Hispanic Immigrants\u27 Access to Health Care in the United States: Through the Lens of Ethnicity, Income, and Length of Stay in the U.S.

This presentation discusses documented adult Hispanic immigrants and their access to healthcare in the United States. Immigrants have lesser access to health care and poorer quality care than their natural-born counterparts. This is due to many different factors that I discuss here, such as income level, how long they have been in the United States, country of origin, and ethnicity. A lot of research has been done on the topic of immigrant health care access, but each study tends to focus on one variable that affects access or quality of care. By using surveys such as the National Health Interview Survey, I argue that all of these factors intersect and negatively impact immigrants and their health care experience in the United States. Lower income levels mean lesser access to health insurance and to quality physicians, medications, and treatment. The longer an immigrant is in the United States, the more accustomed they are to the American healthcare system and culture as a whole, making it significantly easier for them to navigate. An immigrant’s country of origin can put them at a higher risk for certain diseases and illnesses and can also greatly affect the level to which an immigrant can trust health care workers. Hispanics immigrating to the U.S. often face multiple of these barriers at once, making it almost impossible to receive adequate care. Equal access to health care for immigrants is important to everyone in their area, as their health affects the community as a whole. All things considered, health care is a basic human right and there are significant barriers between immigrants and quality health care that U.S.-born citizens do not have to face.https://orb.binghamton.edu/research_days_posters_2021/1059/thumbnail.jp