaena and José Rizal sounded the trumpets of Filipino nationalism and brought it to the level of the masses. 사설토토

    Reply

  39. 모두의 추억, ‘에브리원’에서 다시보세요: TV 다시보기의 새로운 지평
    에브리원은 단순한 티비다시보기 플랫폼이 아닙니다. 추억을 되살리고, 새로운 감성을 만나고, 다양한 콘텐츠를 즐길 수 있는 공간입니다.

    Reply

  40. If more people that write articles really concerned themselves with writing great content like you, more readers would be interested in their writings. Thank you for caring about your content. abcbet88 slot gacor

    Reply

  41. SLEEP BETTER View All SUBSCRIBE TODAY TECH REVIEWS More in TECH Reviews ACCESSORIES More in ACCESSORIES SUPPLEMENTS More in SUPPLEMENTS LIGHTS More in LIGHTS Get better sleep

    Reply

  43. Take a few moments to browse our website and see for yourself what makes our home care agency stand out from the rest. We are confident that you will find the information you need to make the best possible care decisions for yourself or your loved ones. thoughtfulhomecare.com

    Reply

  44. Take a few moments to browse our website and see for yourself what makes our home care agency stand out from the rest. We are confident that you will find the information you need to make the best possible care decisions for yourself or your loved ones. https://www.thoughtfulhomecare.com/

    Reply

  45. 모두의 추억, ‘에브리원’에서 다시보세요: TV 다시보기의 새로운 지평
    에브리원은 단순한 tv 다시보기 플랫폼이 아닙니다. 추억을 되살리고, 새로운 감성을 만나고, 다양한 콘텐츠를 즐길 수 있는 공간입니다.

    Reply

  46. We have a combination of Russian Escorts in Shastri Nagar, Housewife Shastri Nagar Escorts Agency, College young women in Shastri Nagar, Call young women in Shastri Nagar, Independent Escorts in Shastri Nagar and various more to go on. We have the world class ladies who can allures every one of you in their way to deal with completion the suggestive wishes of bed.

    Reply

  50. Extremely pleasant article, I appreciated perusing your post, exceptionally decent share, I need to twit this to my adherents. Much appreciated!.  英文寫作班推薦

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *