In the United States, eligible immigrants are lawfully residing immigrants and naturalized citizens. Unlike undocumented citizens, they are eligible for enrolling in Medicaid to benefit from affordable healthcare services. Getting connected to health coverage by these immigrants has been burdensome to some of them. Immigrant patients have faced problems in language and transport barriers, fears and confusions due to unfamiliarity with the healthy system, limited access to technology, incompetency in meeting documentation requirements and challenges associated with getting specialty care due to lengthy referrals. Reducing or entirely eliminating these challenges will make the immigrant connections to healthcare services easier (Kaiser Commission on Medicaid, 2011).
There should be community-based trusted nursing organizations with individuals that speak and understand multiple languages to connect such immigrants to healthcare services. Despite speaking similar language, the individuals should have strong connections with the immigrant community in terms of religion, country of origin and so forth. Nurses in the community-based organizations can educate them on insurance coverage available on the market for them to enroll and participate in affordable healthcare. The nurses should maintain strong and long-term relationships with immigrant families so that they can be helped in health matters such as primary care and prenatal care. They should always be around to help in outreach programs, for instance, of English language literacy. Immigrant families have to be prepared to reduce or eliminate fears and confusions related to accessing medical institutions and personnel. These preparations can involve those that concern Medicaid expansions, long term services, and using newer technologies to communicate with healthcare personnel. Medicaid coverage processes have to be simpler and welcoming in meeting specific needs of immigrant patients. Nonetheless, professionals in the community outreach programs should be well trained and informed on immigrant needs, and they should be visiting immigrant families on reasonable time intervals and on individualistic basis (Kaiser Commission on Medicaid, 2011).
References
Kaiser Commission on Medicaid. (2011).Connecting Eligible Immigrants to Health Coverage.
Washington: The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation.
