Should healthcare policy be further restricted or expanded to immigrants? A synthesis essay (Essay Sample)

Student’s Name Professor’s Name Course Date Introduction Should healthcare policy be further restricted or expanded to immigrants? A synthesis essay Immigration is undoubtedly one of the most controversial issues in the history America. Debate on immigration cut across all facets of life in the United States from security, employment, government debt to politics among others. However, for this paper, the scope is on health care. Precisely, the paper will narrow down on policy regarding access to healthcare by immigrants. In 2019, the total healthcare expenditure was US$ 3.8 trillion which translated to $11,582 per person (CDC). In 2021, the healthcare cost had increased to reach US$4.3 trillion translating to average of $12,900 per person or 18 percent of GDP (White). The policy makers have attributed increasing cost of healthcare expenditures to various factors and one of them has been immigration. By 2020, there were roughly 45 million immigrants residing in the United States and 1 in every 4 children had an immigrant parent (Ndugga et al.). In this respect, opponents of immigration argue that increasing number of undocumented immigrants strain the U.S healthcare infrastructure and “additional pressure might lead to collapse” (Muscheck 7). The proponents resonate that effect of immigrants on the U.S healthcare systems is not statistically significant and immigrants’ positive contribution to overall healthcare efficiency is even higher (Wilson et al 1; White). The public policy should aim at expanding healthcare for immigrants as undocumented immigrants contribute more taxes to Medicare compared to Medicare –paid services they use and limited access only increase financial burden from unpaid and charity care. Public medical expenditure of immigrants remains low despite them contributing tax that pay for Medicare. In the U.S, funding Medicare is a primary duty of all workers through payroll tax irrespective of one’s immigration status. However, despite immigrants (both authorized and unauthorized) funding Medicare through tax, their healthcare expenditure remains low. The medical costs of immigrants have been 14%-20% lower compared to those who were born in U.S (Ku 1322). “Between 2012 and 2018, immigrants’ contribution to taxes related to Medicare was $51 billion which was higher than the cost of services they sought from paid Medicare” (White). The reasons for low medical expenses by immigrants vary. For instance, the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act 1996 exclude unauthorized immigrants from benefiting from state funded healthcare services. Besides, fear of arrest and deportation (Wilson et al. 8). By 2020, undocumented immigrants accounted for 42% of uninsured compared to 8% of citizen and 26% of authorized immigrants (Ndugga et al.). However, immigrants are critical part of U.S healthcare in light of service delivery. By 2018, immigrants including refugees accounted for17% of physicians, 24% of dentists, and 38% of home health aides (White). Besides, immigrants accounts for 1 in every eight respiratory therapists and they played a key role in keeping elderly of healthcare facilities during COVID-19 pandemics (White). The move greatly helped to curb the spread of the virus among vulnerable population. Therefore, expanding healthcare for immigrants should be considered as it will help them to access paid Medicare services which they fund and enable them to remain healthy to offer care services. However, irrespective of the identified benefits, increasing number of immigrants, especially undocumented ones strain the U.S. healthcare infrastructure. Precisely, supporters of this argument especially during Trump’s administration resonated that immigrant despite contributing less to Medicare greatly required higher uncompensated care (Ndugga et al.). Immigrants have also been associated with inefficient operation of the U.S healthcare system. For example, undocumented immigrants overuse emergency services with “99% of patients receiving treatment under Emergency Medicaid in North Carolina having being identified as undocumented immigrants at one time” (Mischek 2). Such statistics justifies the need not to extend healthcare to immigrants to some extent. However, it is limited access of healthcare by immigrant that significantly increase need for uncompensated care. Since immigrants are largely excluded from accessing Medicare-paid healthcare services which is worsened by fear of arrest and deportation, majority only access care in the ED (Wilson et al. 8). Even after the Biden administration reversing some of the previous regime policies in immigration access to healthcare, the numbers remain low (Ndugga et al.). Hence, expanding healthcare for immigrants should be considered as it will help minimize need for uncompensated and charity care which have been one of the main lines of argument by opponents. Precisely, immigrants will be accessing healthcare services at levels without fear rather than mainly relying on emergency care which is costly and negatively affects efficient operation of the healthcare system. In a recap, a public policy that expand healthcare to immigrants should be a priority as immigrants as they contribute to tax funding Medicare despite their minimal usage of paid Medicare services. Besides, low medical expenditure by immigrants increases the need for unpaid and charity care. Immigrants’ access to medical care is 14%-20% lower compared to the U.S born citizens. Immigrants...