Nursing Health Policy Issues- Access to Health Care for Immigrant The Committee or Other Body That Held the Hearing and the Date of the Hearing
The hearing was held by the Assembly Taskforce on New Americans within the New York State Assembly, the Assembly Puerto Rican/Hispanic Taskforce, and the Assembly Committee on Health. (“12-13-17 Public Hearing on Immigrant Health Care Access – Dec 14th, 2017”, 2017). The hearing was held in New York City on Wednesday, 13 December 2017, at 10:00 AM at the Assembly Hearing Room on the 19th Floor of the New York State Assembly (“12-13-17 Public Hearing on Immigrant Health Care Access – Dec 14th, 2017”, 2017). Hire our assignment writing services in case your assignment is devastating you.
The Subject of the Hearing
The subject of the hearing was “Immigrant access to healthcare.” This was in response to the Coverage 4 All campaign championed by the Health Care For All New York led by the New York Immigration Coalition and Make the Road New York (“12-13-17 Public Hearing on Immigrant Health Care Access – Dec 14th, 2017”, 2017). The campaign advocated for immigrant access to health care. The hearing aimed to ensure that all residents of New York, regardless of their citizen and residence status, were granted rights to access to healthcare, and the eligibility of healthcare insurance was expanded to cover all New Yorkers, including immigrants. The current practice and provision of healthcare in New York are not equitable and have disparities that are mostly contributed by the existing racial and social biases (Chen et al., 2020). The Coverage 4 All campaign leading to the hearing further aimed to address the barriers to coverage for immigrants and their access to quality and safe health care.
The Broader Topic
The hearing focused on a broader topic. It focused on improving immigrant access to healthcare. The hearing focused on critical areas of healthcare access for immigrants, including access to safe and quality maternal and child health, with an emphasis on the consideration of the eligibility of immigrants to enroll in health coverage programs such as Medicaid and the coverage of new mothers under the Medicaid programs irrespective of their current immigration status. It also aimed at expanding the Child Health Plus insurance program to include immigrant children and to offer food and nutrition services to immigrant families.
Speakers at the Hearing
The speakers during the hearing included representatives from various agencies; the New York City Mayor’s Office for Immigrants Affairs, the New York State Department of Health, New York City Health + Hospitals, and the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (“12-13-17 Public Hearing on Immigrant Health Care Access – Dec 14th, 2017”, 2017). Other individual speakers also presented community and social service, advocacy for immigrants, and stakeholders in health within New York.
Witnesses
The hearing had various witnesses from different agencies and roles such as social service and healthcare service providers, advocates, federal administration, healthcare professionals, social service advocates, rights advocates, and other agencies working within the New York Community settings.
The Key Speakers and Witnesses and the Testimony They Provided
The key speakers and witnesses during the hearing included:
The director of the Division of Eligibility and Marketplace Integration within the New York State Department of Health, Judy Arnold
The director of the Center for Community Health within the New York State Department of Health, Nora Yates
The Acting Commissioner of the New York City Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs during the time of the hearing, Bitta Mostofi
The chief Office of Diversity and Inclusion in the New York City Health and Hospitals, Matilde Roman
A medical doctor from the Associated Medical Group, Dr. Bienvenido Fajardo
The director of Health Policy in the New York Immigration Coalition, Claudia Calhoon
A medical doctor, the medical director, and co-founder of Terra Firma: Healthcare and Justice for Immigrant Children, Alan Shapiro
Jennifer Magida, Hetheru Shango, and Saddiq Abdul of the Youth Advocacy Corps.
The Executive Director of the Dominican Women’s Development Center Rosita Romero
The witnesses provided expert testimony and presented stakeholders within the New York healthcare system.
Key Learnings on the Topic of Access to Health Care for Immigrants from This Hearing
The hearing has elaborated on the various barriers immigrants face in their attempts to access healthcare services in the U