title: Effect of US health policies on health care access for Marshallese migrants.
abstract: The Republic of the Marshall Islands is a sovereign nation previously under the administrative control of the United States. Since 1986, the Compacts of Free Association (COFA) between the Republic of the Marshall Islands and the United States allows Marshall Islands citizens to freely enter, lawfully reside, and work in the United States, and provides the United States exclusive military control of the region. When the COFA was signed, COFA migrants were eligible for Medicaid and other safety net programs. However, these migrants were excluded from benefits as a consequence of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act. Currently, COFA migrants have limited access to health care benefits in the United States, which perpetuates health inequalities.
authors.affiliation: Pearl Anna McElfish is a PhD candidate with the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Northwest, Fayetteville. Emily Hallgren is a sociology PhD student at University of Illinois at Chicago. Seiji Yamada is with the Department of Family Medicine and Community Health, John A. Burns School of Medicine, University of Hawaii, Honolulu.
authors.forename: Pearl Anna
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: McElfish
authors.forename: Emily
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Hallgren
authors.forename: Seiji
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yamada
mesh_terms: D006291:Health Policy; D006297:Health Services Accessibility / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000458:organization & administration*; D054624:Health Status Disparities; D006801:Humans; D008484:Medicaid / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D008849:Micronesia / Q000208:ethnology; D011832:Radiation Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy; D014171:Transients and Migrants; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology