The United States strives to ensure equity in the delivery of medical services. An examination of the state of the country’s healthcare delivery system reveals that the efforts to promote equity have largely been unsuccessful. There are particular sections of the population that face challenges in their quest for healthcare. Ethnic and racial minorities are particularly disadvantaged as regards access to quality care and insurance coverage. There are certain segments of the population which also endure inadequate access and have long been ignored. Migrants, both documented and undocumented, are among these demographics. In her article, Julia Gelatt (2016) attempts to shed light on the plight of these vulnerable and underserved populations. She makes it clear that one’s immigration status determines whether they can access quality healthcare and insurance.
Human Service Issue Addressed
Access to healthcare and the health of immigrants are the key human service issues that Gelatt explores in her article. She set out to determine how the immigration status of an individual affects their experience in the healthcare system (Gelatt, 2016). She gives particular focus to undocumented immigrants. This group faces serious challenges in their efforts to access medical services. Since they are not qualified to apply for public insurance, they are basically left to their own devices. This experience has also been observed in the children of the undocumented immigrants; they suffer the same hardships as their parents (Gelatt, 2016). Gelatt also notes that children whose parents are born in foreign countries also face difficulties. It appears that the healthcare system is rigged to disenfranchise the children of immigrants. Gelatt points out that children whose parents are American-born are shielded against the difficulties that their counterparts with foreign-born parents face (Gelatt, 2016). Essentially, Gelatt examines how the US healthcare system fails immigrants and their children. In addition to health and access to medical services, Gelatt also investigates the levels of educational attainment and employment prospects for children of immigrant parents. Overall, her article highlights the challenges that immigrants and their children face as they seek such social services as education, medical insurance and healthcare.
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Area of Emphasis
Gelatt’s article explores a broad range of issues. However, she recognizes that it is important to focus her discussion on a number of important areas. She gives special emphasis to the experiences of children whose parents are immigrants. This is not to say that her discussion does not shed light on children whose parents are American-born. The article offers an eye-opening discussion on the significant hurdles that children of immigrants encounter as they seek medical services. Gelatt observed that these children have poorer health outcomes and lack the insurance coverage that other children enjoy (Gelatt, 2016). She also noted that there are disparities as regards access to preventive health services. Gelatt is quick to clarify that the mere fact that a child is born to immigrant parents does not necessarily mean that they are condemned to a lifetime of poor health. She offers examples of counties which have invested in delivering medical services to immigrant communities (Gelatt, 2016). These counties are evidence that the US simply needs to focus its healthcare initiatives on immigrants and their children.
Consistency with Text
Gelatt’s article is largely consistent with the text. The text makes it clear that immigrant communities encounter obstacles in their quest for quality healthcare. The US appears to have neglected them. The text also highlights the special plight of undocumented immigrants. The healthcare system does not recognize these individuals. As a result, no real measures have been taken to ensure that all individuals are able to access quality care irrespective of their immigration status. In her article, Gelatt indicts the US for its failure to protect vulnerable immigrant communities. This makes her article consistent with the text. Another area of consistency between the article and the text involves access to such social services as education and employment. According to the text, there are glaring disparities in access to these services. Gelatt confirms this in her article. She notes that as opposed to the children of American-born parents, children whose parents are immigrants have to work harder to obtain education and employment (Gelatt, 2016). Overall, Gelatt’s article is in line with the issues explored in the text.
Omissions and Differing Presentation
As they discuss an issue, scholars and researchers are bound to omit some information that go against their argument. A careful scrutiny of Gelatt’s article reveals that there are no significant omissions. She has included nearly all relevant details that allow readers to make sense of her argument. To make the article more engaging and comprehensive, Gelatt could have included recommendations. The article only focuses on the problems that the US faces. It does not offer any recommendations regarding the measures that the country can institute to promote the welfare of immigrants and their children. Gelatt opted for objectivity and non-involvement in her presentation of her findings. She presents the findings as some objective observer who is not personally involved with the subjects. This presentation method is important because it lends her credibility and safeguards the accuracy of the findings. However, given how sensitive and relevant the topic of discussion is, a more personal presentation approach would have been more effective. For example, Gelatt could have included descriptions of the experiences of specific immigrants. This would have gone a long way in enabling readers to clearly understand how the US continues to fail immigrants and their children. It is worth noting that Gelatt’s failure to include descriptions of personal experiences does not erode the credibility of her article. This article remains a vital source of insights into the experiences of immigrants and their children.
Further Questions Raised
The primary purpose of any research is to reveal helpful insights. Research also challenges society to pose questions about real issues. In her article, Gelatt does not raise any questions explicitly. However, from her discussion, a number of important questions can be raised. For example, one may wonder why the US is not doing enough to tackle disparities in access to healthcare. Another question that one can pose concerns whether the immigration status is necessarily responsible for health disparities. Could it be that immigrants and their children distrust members of the health profession? This question helps to clarify whether immigration status is solely to blame for the disparities. The following is yet another question that could stem from Gelatt’s discussion: what motivates some countries to invest in the welfare of immigrants and their children? Gelatt notes that there are some counties in Los Angeles which have encouragingly high levels of health access among immigrants and their children. This observation challenges one to wonder why these counties have seen the need to promote access to healthcare for the immigrant community. The fact that Gelatt does not explicitly pose any questions can be taken to indicate her confidence in her study.
In conclusion, immigrants have historically suffered in the United States. They leave their homes in the hope of creating a better life in the US. For the most part, many immigrants are able to find a better life. However, as Gelatt reveals in her article, millions of immigrants endure hardships. Many are unable to secure insurance coverage while others lack adequate access to vital medical services. Gelatt’s article is an indictment of the American society. This article should challenge the US and its people to do more to safeguard the health of immigrants. The moral standing of a nation is determined based on how it treats its most vulnerable.
References
Gelatt, J. (2016). Immigration Status and the Healthcare access and Health of Children of
Immigrants. Social Science Quarterly, 97 (3), 540-554. doi:10.1111/ssqu.12261
