State Level Policies, Coursework Example

Introduction

The American Nurses Association has established different policies that represent a need to improve the management of health disparities with the intent to minimize these disparities in the coming years. These efforts require a greater understanding of the challenges that are associated with patient care and treatment in healthcare organizations, and how these issues impact quality of care over time.  It is important to identify the legislative efforts that have be made to ensure that patient care outcomes are achieved and that there are sufficient opportunities to overcome specific nursing-based issues that impact quality of care for patients. Most importantly, the impact of these potential policy agendas is significant in supporting the needs of populations who face significant health disparities. For example, H.R. 4240, HEAL Immigrant Women and Families Act of 2014, drafted by Representative Michelle Lujan Grisham, addresses key health disparities in immigrants who have limited access to healthcare services because of their legal status, and removes some of the barriers that impact this population (govtrack.us, 2014). It is important to promote greater access to health services for the immigrant population, it is important to identify the resources that are required to encourage the development of new strategies to alleviate health disparities in the immigrant population.

Analysis

Immigrants face critical health disparities because they have many legal limitations while residing in the United States. Therefore, they are unable to be successful in their efforts to achieve greater health and wellbeing without access to insurance and routine healthcare services. This problem is serious in many communities where immigrants reside and demonstrates a gap in access to basic services that impact health and wellbeing. Many immigrants possess a strong fear and distrust of federal, state, and local officials; therefore, their access to care may be severely limited as a result (Hardy et.al, 2012). Immigrants who are undocumented are left out of the bigger picture of health reform in many ways, and this presents a serious challenge to their health because they lack routine access to important healthcare services that impact their lives in different ways (Hardy et.al, 2012). It is believed that “The moral arguments for inclusion are typically straightforward: undocumented immigrants are human beings with health care needs and a right to health care” (Galarneau, 2011, p. 425). From this perspective, all persons, regardless of their status, deserve basic healthcare services and should not be discouraged from receiving these services (Galarneau, 2011).
The proposed bill is designed to examine the critical healthcare needs of immigrants and to forgive legal status so that these persons have the same basic rights as other Americans to obtain healthcare (govtrack.us, 2014). This bill is attentive to the unmet needs of a population that is generally ignored on many levels and that does not receive the same rights as other population groups (govtrack.us, 2014). This is a serious problem that Representative Grisham has recognized and has sought to address with her sponsored bill. With the creation of the Affordable Care Act, all residents of the U.S., including immigrants, should be able to access healthcare services as necessary; however, this is not the case and many immigrants do not seek care in order to preserve their health. This is an irresponsible approach that the aforementioned bill attempts to correct with its primary focus on easing legal limitations in order to alleviate health disparities for immigrants. The U.S. government must be responsible for all U.S. residents and enable them to access healthcare services successfully so that they are able to overcome specific challenges that impact their health.This requires a responsive approach, such as that set forth by the bill in question.
Those persons classified as immigrants must also be treated fairly and in an ethically responsible manner within the healthcare system at all times, as this is the appropriate method of providing this population with much-needed services to meet their needs effectively (Ransford et.al, 2010). Therefore, this group should be able to obtain services through federal or state-sponsored programs that will provide them with much-needed attention and focus in order to alleviate some of the challenges that this population faces throughout their lives. The comprehensive nature of healthcare reform must also be addressed with this bill, which fulfills the position of the American Nurses Association in order to provide healthcare services to all persons in need.

Conclusion

Health disparities in the United States are substantial throughout the population. In particular, immigrants should have access to healthcare services on a consistent basis in order to meet their needs. However, this group is often left out and is unable to access these services on a regular basis. The promotion and passage of H.R. 4240 represents an opportunity to facilitate greater access to healthcare services for immigrants so that they are able to improve their health and wellbeing under the legal protections of states and the federal government. This bill would facilitate the support of new directives to encourage immigrants to obtain access to these services in a timely manner. In addition, it will demonstrate the importance of ethical principles in providing healthcare support to this population at all times. This process supports the needs of immigrants who require healthcare services in different capacities and will demonstrate the development of a framework that emphasizes healthcare for all persons, not only those persons who are citizens of the United States. This process is essential to the discovery of new strategies to support this population and their overall healthcare needs for the foreseeable future.

References

Galarneau, C. (2011). Still missing: undocumented immigrants in health care reform. Journal of health care for the poor and underserved, 22(2), 422-428.

Govtrack.us (2014).H.R. 4240: HEAL Immigrant Women and Families Act of 2014. Retrieved from https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/113/hr4240

Hardy, L. J., Getrich, C. M., Quezada, J. C., Guay, A., Michalowski, R. J., & Henley, E. (2012). A call for further research on the impact of state-level immigration policies on public health. American journal of public health, 102(7), 1250-1253.

Ransford, H. E., Carrillo, F. R., & Rivera, Y. (2010). Health care-seeking among Latino immigrants: blocked access, use of traditional medicine, and the role of religion. Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved, 21(3), 862-878.