Noncitizens In Health Care

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Safety net programs implemented into U.S. healthcare systems are great outlets for helping noncitizens under current healthcare policy. However, instead of cutting major corners to allow noncitizens a small portion of healthcare access, is more work than good. State systems are working hard to come up with funding to support safety nets and billions of dollars are poured into emergency healthcare services for noncitizens, that would be better spent on primary services. Healthcare is a right, not an option, and the United States needs to make a federal policy change. It is beneficial for the country to give noncitizens access to healthcare by allowing them the right to purchase health insurance through the Marketplace. With this policy change, …show more content…
The healthcare team will not have to worry about a means to financially take care of noncitizen patients. A nurse will not have to plan care around insurance, placing a greater focus on the patient. Along with greater focus, the nurse will provide a better quality of care. Giving noncitizens access to health insurance allows access to primary and preventative care. Primary care will enable noncitizens to build a health history, in the case they do present with an emergency, the nurse will be able to compare the history to the current problems and plan a more effective plan of care. Rather than presenting to an emergency room with no evidence of a health background, giving the healthcare team no indication of where to begin the care. With this policy change, discharge planning will also be more efficient. Nurses will not have to worry about noncitizens lacking access to follow-up care. With insurance, noncitizens will have better opportunity to follow discharge planning, making it easier for the healthcare team and better on noncitizen …show more content…
Insurance through the Marketplace allows citizens access to primary and preventative care facilities, giving them protection and treatment to better maintain health. On top of this, Marketplace insurance allows citizens the freedom to seek care whenever needed, knowing they have full access to any follow-up care necessary to keep up with their health. However, noncitizens the United States allow into their country are stripped of their basic healthcare rights. Only able to receive healthcare services through certain safety net programs, which excludes access to primary prevention health services. Without these services, noncitizens are susceptible to infectious diseases, disability, chronic conditions, and death (Thomsen, 2015). Receiving most services in emergency settings can often be too late, and comes at a large price for the hospital to provide care. Hospitals and safety net programs funded through the state spend billions of dollars annually for noncitizen healthcare. Sometimes this funding is even taken from tax payer money. According to the Equal Rights Act, all people in America qualify for equal rights, even noncitizens (Hess, 2010). Although citizens think giving noncitizens access to purchase healthcare will cost the U.S. more money, cause influx in immigration, and is not a right this population should have. America is a place of equal opportunity. A