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?
27,662 thoughts on “Access to Healthcare for Immigrants”
k200m Gas straight away, guys, your luck will win big with this website
k200m
sanbet It’s very easy to get big wins on our website
sanbet
Can I simply say what a relief to locate someone who actually understands precisely what theyre speaking about on the web. You actually understand how to bring an issue to light to make it important. More people should look at this and appreciate this side of the story. I can’t believe you are not more popular as you definitely possess the gift. 整体習志野
peter
jayatop Links for Online Games on Trusted Slot Sites
jayatop
I often read concise articles or reviews that effectively convey their points, and the piece I’m currently reading is no exception. – india lottery download app
Chatpgt
dahlia777 best sites make it easy for anyone to win
dahlia777
olg77 Situs online mempunyai provider yang sangat mudah untuk dimenangkan
olg77
Keep working, wonderful job! Exactly the info I had to know. rajabandot
peter
Phenomenal blog. I delighted in researching your articles. This is to an extraordinary degree an amazing examined for me. I have bookmarked it and I am suspecting inspecting new articles. Continue doing shocking
토토사이트
토토사이트
olg77 It’s very easy to get big wins on our website
olg77
sultanbet You need to know all the games available at Online Slot Betting
sultanbet
This particular is usually apparently essential and moreover outstanding truth along with for sure fair-minded and moreover admittedly useful My business is looking to find in advance designed for this specific useful stuffs… slot gacor
fwfw
collowin Situs online mempunyai provider yang sangat mudah untuk dimenangkan
collowin
collowin It’s very easy to get big wins on our website
collowin
dingdongtogel88 Alternative Links for Online Games on Trusted Slot Sites
dingdongtogel88
Langit77 situs website terfavoritnya para pemain game online
Langit77
Telusuri ragam slot gacor di situs nexiabet Dapatkan akses ke permainan berkualitas tinggi dan peluang kemenang yang sangat menarik.
nexiabet
Langit77 Situs Game Maxwin Online Terbesar di Tahun ini
Langit77
I often read concise articles or reviews that effectively convey their points, and the piece I’m currently reading is no exception. – india lottery app download
Chatpgt
Langit77 memiliki tim proses transaksi deposit dan penarikan yang sangat berpengalaman
Langit77
fair spin Whether it’s live scores, match results, or breaking news about your favorite teams and players, we’ve got it all covered!
lumina
excellent write-up, i certainly love this web site, keep on it Mulia 189
peter
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. read acim online
casepr
LANGIT77 It’s very easy to get big wins on our website
LANGIT77
Sambutlah keberuntungan di website slot258 terbaik! Temukan peluang permianan yang gacor tak terbatas di sini.
slot258
Fantastic, thanks for the awesome article. I’m having troubles subscribing to your blogs feed. Thought I’d let you know 日本語研修会社
peter
Thank you for the information. I will offer you stories of the biggest, most popular games and big wins. Therefore, if you like it, you can visit the website https://lab.stikesnurulhasanah-kutacane.ac.id/servers/?products=indopride88
INDOPRIDE88
Temukan keberuntunganmu di situs nexiabet tanpa batas! Bergabunglah sekarang dan rasakan sensasi kemenangan.
nexiabet
An interesting discussion might be priced at comment. I do think that you need to write read more about this topic, it might be described as a taboo subject but typically consumers are not enough to communicate on such topics. To another location. Cheers hip hop beats for sale
peter
Wow what a Great Information about World Day its very nice informative post. thanks for the post. Charlotte IT Services
shaikh seo
You created some decent points there. I looked on-line for your issue and found most individuals may go in conjunction with with all your website. indie alternative
peter
Hello I’m Vani sharma most popular and demanding girls fully honesty with our clients,we have more than 2k smart girls interested guys can contact me 24×7 Booking Available.
Kharar Escorts
Mia Escort
If you can’t take the heat, get out of the kitchen. 강남풀싸롱
Ayan45
Selamat Datang di bandar togel toto macau 4d terpercaya dan resmi yang bisa anda mainkan untuk mendapatkan kemenangan terbaik anda hari ini alexistogel
peter
Hi just wanted to give you a brief heads up and let you know a few of the pictures aren’t loading properly. I’m not sure why but I think its a linking issue. I’ve tried it in two different browsers and both show the same results. gelora4d
Meyim