Neither does the nation wish to lose the large numbers of legal immigrants doing technology-based jobs, and serving the economy in all business sectors. If the U. S. were to send away most of the illegal immigrants at this time, and stop admitting new legal immigrants; it would definitely face a quick relaxation in its health care needs or demand. The supply of health care would ultimately meet the demand of the ‘natural’ Americans. There would be no hue and cry any longer. Both the immigration and health care problems would have been solved.
However, the U. S.is not ready to do away with the illegal immigrants because they are now a part of American life. Neither does the country stop increasing its demand for legal immigrants because of its ever growing economy. Besides, the U. S. would face an economic drought if the illegal immigrants were to suddenly vanish, and new legal immigrants stopped coming in to work with new technology. The immigrants are contributing tremendously to the economy of the United States.
The undocumented aliens are those that take up less-skilled jobs, and their wages are lower than those of the U.S-born laborers (McCarthy & Vernez, 1997). What is more, studies have shown that when the United States tightens border control, thereby making it more difficult than before for illegal aliens to enter the nation, the economic growth of the nation turns into economic sluggishness.
This is the reason why the United States – contrary to most people’s expectations – is thought to be unreasonably lenient toward undocumented aliens. And, although there appears to be a clear relationship between the problems in health care and the number of illegal immigrants rising; the U.
S. would rather turn this relationship into one of convenience for all by finding a way to also fully support the health care needs of illegal aliens.
Immigration Policy and Health Care in the United States 8 Although illegal immigrants are known to shy away from demanding too much of health care because it could eventually lead them to trouble with the INS due to the involvement of paperwork, it remains a fact that these people have pushed up the demand for health care in the country.
The increased demand has pushed up prices, and failed to meet supply so far. By reducing the demand of health care, America would be able to reduce the price of health care, according to the basic theory of microeconomics. But, the reduction of health care demand is not possible without a mass exodus of the illegal immigrants from the U. S. back to their homelands. Considering that the U. S. would like to legalize the illegal immigrants, it would have to find a way to reduce the costs of health care using another method.
As an example, the state of Texas, with a huge number of immigrants and one in every three persons without health insurance, has introduced a new low cost health care plan that does not discriminate between legal and illegal Americans (Mahon, 2006). Apparently, this plan does not necessitate change in the current immigration policy. Instead, it integrates the illegal immigrants into the health care system of America without the need to ponder the question: How will a change in the current immigration policy affect the United States health care system?
Is it possible to improve health care access without changing the immigration policy? Given the example of Texas, it is easy to suggest policies around the country to do whatever it takes to make health care accessible to all. Another interesting fact that appears through this Immigration Policy and Health Care in the United States 9 discussion is that there is not necessarily a relationship between changing the current immigration policy and the health care system. America is capable of making health care accessible to all people residing in it, whether they are legal or illegal in terms of naturalization documents.
It is only a matter of finding creative solutions to the problem of lowering health care costs for all. The truth remains, however, that it is possible to improve the health care system without changing the immigration policy. On the other hand, if the policy is changed, it would definitely have a positive effect on the health care system, if in fact the change in policy requires the departure of all illegal immigrants, and the stopping of the naturalization process (for legal immigration) for an indefinite period of time.
As a matter of fact, it has been claimed that immigrants (both documented and undocumented) are used as scapegoats in discussions about improving the health care system (Wipf & Wipf, 2007). It is actually a problem of the decision- and policy-makers who are expected to use the resources of America most wisely. Like the Texans, everybody in America could actually make it possible to make health care accessible to all people, regardless of immigration status. Still, the keys lie in the hands of the politicians, who must be urged by the people to make correct decisions, instead of blaming the failures of the budget on the immigration policy.
Immigration Policy and Health Care in the United States 10 Conclusion Unnumbered Americans are presently depending on illegal aliens to bring up their children (“Debate Meets Reality,” 2007, p. 39). At the same time, the government is contemplating the introduction of a guest-worker program to make guests out of illegal aliens, who would be treated to guest health care while in the United States (“Better than Nothing,” 2007, p. 13).
Then there is the question of allowing fewer and fewer people to enter the U. S.as legal immigrants in future. All of this is expected to reduce the demand of health care in America, and let the price of health care balance itself out in the magical system of demand and supply. Even so, the solution is not as simple as that. The United States wants all the immigrants that it can possibly support. The economy of the U. S. has become dependent on the cheap labor of the undocumented aliens, and the technological skills of the documented ones. This presents a dilemma in discussions about immigration reform.
For this reason, this paper has explored whether it is possible also to improve health care access without changing the immigration policy. The example of Texas has illustrated that it is indeed possible to improve health care access one hundred percent without changing immigration policy. It is only a matter of finding creative solutions to reduce health care costs – a question that policy- and decision-makers should be reflecting on most often, seeing that health care is said to be their “Number One challenge. ”
The relationships between immigration and health care are generally understood to be the following: (1) Both legal and illegal aliens increase the health care demand, which increases the Immigration Policy and Health Care in the United States 11 price of health care, at the same time as supply cannot keep up at the prices that the consumers are willing to pay; and (2) Given that America does not want to easily lose the benefits of the immigrants, even the illegal immigrants should have easy access to health care.
This brings us to the central question around which this discussion revolved: How would a change in the current immigration policy affect the United States health care system? By making its immigration policy stricter than before, the United States would make it difficult for both legal and illegal immigrants to enter. Checking its own population thus, the country would find it easy to balance the demand and supply of health care. At the same time, the country would lose the benefits of the immigrants. Would the changes, therefore, be worth the costs?
– The answer to this question had led Senator Burr to suggest that there is no relationship between immigration and health care except that the illegal immigrations must be legalized and health care costs must be reduced for all. Although changes to the immigration policy would positively affect the health care system, the same changes would negatively affect the economy. Moreover, we have found through this research that the immigration issue is often spelled out as a scapegoat to hide the faults of the policy- and decision-makers who may have spent health care funding taking care of other departments that do not require urgent assist.
Hence, even if changes in the immigration policy are expected to benefit the health care system (while damaging the economy) – it is reasonable to suggest that we should improve health care access by another method altogether. While controlling immigration in an improved way, the United States should actually focus on spending its budget more appropriately. The whole country could imitate Texas in that regard. It is possible for the U. S. – if not any other nation in Immigration Policy and Health Care in the United States 12 the world – to provide easy health care access to all of its residents, documented and undocumented.
But, only when politicians, decision-makers, or policy makers have decided to truly reduce the costs of health care by allocating the moneys presently used on unnecessary things to health care instead, would the U. S. be able to recover its health care system. Immigration Policy and Health Care in the United States 13.
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Debate Meets Reality. (2007, May 19-25). The Economist. Illegal Immigration is a Crime. (2006). Fair US. Retrieved 6 April 2007, from http://www. fairus. org/. Justich, Robert, and Betty Ng. The Underground Labor Force is Rising to the Surface. Illegal Aliens. Retrieved 6 April 2007, from http://www. illegalaliens. us/index. htm. Mahon, Chris. (2006, May 17). Low-cost health care program comes to city: Plan available regardless of immigration status. Brownsville Herald. McCarthy, Kevin, and Georges Vernez. (1997). Immigration in a Changing Economy: California’s Experience. RAND Corporation.
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