Health care among low-income, undocumented immigrants in the 2009-2010 California budget crisis

Project (M.S.W., Social Work) -- California State University, Sacramento, 2010.The state of California???s 2009/2010 budget crisis has led to severe cuts in the local health care system, which has had a direct impact on the low-income communities who rely on these resources. A total of 146 health agencies throughout Sacramento County were contacted and an 8% response rate was obtained for the study. A total of 12 qualitatively-based interviews with health administrative staff members were conducted to obtain a better understanding of how agencies and the low-income undocumented immigrant population have been impacted as a result of the 2009/2010 budget crisis. Based on the responses of participants, the ways in which health agencies have been impacted included, 1.) agencies having to work harder with fewer resources, and 2.) cutting back on the services they provide to the public. In spite of these negative changes in their work environments, 75% of the participants reported that the quality of care provided to clients has remained the same. In addition to these findings, the results of the study presented the local health care system to be ineffective in terms of the limited availability of services offered to the public due to fewer staff hours, fewer hours of operation and furlough days along with a lack of cultural competence among professionals and staff. The findings of the study also indicated a discrepancy between agencies and their ability to provide health care services to the undocumented immigrant population. The researcher of this project found that while 50% of the participants stated that their agency was able to provide health services to the undocumented immigrant population, the remaining 50% either provided no indication or operated based on policies that either limited or denied health services to this population.Social Wor