Posted on 46,441 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?

46,441 thoughts on “Access to Healthcare for Immigrants”

  4. I simply want to tell you that I am new to weblog and definitely liked this blog site. Very likely I’m going to bookmark your blog. You absolutely have wonderful stories. Cheers for sharing with us your blog 슬롯 솔루션

    Reply

  5. 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 카지노커뮤니티

    Reply

  6. Pleasant article.Think so new type of elements have incorporated into your article. Sitting tight for your next article 알밤

    Reply

  7. Great post however , I was wanting to know if you could write a litte more on this subject? I’d be very thankful if you could elaborate a little bit further. Bless you! meongtoto

    Reply

  8. Nice post. I learn something more challenging on distinct blogs everyday. It will always be stimulating to read content off their writers and practice a little something from their store. I’d choose to use some with all the content in my small weblog whether you do not mind. Natually I’ll provide a link on your own internet weblog. Many thanks sharing. meongtoto

    Reply

  18. I think everything posted was actually very reasonable.

    But, what about this? suppose you wrote a catchier post title?

    I mean, I don’t wish to tell you how to run your blog, however suppose you added a post title that makes people desire more?
    I mean Access to Healthcare for Immigrants – Exploring healthcare during a pandemic is kinda vanilla.
    You ought to glance at Yahoo’s front page and watch how they create article titles to get people
    interested. You might try adding a video or
    a pic or two to grab people interested about what you’ve written. In my opinion,
    it would make your blog a little livelier.

    Here is my homepage; link slot online terpercaya

    Reply

  30. fantastic points altogether, you simply received a emblem new
    reader. What would you recommend about your post that
    you simply made a few days in the past? Any certain?

    Review my webpage: localizzazione di siti web

    Reply

  31. I am definitely bookmarking this website and sharing it with my acquaintances. You will be getting plenty of visitors to your website from me! meongtoto

    Reply

  33. Suspended Cradle Lift – Safely elevate workers and materials with a suspended cradle lift. Find suspended platform cradles for hire and purchase today.
    Cradle for Rent

    Reply

  34. Hey there! This is kind of off topic but I need some advice from
    an established blog. Is it very difficult to set up your
    own blog? I’m not very techincal but I can figure things out pretty quick.
    I’m thinking about making my own but I’m not
    sure where to start. Do you have any points or suggestions?
    Appreciate it

    Take a look at my website: link slot online terpercaya

    Reply

  35. I just had to share my thoughts after reading this fantastic content! It’s clear that AI SEO Services is doing a wonderful job in helping businesses navigate the complexities of smarter digital marketing. I felt so inspired after seeing so many positive experiences shared by others in the comments. It really highlights the impact of their services. If you’re looking to enhance your online presence, I highly recommend checking them out! Visit their site for more on E-commerce SEO.

    Reply

  36. Thank you because you have been willing to share information with us. we will always appreciate all you have done here because I know you are very concerned with our. bandar slot hoki

    Reply

  39. It’s impressive that you are getting ideas from this article as well as
    from our dialogue made here.

    Also visit my website; oral

    Reply

  42. Very soon this web page will be famous among
    all blog viewers, due to it’s fastidious articles or
    reviews

    Feel free to visit my web page لاپایی

    Reply

  43. محافظة مبارك الكبير تشتهر بتنوع خدمات التنظيف، وخاصة غسيل السجاد. هنا، يمكنك العثور على خدمات تنظيف سجاد متميزة تعمل على تجديد مظهر السجاد لديك بتكلفة مناسبة. إذا كنت تبحث عن خدمة غسيل سجاد موثوقة في هذه المحافظة، يمكنك زيارة الرابط: تنظيف سجاد محافظة مبارك الكبير

    Reply

  44. Gacor Slots In dorahoki is the best slot today that provides online games that make money quickly and easily, capital of 10k becomes hundreds of millions with just a few spins, also dora hoki provides the fastest deposit system, namely qris deposit which only takes 1 second so that players feel comfortable when they want to play. https://thesequelisbetter.com/

    Reply

  46. Scanner.biz simplifies document scanning with your smartphone.
    Whether it’s contracts, receipts, or notes, you can instantly convert
    them into high-quality PDFs or images. The app automatically adjusts brightness and cropping to
    ensure professional results with every scan.

    No need for heavy equipment—Scanner.biz provides everything you need for mobile scanning.
    With multi-page support and easy file organization, managing documents on the go has never
    been easier. Available for both Android and iPhone, Scanner.biz is your ultimate tool for quick
    and efficient document scanning!

    Feel free to surf to my web site http://www.the-way.kr/bbs/board.php?bo_table=free&wr_id=63100

    Reply

  48. My brother suggested I might like this blog. He
    was once totally right. This submit actually made my day. You can not consider just how much time I had spent for this info!
    Thank you!

    my web-site; Main profile

    Reply

  50. Great post. I was checking constantly this blog and I am impressed!
    Very useful info particularly the last part 🙂 I care for such information a lot.

    I was seeking this certain information for a very long time.
    Thank you and good luck.

    My blog fortbite tooth powder

    Reply

Leave a Reply

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