Policy Paper Draft- Health Policy

Policy Paper Draft- Health Policy

Having access to quality health care is a basic human right. An individual’s immigration status should not determine if they can receive care. Growing up, I was part of a family that immigrated to the United States. My family immigrated to “Los Estados Unidos,” the United States, from Colombia in the 70s, searching for the American Dream. The move did come at a cost to our health and many other issues. Fortunately, unlike some of my cousins, I was born in the United States. Therefore, I had access to all the care I needed as a child, so I did not understand my family’s barriers when receiving care growing up. Consequently, formulating a health policy regarding access to health care for undocumented immigrants is of great significance.

Issue Description

Studies indicate that in 2019, the United States of America had approximately 21 million immigrants. Similar reports reveal that about 10.5 million immigrants are unauthorized. Unauthorized in this context refers to people who immigrated illegally. It also refers to people who followed the due process of immigration but failed to leave after their visa or work permits expired (Artiga & Diaz, 2019). Compared to natives, immigrants are most likely to face difficulties accessing health insurance, which hinders their access to healthcare services. Reports indicate that approximately 45% of unauthorized immigrants are not insured compared to about 8.9% of the natives (Artiga & Diaz, 2019). These findings cut across all age groups, from children to the elderly populations. Furthermore, intermarriages between native citizens and immigrants decrease the likelihood of their children being insured.

Immigrants face numerous challenges in acquiring health insurance. Their access to employer-provided health coverage is limited (Artiga & Diaz, 2019). Accordingly, this can be attributed to the nature of the jobs they acquire. Most undocumented immigrants secure low-paying jobs from institutions that don’t sponsor employee health coverage. Studies indicate that undocumented immigrants earn the least compared to legal immigrants and native citizens. Furthermore, their low wages reduce the likelihood of enrolling in health coverage provided by the employer (Artiga & Diaz, 2019). They have to channel the money to provide food and other necessities at the expense of health coverage.

Unauthorized immigrants are ineligible to enrol in various health programs. Notably, they can’t access Medicaid and The Children’s Health Insurance Program (Artiga & Diaz, 2019). Furthermore, this population is restricted from acquiring health coverage via the Affordable Care Act. This significantly derails their efforts toward access to healthcare. Generally, unauthorized immigrants are not eligible for health coverage plans because of their illegal status. They rely on clinics and hospitals that offer free medical camps. However, this reduces the likelihood of addressing their healthcare concerns.

This problem was compounded by the policies made by President Donald Trump. The policies are aimed at combating immigration and reducing the public health programs that support this population (Artiga & Diaz, 2019). Consequently, the enrollment rate of legal immigrants to eligible healthcare programs declined. Studies have demonstrated that this population is important. They take jobs for lower wages, which most Americans refuse to take. For example, this group is also responsible for the agricultural needs of this country (Artiga & Diaz, 2019). They make up about 73% of farmworkers in the United States, helping keep the cost to a minimum.

Undocumented immigrants lack access to physical health care and mental health. Undocumented immigrants exposed to violent trauma or other hardships have no way to treat their mental health. Due to these different exposures, they are predisposed to depressive disorders (Divya, 2022). Therefore, concerted efforts should be channeled toward promoting access to health care by this population. As a result, this will increase their physical and emotional well-being. Better quality of life among this population will enable them to continue being productive members of American society.

Proposals to Curb the Problem

Different proposals have been put forward to address the problem of inadequate healthcare coverage for undocumented immigrants. The first four proposals were made by a collaborative effort between policymakers in Mexico and California. A focus group of undocumented immigrants is the group of interest in these proposals.

The first proposal is a binational health coverage program. This insurance plan aims to cater to healthcare needs in two countries, Mexico and the USA (Ortega et al., 2018). This proposal enables immigrants to get services in the USA and channel their costly expenses to their native countries. Programs that cover next of kin are beneficial in these circumstances as well. This proposal is operational in the private sector and public sector. It covers immigrant families by facilitating access to primary healthcare facilities (Ortega et al., 2018). The members of the focus group identified some shortcomings of the proposal. For instance, re-entry into the USA would be impossible after visiting Mexico to obtain health care services. They are undocumented; therefore, none would consider returning to their native country because the return journey would be difficult.

The second proposal is advocacy for employer-mandated coverage. This proposal will ensure unauthorized immigrants get adequate access to health care services. Employer-mandated coverage is advantageous because it does not scrutinize the legality of an immigrant (Ortega et al., 2018). Subsequently, this will be transformative in California because at least one family member of 75% of the immigrants has a permanent employment status. However, feedback from the focus group revealed that most of them are part-timers and are employed on a short-term basis. Therefore, this is likely to reduce the beneficiaries of the mandated employer coverage.

The third proposal is the expansion of access to community clinic services. These services are already in place. Accordingly, this proposal advocates for a redefinition and expansion of the services (Ortega et al., 2018). This policy should be tailored to expand the healthcare capacity, staff numbers, and the present facilities. It is anticipated that the quality of primary health care will improve after implementing this policy. Significantly, this is considered to be cost-effective compared to the proposal of mandating employer coverage (Perreira & Pedroza, 2019). The group of interest proposes this provision. They argued that it is beneficial because it does not require them to be employed. However, they noted that the existing program provided few services. An expansion to cover basic procedures such as radiologic examinations would be beneficial. Therefore, diversifying the types and quality of services delivered is an issue of concern among the focus group members.

The fourth proposal is to embrace telemedicine. This proposal will help to address the problem of specialist shortage. Telemedicine enables a specialist to serve a patient remotely from home (Ortega et al., 2018). As a result, this increases the number of patients accessing specialist care. This proposal enables undocumented immigrants to access specialist care from their native countries. Californian hospitals and clinics would facilitate this process. However, the members of the focus group were opposed to this provision. Most of them were unfamiliar with telemedicine. Furthermore, they demonstrated minimal trust in their specialists. The absence of face-to-face interactions decreases the patient’s trust in the health care provider.

Stakeholders Supporting the Proposal

Senator Cory Booker and Representative Pramila Jayapal have introduced legislation to help undocumented families receive care. They introduced HEAL, Health Equity, and Access under Law; this legislation will ensure access to Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (Washington D.C, 2020). The bill would remove the restriction against undocumented acquiring health care coverage from the Affordable Care Act. This bill was sponsored by approximately eighty members of Congress (Washington D.C, 2020). The other group of interest is organizations fighting for equity in healthcare access. These groups argue that immigrants are discriminated against based on their race and origin. As a result, such immigrants experience difficulties accessing quality health care and have to pay costly hospital bills. Fortunately, HEAL eliminates barriers to health coverage and should be embraced.

Policymakers in New York City have made some proposals to help solve this problem. Similar to the proposals by Californian and Mexican policymakers, they aim to broaden the capacity of primary healthcare facilities (Task Force on Immigrant Health Care Access, 2017). The proposal aims to create more healthcare centres and increase their capacity and the scope of services offered. Ultimately, this will increase the likelihood of addressing the needs of the immigrants. Immigrants in New York welcome this move. They point out that the current primary healthcare facilities are inadequate and offer a narrow spectrum of services.

The other policy focuses on the transformation of the Health and Hospitals Corporation. This program ensures that everyone living in New York has access to cost-effective healthcare services. The eligibility criteria are people without insurance coverage. The program acts on behalf of patients to seek health coverage programs in the public sector. Furthermore, after acquiring the insurance programs, no charges are accrued. This focuses on availing affordable health care to approximately 70,000 immigrants (Task Force on Immigrant Health Care Access, 2017). The proposal is considered beneficial by New Yorkers. The immigrants acknowledge that it will increase their access to otherwise inaccessible insurance programs.

New York policymakers also aim at establishing a coordinated health care paragon that avails services to everyone. In addition to undocumented immigrants, the model will also provide insurance to people with low income (Khullar & Chokshi, 2019). A collaborative effort will be made with healthcare providers and health institutions to achieve this. Furthermore, health workers at the community level will be sought. These are important personnel because patients easily access them. Additionally, they understand the linguistics and culture of the immigrants and are likely to provide holistic patient care. The immigrants consider this proposal to be progressive because it enables them to get the best healthcare services.

Recommendations

Efforts should be made to ensure that undocumented immigrants are eligible to enrol in various health programs in the USA. Accordingly, this is in agreement with the proposals made by Senator Cory Booker, Representative Pramila Jayapal, and the New York Policymakers. Undocumented immigrants have the right to access basic programs such as Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program. Furthermore, those who can afford to acquire coverage from existing marketplaces should be allowed access. Accordingly, this can be fulfilled by incorporating the Health Equity and Access under Law and the Health and Hospitals Corporation. The former eliminates existing barriers to undocumented immigrants’ acquiring health care coverage. On the other hand, the latter secures health insurance on behalf of immigrants and increases the number of people getting health care services.

Existing primary healthcare facilities should be reformed. These facilities provide healthcare services to undocumented immigrants. The scope of services offered should be increased. Undocumented immigrants should address basic healthcare needs without the need for referrals. The capacity of these institutions should be expanded to cater to the needs of the huge number of undocumented immigrants. Also, healthcare providers in these institutions should offer holistic services that consider an individual’s physical, emotional, and psychosocial well-being. Furthermore, they respect the cultural-religious beliefs and language of an individual. These reforms will ensure that patient-centered services are provided to immigrants.

Adoption of the binational health coverage program is a beneficial strategy. This program is between the USA and the native homes of the immigrants. This will ensure that all undocumented immigrants access desirable healthcare services in the USA. The Federal and State governments should adopt this program. States with the highest numbers of undocumented immigrants should increase the number of hospitals that accept the insurance program. Native countries of undocumented immigrants are held accountable for their medical bills. Ultimately, this eliminates concerns about arrears.

Nursing organizations have a role in the implementation of these policies. They should work in concert with the federal and state governments to ensure that sufficient nursing staff is available in primary health care centers. Through collaborative efforts, they should ensure that nurses get interpretation services. Significantly, this will help address the language barrier experienced by some undocumented immigrants. These organizations should engage in educating the public. Essentially, this will enable undocumented immigrants to understand the types of services provided in primary care centers. Consequently, this will make them seek medical help from these immigrant-friendly institutions.

Individual nursing organizations possess the autonomy to influence policy development. An example of a nursing organization is the National League for Nursing (Nurse.org, n.d.). Accordingly, members of these organizations should conduct research and establish evidence-based strategies that promote immigrants’ equitable access to health care services. Another example of such a strategy is adopting the binational health coverage program (Ortega et al., 2018). After identifying the evidenced-based strategies, nursing organizations should work individually or collaborate with other nursing organizations for popularization and advocacy. This can be through letters to immigration organizations urging them to recommend the evidence-based strategy to the Senate or Congress. An example of an immigration organization is the Immigrant Legal Resource Center (Shusterman, n.d.). In addition, nursing organizations should be involved in signing on to amicus briefs when cases involving immigrants are before the courts. By so doing, they provide the merits of desirable policies and the demerits of unfavourable policies. Furthermore, representatives from nursing organizations should be involved in interactive sessions with members of Congress and advocate for evidence-based change strategies.

Conclusion

Concerted efforts should be made to ensure that undocumented immigrants have access to healthcare services. This can be accomplished by removing existing restrictions on health insurance, expanding primary health care centers, and embracing binational health coverage programs. Lastly, nursing organizations play an important role in ensuring undocumented immigrants have access to health care services.

References

Artiga, S., & Diaz, M. (2019). Health Coverage and Care of Undocumented Immigrants. https://www.kff.org/racial-equity-and-health-policy/issue-brief/health-coverage-and-care-of-undocumented-immigrants/

Divya, C. (2022). Stress & Trauma Toolkit. Undocumented Immigrants. Retrieved February 10, 2022, from https://www.psychiatry.org/psychiatrists/cultural-competency/education/stress-and-trauma/undocumented-immigrants

Khullar, D., & Chokshi, D. A. (2019). Challenges for immigrant health in the USA—the road to crisis. The Lancet, 393(10186), 2168–2174. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(19)30035-2

Mayor’s Task Force on Immigrant Health Care Access. (2017). Improving Immigrant Access to Health Care in New York City. 1–23. http://www1.nyc.gov/assets/cidi/downloads/pdfs/immigrant_health_task_force_report.pdf

Nurse.org. (n.d.). List of Nursing Organizations. https://nurse.org/orgs.shtml

Ortega, A. N., McKenna, R. M., Kemmick Pintor, J., Langellier, B. A., Roby, D. H., Pourat, N., Vargas Bustamante, A., & Wallace, S. P. (2018). Health Care Access and Physical and Behavioral Health among Undocumented Latinos in California. Medical Care, 56(11), 919–926. https://doi.org/10.1097/MLR.0000000000000985

Perreira, K. M., & Pedroza, J. M. (2019). Policies of Exclusion: Implications for the Health of Immigrants and Their Children. Annual Review of Public Health, 40, 147–166. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-publhealth-040218-044115

Shusterman, C. (n.d.). Immigration Organizations. https://www.shusterman.com/immigration-organizations/

Washington D.C. (2020). Booker Introduces Bold Bill to Expand Access to Health Care for Immigrants. https://www.booker.senate.gov/news/press/booker-introduces-bold-bill-to-expand-access-to-health-care-for-immigrants

ORDER A PLAGIARISM-FREE PAPER HERE

We’ll write everything from scratch

For this assignment, you will develop a policy paper on the issue you have focused on this semester. Approach this paper as if it will circulate to the leaders of significant nursing organizations, considering what position to take on your issue. Your paper should inform readers of the issue and its significance, provide proposals to address the issue and provide recommendations on what you believe should be done about the issue.
You can and should build on what you’ve learned about the issue through your Issue Description and Hearing Summary.

Policy Paper Draft- Health Policy

The paper should be 5-7 pages, written in APA format, double-spaced, in 12-point Times New Roman font and 1-inch margins. (Be sure to include a title page, abstract, and a list of references–these do not count toward the 5-7 pages).
A draft of the paper is due by the end of Session 9. You will receive feedback from the instructors and a classmate, which you can incorporate when you revise your paper. This draft is worth 12.5 % of your grade—so you want to make this as much of a finished product as possible. (The final paper is due by the end of Session 13).Include the following:
Issue Description
Describe the issue, its background, and why people are—or should be—concerned about it. You can incorporate content from your Issue Description assignment.
Proposals to Address the Issue
What proposals have been put forward to address this issue? Who has proposed them? Who –which interest groups or other stakeholders—support or oppose these proposals? What, if any, evidence do they give for their positions? If there are several proposals, or several stakeholders support ing or opposing them, focus on the major ones.
Recommendations
Based on what you know about the issue and about proposals to address it, what do you think should be done? What should nursing organizations support, and why?
You might agree with a proposal that has already been made, or you might suggest something else, such as a combination of different proposals. (Of course, this depends on the issue, the evidence, and your perspectives).
References
Include a minimum of 5 references from authoritative sources—these might include peer-reviewed journal articles, government reports, white papers, reliable newspaper articles, etc. They do not include Wikipedia, personal blogs, or social media posts.
You may also include a brief Introduction and Conclusion if that helps you in organizing the paper.
Submit your draft paper via the Turnitin Submission Link Below.

Please also included the attached in the paper, if revision on the item discription is needed that is fine