Undocumented Immigrants Summary

America needs comprehensive health care reform, and immigrants should be a part of the movement.  But many American citizens might ask that pertinent question: why should they cover the expense for illegal immigrants to access health care?  The answer is plain and simple: until congress passes immigration laws that work, people are going to migrant here illegally.  And to deny migrants access to affordable health care, Americans are not only denying them their human right, they are also putting individual and national health at risk.  I believe that this country – which has the medical advancements and the facilities to ensure the health of its citizens – should reach out to its non-citizens, legal and illegal, until it

A key goal of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) was to decrease the number of uninsured individuals, many of whom are in low-income families and are minorities (Kaiser Family Foundation 2016). Under the ACA, immigrants who are in the U.S. legally are eligible for coverage through the health insurance marketplace but undocumented immigrants are not (HealthCare.gov) even when using their own money to purchase. There are estimates of 11.1 million undocumented immigrants in the country as of 2014 (Krogstad, Passel, & Cohn 2016). It is estimated that California was home to more than two million undocumented immigrants in 2013. In 2016, California passed SB 10, a bill that would require the California Health Benefit Exchange, which facilitates the enrollment of qualified individuals into health plans, to apply to the United States Department of Health and Human Services for a waiver to allow individuals who are not eligible to obtain health coverage through the Exchange because of their immigration status to obtain coverage from the Exchange (California Legislative Information). This paper will explore California’s SB 10 legislation, its purpose, and how it will seek to serve its undocumented immigrant population and their health needs.

“Outlaw: My Life In America As An Undocumented Immigrant” by Jose Antonio Vargas from the New York Times, is a narrative essay that focuses on telling a story of past events. Vargas proposes that since he grew up in America that this is considered his home. Vargas believed he would be granted citizenship if he worked harder and achieved more. His motivation of sharing his childhood journey would be the relief of him coming forward about his legal status to those who were not aware and to those who he truly cares about but could not risk sharing his story with. Vargas tone and stance attracts people who are or have already been through the same path and for those that come to America to live the “American Dream” like Vargas intended to. Vargas concludes he is trapped in duplicity and being dishonest about his legal status is destroying his character. Even though, Vargas convinces me about his difficult journey as an undocumented immigrant, his belief that coming forward with the truth of his legal status will allow him to regain his values or the trust of those who he has already lied to is unconvincing because after all those years it has become a part of his selfhood.

There are several arguments spotlighting the effect of illegal immigration on current rising health care cost. To this point, illegal immigrants and elected representatives across the country are unable to deny the increased costs placed upon the backs of American taxpayers due to the rise in health care and health care insurance cost. A bill initiated in Indiana will demand local hospitals create a report regarding the costs associated with treating illegal immigrants. Additionally, on a countrywide level, there is an ongoing endeavor to push illegal immigrant children toward federally funded Children’s Health Insurance by the governing body which in turn will effectively raise the current tax rates for all Americans. As an alternative, some policymakers are trying to use creative language in order to guarantee that illegal immigrants were blocked from obtaining health care services (Maxwell & Adolfo 324). For undocumented immigrants within the United States, acquiring health related services or care systematically increases the cost for American taxpayers across the board. Health care providers, Health care insurance companies and both the state and federally supplemented health care funds ( i.e. Medicaid) are forced to close the gap on the negative revenue return by increasing cost of services due to the excessive use and write off of public health care funds and services by illegal immigrants.

Hispanics are one of the largest groups in the United States that are uninsured. Additionally, the Hispanic population is one of the fastest growing ethnic groups in the U.S. The Hispanic population is estimated to increase over the next 25 years to 32 million out of a total of 72 million of the US population (Brice, 2000). The U.S. health care system is facing one of its most notable societal issues in years in reference to its ability to provide access to medical care for the millions of Americans who do not have health care, for whatever cause. The Affordable Care Act was signed into law on March 23, 2010, for the purpose of reducing inequalities in insurance coverage and to provide access to health care for all. A vital goal of the

Expanding Medicaid under the new Affordable Care Act, or Obama Care as it has been dubbed, is a serious issue affecting not only the 47.5 million citizens on it according the to the U.S. Census Bureau (2012), but also 5.7 million more struggling United States Citizens needing medical care (2014). By expanding Medicaid, it would mean access to affordable health insurance, preventative care and new jobs created. On An 6-3 decision, those incomparable court upheld a discriminating some piece of the moderate mind Act, memorable human services change that the President marked under theory five a considerable length of time agnus dei. Now, a large number about Americans who got secured over wellbeing protection marketplaces could sit tight

In Undocumented Latinas by Grace Chang, Chang mentioned some of the ways undocumented latinas got abused and were not treated equally. For starters, she mentioned how women working in private households were underpaid by a great deal and worked for an insane amount of hours. Chang also mentioned two cases against the INS for not allowing women to receive the amnesty program because they receive public assistance to feed their children.

There have been legislative bills that have limited the access that illegal immigrants have to medical care, whether it be private insurance or with federal help such as state funded resources like Medical. For example the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 restricts medical care for illegal immigrants. Jeffrey Kullgren a medical student at the Michigan State University College of Human Medicine, argues that having severe limitations on health care services threatens the public’s health. He argues that the original purposes of the act were to reduce illegal immigration and preserve resources yet the act burdens health care providers and endangers the public’s health. The act stated that it was made in order to “remove the incentive for illegal immigration” and so that “individual aliens not burden the public benefits system”. These were the argument made in order to place eligibility restrictions for service made available by the local, state and federal governments. Although there were exceptions to the act, such as being able to get emergency care and immunizations, it still made getting proper health care very difficult. Placing these kinds of restrictions on people Kullgren argues has consequences on health. One is that it leads to greater waiting times and increase cost which reduces the efficiency of medical facilities. Another is that it can affect the lives of the American born children of immigrants. Although they are able to receive medical services, their parents are afraid to seek health care because they believe that they can get deported. Or they are not sure of whether their children are able to get medical coverage. Another negative result due to the act, Kullgren states, is that public resources are not being effectively used. It costs more to treat emergency situations that could have been easily prevented or that could have

Maria C. Abascal’s  “Reform’s mixed impact on Immigrants” is a reliable source. In this article, the author Abascal refers to how complicated it can be for undocumented immigrants to be covered for health care with the Affordable Care Act, and how it can provide benefits to legal immigrants. The article quickly introduced a waiting time period for legal immigrants to receive later benefits such as Medicaid, etc. and that waiting period is “five years” (Abascal, Para 2). It really doesn't make any sense for legal immigrants to wait that long, which shows how divide the United State is to its residents when it comes to resources. However, since they are not American citizens, I can understand the difference, but everyone’s health matters.

The HEAL for Immigrant Women and Families Act of 2017 is seeking to expand access to health care services from the Affordable Care Act (ACA) to lawful permanent residents (green card holders) and Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival (DACA) program recipients (H.R. 2788, 2017). The act is intended to break down barriers for women and their families by expanding the definition of “lawfully present” instituted under the Social Security Act in the Medicaid-Section 1903. By amending subparagraph (A) to expand the definition of “lawfully present” to include “such an individual who is granted deferred action or other federally authorized presence other than as a nonimmigrant” (H.R. 2788, 2017). Currently, from the 6.5 million lawful non-citizen women in the US from the ages of 15 to 44, 36% are uninsured in comparison to the 11% uninsured naturalized citizens and 10% the US-born citizen women in the same category (Guttmacher Institute , 2016). When taking a closer look at these women, researchers found that 51% live below the federal poverty level (FDL) and are often ineligible for health care programs such as Medicaid (Guttmacher Institute , 2016). By expanding the definition in the subparagraph (A) of the Social Security Act of 1903, it would expand eligibility for all federally funded health care programs through the ACA and cause the five-year gap to be

It is important to understand how the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act also know as the Affordable Care Act and usually referred to as the Obamacare affordable care act works and the functionality of it. The Affordable Care Act has insured over 20 million people, which was signed back in law in 2010 and signed by the 44th President Barack Obama. This paper will discuss various aspect of the Affordable Care Act, cultural assessment of the Hispanic group, and chapter six case study.

The jobs that the undocumented workers are doing, are work that Americans wouldn’t find desirable. Michael Smith, a supervisor of wood frame, tells us a story on why he chooses undocumented

A memorandum authored by Edwards (2010) for the Center for Immigration Studies, contends that of the estimated 6.7 million uninsured undocumented immigrants 3.1 million would be eligible for Medicaid. Edwards (2010) proclaims this entitlement is due to the low incomes earned, which is unlikely to waver based on low educational attainment. While Edwards (2010) acknowledges that undocumented immigrants are generally younger and have better health than the overall Medicaid population, the author posits that, “covering 3.1 million amnestied immigrants would conservatively cost taxpayers $48.6 billion dollars…between 2014-2019” (Edwards, 2010, p. 1). This number does not include those undocumented immigrants, which if granted access to the benefits of the ACA, who would receive subsidies based on income. Thus the author argues the conservative nature of the estimates, and concerns over the difficulties presented in estimating actual costs of insuring the undocumented population (Edwards,

Undocumented: How Immigration Became Illegal by Aviva Chomsky is a compelling book that addresses the hot button issue that is immigration in the United States. With immigration being one of the main focuses in the most recent presidential election, it is clearly evident that immigration, both legal and illegal, plays an important role in today's society. Chomsky addresses this issue with a modern liberal outlook and questions the legitimacy, if any, of the illegality of immigration.

patient Protection Act, also known as the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is one of the most extensive reforms of the U.S. health care system. The ACA health reform helps reconstruct the health insurance market in the United States and mandates that residents have secure and reliable health care coverage. This new health reform law significantly helps expand public insurance, raise revenues from taxes, subsidizes private insurance coverage, and reorganizes and reduces spending under the nation’s largest health insurance plan, Medicare. Projecting such comprehensive health care system is more than demanding and challenging. This paper will discuss about the history of why America’s health care system was always a failure, and how America’s new health care reform (ACA) came into action, although there needs to be more revision. The paper will also focus on the importance of immigrant’s health coverage in New Jersey and share with the reader’s the statistics of the past and present status of our health care system.