title: Undocumented Immigrants and Access to Health Care: Making a Case for Policy Reform.
abstract: The growth in undocumented immigration in the United States has garnered increasing interest in the arenas of immigration and health care policy reform. Undocumented immigrants are restricted from accessing public health and social service as a result of their immigration status. The Patient Protection and Affordability Care Act restricts undocumented immigrants from participating in state exchange insurance market places, further limiting them from accessing equitable health care services. This commentary calls for comprehensive policy reform that expands access to health care for undocumented immigrants based on an analysis of immigrant health policies and their impact on health care expenditures, public health, and the role of health care providers. The intersectional nature of immigration and health care policy emphasizes the need for nurse policymakers to advocate for comprehensive policy reform aimed at improving the health and well-being of immigrants and the nation as a whole.
authors.affiliation: University of Massachusetts Boston, MA, USA jean.edward@umb.edu.
authors.forename: Jean
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Edward
mesh_terms: D004641:Emigration and Immigration / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D018166:Health Care Reform / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D006291:Health Policy; D006297:Health Services Accessibility / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D006801:Humans; D058991:Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act; D000069756:Undocumented Immigrants / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D014481:United States
keywords: coverage/access; health disparities; political action; public health