Advocacy Priorities for Undocumented Immigrants in Healthcare
The healthcare needs of undocumented immigrants represent a pressing issue in the United States, which has been exacerbated by restrictive immigration policies. The healthcare accessibility of undocumented immigrants is highly limited because they are not eligible to participate in any of the public insurance programs, including Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act (Alarcon, 2022). Consequently, they frequently cannot obtain routine medical attention, a factor that leads to poor medical outcomes and worsens health inequities: Advocacy Priorities for Undocumented Immigrants in Healthcare.
Healthcare access to undocumented immigrants is one of the high-need topics that has to be addressed and advocated in the near future. This essay argues that enhancing healthcare access to undocumented immigrants is an important step toward promoting health equity and population health.
The healthcare disparities experienced by undocumented immigrants are primarily the result of discriminatory policies. These groups tend to be left out of state insurance initiatives, resulting in high levels of uninsurance and a lack of prompt care. This results in them having untreated conditions, increased rates of emergency departments, and poor health outcomes.
Research also points out that refusing undocumented immigrants access to healthcare services is not a mere policy matter but amounts to a cycle of inequity since it is self-perpetuating in that they fear immigration repercussions and, therefore, are less inclined to seek care, which makes their health problems only more pronounced (Kisa & Kisa, 2024). Mitigating these issues will help reduce the health disparities and raise the general health rates of this vulnerable population.
Policy changes can significantly improve access to healthcare for undocumented immigrants by expanding access to insurance coverage and creating sanctuary policies that protect them from deportation when seeking care. As an example, states can establish health insurance initiatives to cover undocumented people and guarantee their access to vital medical services. Moreover, policies that discourage the deportation of people seeking medical attention may ensure that these people can get assistance without the fear of being prosecuted. By facilitating the provision of improved care to undocumented immigrants, these policy changes would assist with meeting the broader public health objective of minimizing health inequities and advancing social justice.
Being a healthcare worker, I can be particularly effective in promoting these changes. By being in direct contact with patients, as a nurse, I can take a special role in promoting policy changes that would provide equitable healthcare access to marginalized groups. Nurses can work with legislative policymakers, healthcare institutions, and advocacy groups to demand changes in legislation to meet the healthcare demands of undocumented immigrants by employing their voices and experience (Flaubert et al., 2021). Part of the ethical obligation of nurses is also to act as an advocate for vulnerable populations, and it is in this advocacy work that we, as nurses, can play a role in making the healthcare system more inclusive and just.
To sum up, the need to support undocumented immigrants within the healthcare system is not just a step that can help to increase the likelihood of their health improvement but also a contribution to the realm of social justice and equity. We can ensure individuals of all immigration statuses get the care they need by engaging in policy change to resolve access to care, insurance coverage, and legal protection issues. Nurses can take the leading role in promoting these changes and health equity for everyone.
References
Alarcon, F. J. (2022). The migrant crisis and access to health care. Delaware Journal of Public Health, 8(4), 20–25. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9621574/#:~:text=Chronic%20conditions%20like%20diabetes%2C%20high
Flaubert, J. L., Menestrel, S. L., Williams, D. R., & Wakefield, M. K. (2021). The role of nurses in improving health equity. In www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov. National Academies Press (US). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK573898/
Kisa, S., & Kisa, A. (2024). “No Papers, No Treatment”: A scoping review of challenges faced by undocumented immigrants in accessing emergency healthcare. International Journal for Equity in Health, 23(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12939-024-02270-9
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Question 
In the first two Discussions, you identified a vulnerable or marginalized population for whom you can determine an issue that could be addressed through engaging in policy advocacy. Now it is time to present this advocacy area with evidence to support and defend your selection.
For this Assignment, you will explain and defend your selected advocacy issue.
- Using evidence and experience, you will determine the advocacy issue most important to your practice and organization.
- Why are you selecting this issue?
- Why is this an area of high need?
- How might this area be improved with policy?
- What can you do to advocate for this area of need?
To Prepare
- Review resources associated with vulnerable or marginalized populations to determine an advocacy issue.
- Consider which advocacy issue you find most important, and why.
- Consider how policy might help to mitigate this need.
Advocacy Priorities for Undocumented Immigrants in Healthcare
The Assignment: (1 page)
Select an issue you find most important, and then defend your position in a persuasive paper.
- This is the issue to write about.
- (operating simultaneously in ways that mutually reinforce one another to shape opportunities that advance health equity or create).
Submit a 1-page persuasive argument defending why you selected the advocacy issue to move forward with as your priority in this course.
Support—with evidence—why this advocacy issue is most important, and how it might be mitigated or eliminated through policy. Consider how this issue might set your policy agenda.
Reminder: The College of Nursing requires that all papers submitted include a title page, introduction, summary, and references. The Walden Writing Center Sample Paper provides an example of those required elements (available at https://academicguides.
- The chosen population is Undocumented Immigrants