Healthcare access is one of the major sectors that affect the whole population in the U.S. However, illegal immigrants are the most affected because it is not uncommon for them to be excluded from accessing healthcare insurance coverage. People who are not insured struggle to receive health care and may even have unhealthy statuses due to a lack of medical attention (Legido-Quigley et al., 2019). But every human deserves access to quality care because it is significant for the prevention and management of diseases as well as for maintaining health. Therefore, this speech concurs with the notion that illegal immigrants should have access to health insurance in the U.S.
For quite a long time, the idea of comprehensive health coverage has only been a wish for illegal immigrants in the U.S. But there are many reasons why health care access by illegal immigrants should not only be a wish. First, there are financial benefits involved. This is because denied or delayed health care causes patients to develop more severe health conditions, which will be more costly to treat. In as much as illegal immigrants are not eligible to access Medicaid services, they are eligible to access Emergency Medicaid as documented by the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act (EMTALA) (Legido-Quigley et al., 2019). With such a policy, it is clear that the federal government puts in a lot of money for Emergency Medicaid. Illegal immigrants often seek Emergency Medicaid repeatedly to treat the same conditions. As such, allowing illegal immigrants to access healthcare coverage means there will be prevention of high costs used in treating emergency health conditions.
Another reason for resolving the issue of denying illegal immigrants from accessing health care is to consider the importance of safeguarding the health of the public. It is undeniable that illegal immigrants reside in the U.S, and their health also affects the health of U.S citizens (Legido-Quigley et al., 2019). Safeguarding the public’s health applies to infectious diseases like tuberculosis, hepatitis, and HIV/AIDS. This disease can quickly spread to the public. A recent study reported that the rate of both airborne and communicable diseases is likely higher among states with a large population of illegal immigrants (Legido-Quigley et al., 2019). This is because there is a high chance that the diseases are spreading across the states. The public’s health is at stake whenever there are widespread diseases. Therefore, the government should take a particular interest in providing equal healthcare access to each citizen regardless of their legal status. This will ensure that public health is protected and everyone is safe.
The last point involves international moral obligations. The United Nations (UN) requires everyone to have the right to health care (Legido-Quigley et al., 2019). This means that healthcare is a human right, and there should be no discrimination against non-citizens. The UN considers healthcare non-discrimination as an ethical and morally upright action. People should look at each other with empathy and assume they are in the same position. Immigrants are also human beings, and they deserve healthcare. No one deserves premature deaths, disabilities, and poor health just because they are undocumented immigrants. As such, this point emphasizes allowing illegal immigrants access to healthcare services as the most humane thing to do.
In conclusion, illegal immigrants should be allowed access to healthcare insurance. This is due to three solid reasons: financial benefits, safeguarding the public’s health, and international moral obligations. These reasons should compel the government to strongly consider changing the policy of denying healthcare insurance coverage to illegal immigrants. Besides, their needs and interests are likely to align with the American dream, which is a great priority. Despite the heightened debate, access rights should be provided without question.
Reference
Legido-Quigley, H., Pocock, N., Tan, S. T., Pajin, L., Suphanchaimat, R., Wickramage, K., McKee, M., & Pottie, K. (2019). Healthcare is not universal if undocumented migrants are excluded. BMJ, l4160. Web.