Health and Nursing Issues Related

to Undocumented Immigration
Presented By:

Morgan Howe & Katie Morell

Undocumented Immigration
11.7

million unauthorized immigrants

in US
3 out of 5 undocumented immigrants
are uninsured
32% have no health insurance in 2015
No preventative care
Only seek treatment for emergent
care or through free clinics

Learning Objectives
After

viewing this presentation the

student will be able to recognize
health and nursing issues pertaining
to undocumented immigration.

The

student will be able to identify

policies pertaining to health care
coverage for undocumented
immigrants.

Assessment of Healthcare
Environment
Policies

and politics

1986 Emergency Medical Treatment and

Active Labor Act
1996 PRWORA, IIRIRA, and California
proposition 187
2010 ACA
Ethics

Patient fear of deportation and medical

repatriation
Nurses must be sensitive to their vulnerability
Nurses must separate personal feelings from
duties

Assessment of Health Care

Environment
Financial

Do not qualify for federal healthcare

EMTALA only covers stabilization
Actual cost of care for
undocumented immigrants is difficult
to calculate
Resource
Federally Qualified Health Centers
(FQHCs)
Safety-Net Hospitals
Humanitarian Organizations

Assessment of Healthcare
Environment
Nursing

Practice & Quality and Safety

Nurses have an ethical obligation to

be advocates for patients and their
ability to access healthcarethe
American Nurses Association will
reaffirm its position that all
individuals living in the U. S.,
including documented and
undocumented immigrants, have
access to healthcare (ANA, 2010).

Assessment of Healthcare
Environment
Assumptions:

Undocumented immigrants are the main

contributors of uncompensated care
All undocumented immigrants lack
health insurance
Undocumented immigrants spread
communicable diseases

Root Cause Analysis

Health Disparity:
Undocumented Immigration

Underuse of Services

Language
Confusion
Fear
Policies
Barriers
of
of
Deportation
Insurance

Lack

Inferences and Implications and

Consequences
Burden

placed at state level

Federally

Qualified Health Centers

Hospitals

may not be able to make up

the cost
States

may pass laws allowing

purchase of private insurance

Inferences and Implications and

Consequences
Postnatal

care of undocumented immigrant

offspring increase

No

funding may decrease health outcomes

Incidence

of infectious diseases will

increase
Poor

health and increase co-morbidities

Recommendations
Support

safety-net systems such as free clinics

Advocate

for healthcare reform to diminish the

health disparity of undocumented immigrants

Advocate

for immigration reform to increase

the likelihood of naturalization

Volunteer

Conclusion/Summary
3

out of 5 undocumented immigrants likely lack

insurance

Only

seek treatment in emergent situations

Utilize

FQHCs when available

Many

policies exist related to health care

coverage

States

have financial burden

Ethical

responsibility of nurses

References

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http://cis.org

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https://www.healthcare.gov/immigrants/

Cornell University Law Center. (2014). Illegal immigration reform and immigration
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Irvine, D. (2009). How illegals could obtain health insurance. Retrieved from
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References

Pickert, K. (2014). Undocumented immigrants could get health insurance in California. Retrieved from
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Sanchez, G.R., Sanchez-Youngman, S., Murphy, A.A.R., Goodin, A.S., Santos, R., Valdez, R.B. (2011).
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