Access to health care for illegal immigrants in the EU: should we be concerned?

Romero-Ortuño, Román

doi:10.1163/1571809042388572

Cited by 106 publications

(42 citation statements)

References 16 publications

(8 reference statements)

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…18 This runs against current evidence from studies of undocumented migrants, which show that a quest for healthcare benefits is not a motivation for migrating. 9,19,20 The belief that generous provision of healthcare coverage is attracting significant numbers of migrants to Europe is simply wrong. Furthermore, confining access to emergency care is expensive and wastes scarce resources, as the administrative costs of identifying and charging undocumented migrants are likely to outweigh any possible savings because the numbers concerned are so small.…”

Section: Good Practices For Governmentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Good practices in migrant health: the European experience

et al. 2012

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

-Migrants comprise a growing proportion of European populations. Although many are healthy, those who do need healthcare often face barriers and the care they receive may be inappropriate to their needs. This paper summarises good practices identified in a review of health services for migrants in Europe. Governments should ensure that migrants are entitled to health services, that the services are appropriate to their needs and that data systems are in place to monitor utilisation and detect inequities. Health services should adopt a 'whole organisation approach', in which cultural competence is viewed as much as a task for organisations as for individuals. Health workers should take steps to overcome language, social and cultural barriers to care. In each case, existing examples of good practice are provided. At a time when support is growing in some countries for political parties pursuing anti-immigrant agendas and governments in all countries are pursuing austerity policies, there is a greater need than ever for the public health community to ensure that migrants have access to services that are effective and responsive to their needs.

show abstract

Section: Good Practices For Governmentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Good practices in migrant health: the European experience

et al. 2012

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…When facing obstacles, undocumented immigrants may turn to emergency room service as the health care of last resort, which unfortunately is not the most cost-effective form of care. Debates over a right to medical care and issues of deservingness for unauthorized residents have surfaced in the United States and many other countries, both industrialized and developing (Anya, 2007;Castañeda, 2009;Fassin, 2004;Goldade, 2010;Heyman, Núñez-Mchiri, & Talavera, 2009;Hirsch, 2003;Romero-Ortuño, 2004;Willen, 2011).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Undocumented immigrants and their use of medical services in Orange County, California

Chávez

2012

Social Science & Medicine

102

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

a b s t r a c tDoes an undocumented immigration status predict the use of medical services? To explore this question, this paper examines medical care utilization of undocumented Latino immigrants compared to Latino legal immigrants and citizens, and non-Latino whites in Orange County, California. Data were collected through a random sample telephone survey of 805 Latinos and 396 non-Hispanic whites between January 4 and January 30, 2006. Findings show that undocumented immigrants had relatively low incomes and were less likely to have medical insurance; experience a number of stresses in their lives; and underutilize medical services when compared to legal immigrants and citizens. Predictors of use of medical services are found to include undocumented immigration status, medical insurance, education, and gender. Undocumented Latinos were found to use medical services less than legal immigrants and citizens, and to rely more on clinic-based care when they do seek medical services.

show abstract

“…Measures taken in the last decade to try to control illegal or undocumented migrant flows include stricter border control, identity checks, forced return migration, and the curtailment or denial of social security rights for undocumented migrants (immigrants without a residence permit). 1 Many Western countries have adopted policies that exclude undocumented migrants from publicly funded health care, with the exception of life-threatening situations or, in some countries, if the situation poses a risk to public health (Calavita 1996;Okie 2007;Chauvin, Parizot, and Simonnot 2009;Romero-Ortuno 2004).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Access to Health Care for Undocumented Migrants: A Comparative Policy Analysis of England and the Netherlands

Grit¹,

Otter²,

Spreij³

2012

Journal of Health Politics, Policy and Law

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The presence of undocumented migrants is increasing in many Western countries despite wide-ranging attempts by governments to increase border security. Measures taken to control the influx of immigrants include policies that restrict access to publicly funded health care for undocumented migrants. These restrictions to health care access are controversial, and evidence suggests they do not always have the intended effect. This study provides a comparative analysis of institutional, actor-related, and contextual factors that have influenced health care policy development on undocumented migrants in England and the Netherlands. For undocumented migrants, England restricts its access to care at the point of service, while the Netherlands restricts through the payment system for services. The study includes an analysis of policy papers and semistructured, in-depth interviews with various actors in both countries. Findings confirm the influence of such contextual factors as immigration considerations and cost concerns on health care policy making in this area. However, these factors cannot explain the differences between the two countries. Previously enacted policies, especially the organization of the health care system, affected the kind of restrictions for undocumented migrants. Concerns about the side effects of generous treatment of undocumented migrants on other groups played a substantial role in formulating restrictive policies in both countries. Evidently, policy development and implementation is critically affected by institutional rules, which govern the degree of influence that doctors and professional medical associations have on the policy process.

show abstract

Access to health care for illegal immigrants in the EU: should we be concerned?

Cited by 106 publications

References 16 publications

Good practices in migrant health: the European experience

Good practices in migrant health: the European experience

Undocumented immigrants and their use of medical services in Orange County, California

Access to Health Care for Undocumented Migrants: A Comparative Policy Analysis of England and the Netherlands

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About