Ventanillas de Salud: Defeating challenges in healthcare access for Mexican immigrants in the United States
Ventanillas de Salud: Desafíos en el acceso a servicios de salud de inmigrantes mexicanos en EE.UU.
https://doi.org/10.21670/ref.2001043
Keywords:
Healthcare access, consulates, insurance, preventive care, early detection of chronic and non-communicable diseases, community health clinics, Ventanillas de Salud, Mexican immigrants in the United StatesAbstract
The 2010 Affordable Care Act (ACA) improved access to healthcare in the United States. However, immigrants —especially those undocumented— still faced difficulties, which have increased during the Trump administration. In order to bring access to health services to its nationals, the Mexican government has implemented the Health Windows Program (Ventanillas de Salud, or VDS). The article reviews changes in the U.S. healthcare system from the ACA to date, and assesses the role of VDS. The methodology is qualitative, consisting of a literature review, interviews with community leaders and Mexican government officials, and questionnaires sent to four VDS: Arizona, Florida, Idaho and Texas. Results show that VDS provide reliable and affordable access to basic healthcare services, and detection of chronic and non-communicable diseases, especially within undocumented immigrants. Public policy recommendations are offered based on these findings. Limitations of the study include the data collected, which is non-representative of all VDS.Resumen
En 2010 el Affordable Care Act (ACA) brindó mayor acceso a la salud en Estados Unidos, pero los inmigrantes aún enfrentan dificultades, particularmente los indocumentados. Para brindar acceso a servicios de salud a sus connacionales, el gobierno mexicano creó el programa Ventanillas de Salud (VDS). El artículo analiza cambios en el sistema de salud de Estados Unidos a partir del ACA y el papel de las VDS. La metodología cualitativa incluye: revisión de literatura, entrevistas a líderes comunitarios y miembros del gobierno mexicano y cuestionarios enviados a cuatro VDS: Arizona, Florida, Idaho y Texas. Los resultados demuestran que las vds proveen información confiable, acceso económico a servicios de salud, detección temprana de enfermedades crónicas y no transmisibles, especialmente para inmigrantes indocumentados. Se presentan recomendaciones de política pública basadas en evidencias. Las limitaciones radican en que los datos de las cuatro VDS no son representativos de todo el programa.References
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