Jacqueline Teasley

Ashby Capstone

Dr. Littlejohn

Healthcare for Hispanic & Latino Immigrants: How Just Is It?

Immigration in the United States has been a transcendent battle for the last 200 years,

especially for those of Hispanic and Latino origin, an estimated 21 million in the country today

(as expressed in the chart below).

While lawmakers today claim that xenophobia and naturalist sentiment are forgotten

grudges of the past, those coming or wishing to come into the United States today are fully aware

of the discrimination and antagonizing realities that are woven into the fabric of America. The

history of racially charged policies, acts, and laws that have been passed have created a web in
our modern world where the education, healthcare, economics/labor markets, politics, and

criminal justice regarding Hispanic and Latino immigrants is oppressive and daunting. ​I am

arguing that the contemporary regulations on healthcare for Latino and Hispanic legal and

illegal immigrants are discriminatory in nature and work to discourage migration to the

United States. Such sentiments are conducted through demanding citizenship qualifications

that result in a lack of access to healthcare, expensive healthcare packages, and medical

repatriations.

Background

To fully comprehend the complexity that is immigration, one must examine the history of

said topic.​ To begin, the Latino and Hispanic experience in the United States is nothing new.

Having had its roots in the early 1800’s with the Louisiana Purchase, immigrants have been

coming to the United States for generations. The true origins of Latino and Hispanic immigration

can be found through colonialism and oppression, as America acquired new territory through

their quest for domination. Beginning with the annexation of Texas, then the Treaty of
Guadalupe Hidalgo that ended the Mexican-American War in 1848 (Kilty 5), Hispanic and

Latino immigration to the States flourished, ultimately because these individuals were forced to

do so by their land claiming oppressors.

The sentiment toward Hispanic and Latino immigration has ebbed and flowed over the

past hundred or so years, being the direct result of cultural ideologies or major events happening

in society.​ In the beginnings of our country, from 1780 to 1875, “many interests actively

promoted immigration to the new nation because of the need for laborers (Kilty 7).”. This means

that when America was young and seeking cheap labor, it came in the form of immigrants, who

were then used and abused. The restrictions placed on the newcomers allowed persons of color to

live in the United States and work, but they would not be considered citizens, depriving them of

the right to vote, to own property, or to testify in court; ultimately allowing for economic

opportunity at their expense of political and civil rights. As time went on, from 1875 to 1920,

the sentiment towards immigrants changed again and ‘The fear of foreigners led to the

imposition of qualitative restrictions aimed at barring certain types of immigrants” (Kilty 7).​ ​This

quote accounts for the various laws and policies that were passed during this time in an attempt

to restrict the numbers of immigrants allowed into the country, such as reading tests, requiring

knowledge of the English language, and sometimes requiring immigrants to translate the entire

content of foreign language periodicals into English” (Kilty 17). These types of discriminatory

restrictions are clearly reminiscent of other times in history, such as literacy tests given to Black

Americans when voting during the 1950’s and 1960’s, that were intricate attempts to keep people

of color oppressed in the country.

 From 1920 and ultimately continuing unto today, immigration sentiment has simply been

determined by the government​. A shocking example of this goes back into the 1930’s and 40’s

when ​bracero​ programs were introduced and brought Mexicans into the country as laborers

during the war, but “peace” would eventually be regained for America as “Operation Wetback”

was deployed in the 1950’s to deport all of the hardworking individuals who had saved this

country during its time of turmoil; where reportedly more than one million Mexican and

Mexican-Americans were deported in 1954 alone (Kilty 10). Examples such as these continue to

highlight how the negative sentiments regarding immigration held by Americans have pushed the

nation to pursue an estranged relationship with immigrants and undocumented individuals, who

seek to improve their quality of life.

Citizenship Status Determines Healthcare Packages

With that said, we must now analyze how the nation works against legal immigrants and

undocumented individuals alike through health insurance and the complexities therein.​ To begin,

in order for an immigrant to obtain any form of health care, they must be a verified naturalized

citizen of the United States. Currently, the United States uses as a federal statute known as the

Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, which works to lower the costs of emergency

services, lower the costs of healthcare/insurance, and tries to expand the cover of the Medicaid

program for low-income citizens (“Affordable Care Act (ACA)”). The ACA works to help ​legal

immigrants in America, removing undocumented individuals and illegal immigrants out of the

equation. For those considered illegal immigrants of this country, the only form of healthcare

provided is stated in the U.S. Constitution, which declares that the nation allows ​emergency

medical services for said individuals in the United States, regardless of citizenship or nationality
(“What Legal Rights Do Undocumented Immigrants Have?”). To this extent, one should look at

hospitals. Due to this emergency medical service law in the Constitution, hospitals were once

required to provide care for illegal immigrants, immigrants and undocumented individuals alike

in times of emergency and panic; but the ACA has now undermined the Constitution by

removing the privilege of providing emergency medical services to illegal immigrants in their

times of need. This healthcare paradox has left the immigrant population in shambles. As of

2009, an estimated 60% of Hispanic immigrants and 37% of Latino immigrants are uninsured in

the United States (“Hispanics, Health Insurance and Health Care Access”). Aside from an

undocumented individuals inability to receive medical services, they are also kept from basic

forms of health insurance such as Medicaid, Medicare, or other forms of these services, because

undocumented individuals are not eligible for our nation’s mode of healthcare. This includes

individuals that are U.S. born children or had previous proof of U.S. residency (i.e. a birth

certificate). These types of policies remind the immigrant population of their outsider status in

our nation, where the discriminatory sentiment continues to dominate the mind of lawmakers in

the country.

Private Insurers
 Considering that illegal immigrants are not allowed health insurance legally, we see a

trend of immigrants (both legal and not) either going without health insurance altogether or

turning to community providers and private practices (in secret) in an attempt to secure said

service.​ Since there are limited health plans available to illegal immigrants and undocumented

individuals by private physicians and clinics, the statistics on the amount of healthcare given to

the undocumented immigrant population is spotty. A 2009 study conducted by the UCLA Center

for Health Policy Research concluded that in two New York hospitals, an estimated 65% of

private physicians provided healthcare to undocumented individuals (Wallace, Steven, et al. 24).

In a similar study in 2000, various community health centers in the Los-Angeles area provided

that they gave medical services to 14% of undocumented men and 30% of undocumented women

(Wallace, Steven, et al. 24). This evidence suggests that current health care policies in America

force illegal immigrants and undocumented individuals to seek alternative options of medicine,

ultimately depriving them of their basic human rights. Moreover, when and if illegal immigrants

go through private care facilities in an attempt to receive health insurance, they are often

subjected to unequal health care packages, increased costs (deductibles and co-pays), or have

experienced provider abuse, often by being rejected specific services that are only offered to

those that are in the States legally (Molina 91). On average, regular healthcare insurance, such as

Medicaid for a single person ranges from $0 to $233 a month, depending on various assets.

When contrasted to the amount that most illegal immigrants and undocumented immigrants opt

to pay, which ranges from $321 to $838 per month for a single person, it is clear that these

underhanded regulations further restrict Hispanic and Latino individuals from receiving proper
health care, leaving them to fend for their own (“How Much Does Health Insurance Cost

Without A Subsidy?”).

Medical Repatriation

Aside from the unjust healthcare regulations made by the Affordable Care Act,

policymakers are also working towards an immigrant free-country by using a method entitled

medical repatriation, which many Americans and new immigrants are unfamiliar with.​ Medical

repatriation can be defined as the “transfer of undocumented patients in need of chronic care to

their country of origin” (“Medical Repatriation in America”). In the image below, artist Matt

Bors summed up the effects of government healthcare for immigrants in one clever image:
 As seen in the comic, there is a depiction of President Trump covering a patient’s head

(who is a person of color) with a sheet and stating that “everyone will be covered” (Bors). One

could interpret this message in a number of ways, but I feel that it most directly applies to the

medical repatriation policy in America and how willing the nation is deport those in need, even if

the end result is death, just because of citizenship status/country of origin. This comic highlights

how Americans prioritize immigrants in America, ultimately believing they are lesser than equal

and non-deserving of basic human rights.

In another example, CounterPunch released an article entitled, ​Medical Repatriation in

America​, and gives readers the story of Quelino Jimenez, a Mexican immigrant who came into

the United States at 18 in an attempt to support his family of 11 back in Mexico. He quickly

found work on a construction site in Chicago and after working there for about a year or so, he

sustained injuries leaving him quadriplegic. He was immediately sent to the nearest hospital

where he was treated for a few months, but was deported back to Mexico due to his lack of

health insurance and inability to pay for the costs of treatment. ​In this example, since Jimenez

lacked the proper citizenship status, he could not obtain legal healthcare​. In addition, his

employers could not legally provide him with health insurance, which left him wounded, out of a

job, and taken back to a country of which he was seeking relief from in the first place. The article

continues and reveals that once Jimenez was deported, his health suffered (attained bedsores,

lesions, and two cardiac arrests) at a poorly funded hospital in Oaxaca, Mexico; which happens

more than it should for undocumented individuals who come into our country and are forced to

seek medical attention. When understanding the reasons behind Jimenez’s deportation, it reveals

how lawmakers are able to, kill two birds with one stone, per se, when it comes to undocumented
immigrants. One, since the U.S. Constitution claims to support the human rights of an immigrant

or undocumented individual when it comes to emergency medical services, healthcare providers

are technically abiding by the law when they first treated Jimenez, they could not be faulted in

any aspect. Two, as time went on and the hospital discovered he had no way of paying for his

treatments/when the amount of funding allowed for emergency services for illegal immigrants

ran out, the hospital was still rightfully able to deny medical services to Jimenez, simply because

of the current discriminatory policies regarding citizenship status and healthcare access for

immigrants. This clever form of repatriation has quietly grown widespread throughout the nation,

working to further discriminate, discourage, and devalue the lives of legal immigrants and

documented individuals alike.

Refutations

While discussing my argument about immigration within the country, it is

necessary to address the refutations that are an inevitable part of the analyzation process.​ To

understand why my argument is valid is to understand the ways in which it cannot be valid. To

address the refutation that offers “if they can’t get healthcare without being a citizen, why don’t

illegal immigrants or undocumented peoples just become U.S. citizens?” the answer is simple -

time. The steps it takes to become a U.S. citizen are tedious and slow. To begin, an individual

has to obtain a green card, which in more cases than none, can take up to or more than seventeen

years (“Waits for Immigration Status”). The naturalization process is designed in a way that

prohibits immigrants from advancing their status in our nation - the time alone would deter

anyone. Why would someone wait for years on end, just to obtain a piece of paper that hardly

offers them legal and civil rights, when someone could simply come into the country illegally,
steadily build their life in quiet, pay taxes, and prosper in ways a mother home country could

never provide? After one has received their green card, they have to remain on U.S. soil for five

years, or three if married to a U.S. citizen. After five years has gone by, the individual must then

complete the most final steps required to become a U.S. citizen. This includes filling out

numerous forms, waiting hours upon end in lines, completing multiple interviews, filling out

applications, taking an oath of allegiance, and then waiting on the decision, (which can take six

months or longer) (USCIS 4-10). It hardly seems just that those wanting to improve their quality

of life have to wait an estimated time of 25 years, when in that time, they could be giving back to

an American community or stimulating the American economy.

Another refutation to consider is “if our country is discriminatory to outsiders, why

migrate here?” - where the answer is more complex than it seems. ​The United States has claimed

to be a refuge for those seeking better economic opportunities, relief from violence, better

healthcare, and other personal reasons, since its inception in the 18th century.​ Because of our

country's relatively free and open society, it only makes sense that disadvantaged peoples wish to

enter our country in an attempt to better their lives and the lives of their families. While this

nation often gives major drawbacks to immigrants, the benefits of freedom, economic and land

expansion, advanced education, etc. are major values when compared to other countries. While

discrimination and xenophobia are subsets of larger issues within our country, most immigrants

are willing to take this bad with all the good they are exposed to. My argument is only

illustrating this point, that those depths of dedication and desire that immigrants have about

America are surreal and genuine. I urge policymakers and readers in the 21st century to
recognize and understand the enduring gratitude held by immigrants and how beneficial they are

within our societies.

Conclusion

To that extent, in conclusion, the history of immigrants in America has been complex and

American sentiment regarding Hispanic and Latino immigration has never been obscure. For the

past 200 years, America’s history of systematic oppression of people of color has led the nation

to a place of uncertainty and bias. As time marches on, the effects of America’s xenophobic and

hateful rhetoric have left Hispanic and Latino immigrants left out of the discussion regarding

citizenship, rights, and quality of life. The history of racially charged policies, acts, and laws

regarding immigrants, discriminatory regulations from healthcare providers, as well as the abuse

of the healthcare laws in the example of medical repatriation, all exemplify the how the United

States works to discourage Latino and Hispanic immigration into the country. It is only through

the understanding of our past mistakes can we revamp how the United States views illegal and

undocumented persons today, working to create laws that will give these individuals full human,

legal, and civil rights; which is the only way we will be able to make sustainable change for our

nation's future.
 Citations

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www.healthcare.gov/glossary/affordable-care-act/​.

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