Immigration into the United States - Essay Example

Immigration Immigration into the United s has been a common phenomenon since quite some centuries. However, recently there has been a boom in the number of immigrants in the United States sparking arguments over efficient utilization of the country’s economic resources. The social sector, in particular, is the most affected sector as a result of immigration, especially illegal immigration. Areas such as education, health, and urban policy have been greatly affected by the influx of foreign born immigrants into the country. With the growing population figures due to immigration there is a need to cater to all the people with basic rights such as education, health, and so on. However, resources are limited in their quantity which means that the government must introduce policies that reconsider the allocation of resources in each of the public and social sectors. This paper will specifically focus on the impact of immigration on the providence of high quality health care services to the population. As of 2012, there were 1,031,631 people who acquired a legal permanent residence status in the United States (Department of Homeland Security, 5). Of these the largest percentage of people came from India, China, Philippines, and Korea (Department of Homeland Security, 10). However, the total figure only reflects the number of legal residents who were permitted for a residential status. There are a significant number of individuals who also represent the portion of population who have arrived illegally. These include people who were admitted as temporary workers but chose to stay, aliens, refugees, and others. It is estimated that the number of unauthorized immigrants in United States was about 11.5 million as of 2011 (Nwosu, Batalova, and Auclair, n.pag.). These unauthorized immigrants mostly reside in the states of California, Texas, Florida, and New York. Of the total unauthorized figure for immigrants, a large proportion of them were born in America while the rest came from Asia, South America, Europe, and other parts of the world (Nwosu, Batalova, and Auclair, n.pag.). Considering the distribution of the figures by country, Mexico is the top most country with an estimated 59 percent of illegal immigrants in the United States who belong to the country. With a large number of immigrants entering the United States illegally and million others who are already depending upon reliable, high quality health care services, the country is facing serious problems relating to the provision of health care services to all of its citizens. With rising statistics of illegal immigrants as well as those that have the legal permit, there is a debate pertaining to reforming laws. There are two perspectives to this argument where one would involve the reformation of immigration laws while the other concerns a reformation in healthcare laws. The proponents of each side advocate their own points. The argument against the providence of health care services to illegal immigrants propose since these people are illegal, there are not entitled to any public benefits such as healthcare (Glen, 197). Legalities are an important aspect to consider before attempting to comment on the matter. According to Glen, despite illegal immigrants having no legal status for residence in the United States still possess enough legal protections to grant them some fundamental rights (200). Such rights include equal protection and due process because the laws apply to all persons within the United States including aliens. However, no constitutional protection is present for aliens outside of the United States. Although aliens do not have as much rights as those with the American citizenship, they do have some legal protections and constitutional rights in America. With the new Obamacare policy, illegal immigrants no longer have access to affordable health care as laid down in the Affordable Care Act (Hamilton, n.pag.). Undocumented immigrants now face severe restrictions or ban from accessing government funded health care. This includes a bar from accessing federal benefits and other restrictions on programs such as Obamacare and Medicaid. Now as the laws have become more strict, less and less politicians are keen on spending a spending a share of the tax revenue in catering for the illegal immigrants. After the financial crisis of between 2007 and 2008, the country has only just begun on the stage of recovery and there is still a long way to go till full economic recovery. Also, the large contribution to fiscal debt from the health care sector had prompted a reduction in federal budgets for the health care sector. Under tight budgets and reduced health care spending, the people were concerned regarding receiving sufficient health care services. In the wake of such issues, it has been difficult to decide whether the tax revenue should be used to support such services for illegal immigrants or not. Illegal immigrants have occupied a central position in the debates surrounding health care pricing policy and plans. The recent strategy has eliminated immigrants from enjoying health care benefits however this also means budget implications for those states that have a high immigrant population (Hamilton, n.pag.). Examples of such states include California, Texas, and Florida which may receive less budget as a result of the elimination of immigrants from benefitting from the Affordable Care Act. In addition, Medicare budgets have also been cut by a large amount now that immigrants are no longer included as beneficiaries of the health care act. The possible impacts are a sharp reduction in reimbursements as well as a significant reduction in health care coverage for immigrants. The problem is with cities and states where a large proportion of immigrants reside who are mostly undocumented or unauthorized. The only viable options are expensive healthcare services, especially for those who are uninsured. Most of the options are expensive and are not affordable for most of the immigrants leaving them no option. Private health coverage accounts for a huge sum of money which is beyond the earnings for most of the people. Even legal residents may have to wait for five years before they can benefit from health care access to either Medicaid or Obamacare. Therefore, exclusion of illegal immigrants has come about as a result of necessity in drawing the lines for health care coverage addressing other problems relating to health care spending. It is quite understandable to exclude illegal immigrants for healthcare coverage. However, as Glen explains in his paper, it is not necessarily the best policy because it works to limit the well being (218). While no public policy accepts the extension of public health benefits to all citizens including illegal and unauthorized immigrants, there is no law forbidding this as well. There is however considerable cost increase as illegal immigrants are also incorporated into health coverage. This is better explained through a distinction between the definitions of public health and health care where the former encompasses the overall health and wellness of the entire population. As such it is inclusive of all inhabitants including immigrants whether legal or illegal. It is also rational to see public health as the indicator of overall wellbeing because the concept holds immense importance in medical science especially as it relates to diseases and endemics. Hence, by the way of narrowing down to a definition of public health, all populations must benefit from health care service which ensures overall wellness among the population. Budgetary constraints have already led states and cities to consider carefully planned strategies to ensure low cost and effective health care service for the people. It has also been seen how the elimination of illegal immigrants from health care coverage has presented itself as the most viable option. However, the implication is that the population without health coverage can lead to progression of their illness. In cases where an illegal immigrant has a serious illness, lack of timely and adequate health care can cause the progression of a disease into an intensified illness. In conclusion, immigration has built up the costs for a variety of social sectors, most notably healthcare and education. Illegal immigration is especially problematic because of the nature of the issue. The illegal status of unauthorized and undocumented immigration makes such immigrants vulnerable to threats of exclusion from health care services and other public benefits. The recent exclusion of illegal immigrants as well as some of those with legal permanent residence from Obamacare and Medicaid has raised concerns. The argument against the coverage of illegal immigrants proposes that such immigrants should not be allowed to benefit from the tax revenues of legal citizens and taxpayers which comes off as a burden. Works Cited 2012 Yearbook Of Immigration Statistics. 1st ed. Washington, DC: Department of Homeland Security, Office of Immigration Statistics, 2012. Web. 22 Nov. 2014. Glen, Patrick J. Health Care And The Illegal Immigrant. Health Matrix: Journal of Law-Medicine 23.1 (2013): 197-236. Print. Hamilton, Keegan. Obamacare Bars Illegal Immigrants—And Sticks Hospitals With The Bill. The Atlantic. N.p., 2013. Web. 22 Nov. 2014. Nwosu, Chiamaka, Jeanne Batalova, and Gregory Auclair. Frequently Requested Statistics On Immigrants And Immigration In The United States. Migration Policy. N.p., 2013. Web. 22 Nov. 2014. Read More