My Position On A Healthcare Or Social Issue - Essay Example

Healthcare of Illegal Immigrants Illegal immigration is becoming a heated debate in all parts of the country, as legislators and general society alike consider the long-term impact of their presence in the country. One of these main concerns is whether immigrants will strain the healthcare environment and over-burden an already difficult health system. Though illegal immigrants do not necessarily have access to government-sponsored healthcare, the basic health needs of this diverse and ever-growing group of foreigners must be addressed.

The question as to whether illegal immigrants should be afforded quality healthcare is the main concern and how to go about it when most of these individuals are employed secretively without contributions to major healthcare services. From a personal view, I believe illegal immigrants should be granted the same quality healthcare provisions as the American citizen regardless of their financial or career status. There are many risks associated with hospitals and clinical environments when dealing with illegal immigrants, as many diverse demographics of immigrants do not have access to the same variety of healthcare providers as those who contribute weekly to such programs through their place of employment.

The risks include non-payment after services have been rendered or simply having this group exploit the system through fraudulent activities. Even though there are failsafes to prevent this, in areas of the country where there are concentrated populations of immigrants, this becomes a significant concern especially for the self-practicing physician networks that rely on timely revenues from patients. Illegal immigrants, especially certain ethnic groups, have large family networks either domestically-born or travelling as a group into the country without governmental support.

Poor wages and lack of access to quality healthcare providers, such as Health Alliance Plan or Blue Care Network, bring into question whether or not these large family groups will be pursuing medical treatment on an ongoing basis as part of preventative care services. There is already over-crowding in certain clinical environments which puts tremendous strain on physicians and patients alike, thus these immigrants pose risks to the general community population. However, the reason I feel so strongly about the importance of providing healthcare to this group, regardless of their socio-economic backgrounds, is due to my personal beliefs on the ethical value of human beings.

The American healthcare system is one of the most advanced in the world, with considerable resources for medicine provision and built with competent physicians and nurses. Illegal immigrants have definite healthcare needs and require consultation and preventative services like every other member of society. If left unchecked, any existing conditions could worsen over time and create even larger problems that require more advanced mental and physiological treatment options. Should this occur, due to legislation that provides hospitals with a mandate to guarantee treatment even without health insurance, it could lead to rising costs for domestic, American-born citizens should illegal immigrants be denied access to healthcare treatments in the preventative stage of assessment.

Lack of payment for services rendered creates rising costs in the supply chain and as hospitals attempt to recapture lost revenues, which are passed directly onto other patients. Illegal immigrants, though definitely a risk to healthcare provision, have the same physiological needs as the American citizen that must be assessed regardless of their financial status or access to health care providers. If the system allowed for more preventative care, immigrants would pose a much smaller risk, especially in terms of rising costs.

The government should support healthcare legislation improvements that provide low-cost, government-backed preventative services to these groups until the broader issue of illegal immigration can be worked out effectively and efficiently.