The Consequences of Illegal Immigration on the U.S. Healthcare System!
The United States has been dealing with illegal immigration for some time. Immigration has been the topic of many debates throughout the years. Arising from this controversial topic are many issues; for many years the United States government has tried to lower the number of illegal immigrants while making legal immigration harder. While there are no actual answers to the topic, there are many issues with illegal immigration. One of the most significant issues in the United States when facing immigration is the health issues introduced. In times of a global pandemic having more infectious diseases coming across the borders of the United States can spell disasters for the powerhouse country.
Pew Research Center estimated that in 2017, 77% of the United States population were immigrants. However, 23% of that number were undocumented. That is roughly 10.5 million illegal immigrants. Theorists say that the number will be even higher because of the lack of forthcoming from this demographic group. Nearly half of those who were undocumented immigrants lived in the top three most populated states, California (24%), Texas (11%), and Florida (10%).
There are many drawbacks to illegal immigration, including money, safety, and jobs. However, the U.S. Healthcare System is under great strain due to this issue. The U.S. Healthcare System has slowly gone downhill due to many problems over several years. However, some of these issues lie with immigration issues. Some of these include the cost to taxpayers, collapse and overflow of hospitals, diseases carried by these individuals, and sexually transmitted diseases.
Costs to Taxpayers
In 2017 it was calculated that those illegal immigrants cost federal, state, and local taxpayers around $116 billion. This number is partially increased due to medical expense strain caused by undocumented individuals. Those who come into the United States illegally are not insured, resulting in higher bills, decline, or treatment. These higher bills tend to go unpaid because they generally don't have the money to pay their medical expenses upfront.
Taxpayers mainly fund the U.S. Healthcare System due to the complicated system that the U.S has in healthcare. David U. Himmelstein MD, and Steffie Woodlander MD, MPH, estimated taxpayer's current and projected share of U.S. health expenditures. They found that $1.877 trillion was tax-funded in 2013 and estimated that by 2024 it would increase to $3.642 trillion.
These numbers are partly increased due to illegal immigrants using the U.S. healthcare system. Many undocumented immigrants can't generally afford to use U.S. hospitals and doctors and are fearful of being ousted and sent back to their original country. This makes them reluctant to get medical care from local faculties when their health concerns are still minor. Estimates say that the average illegal immigrant sees the doctor less than the average U.S.-born citizen. Even with outstanding websites like Quick R.X. Refill making it easy for those seeking help to get it online, it doesn't persuade those in the country illegally to seek in-person treatment.
This reluctance may not cost taxpayers more in the short term. However, in the long term, they end up costing more. The more prolonged minor injuries and illnesses fester, the more money is required to treat them. Untreated, minor conditions become more deadly over time; for example, the simple flu can turn into pneumonia, especially in immune-compromised individuals. Reluctance costs them the time and resources of these faculties, which many of these immigrants cannot afford, causing more money to come out of the taxpayer's wallet to help continue the operation of these medical facilities.
Closures and Overcrowding of Hospitals
However, having completely tax-funded medical facilities is not common in the United States. Only a limited number of hospitals are government-funded. Over time unpaid bills cause hospitals and doctor's offices to close their doors. This is particularly true for rural and public hospitals that already suffer from a lack of government funding. Without patients paying extraordinarily high bills, they become forced to close. Leaving government-owned facilities to become overcrowded, and the quality of medical attention goes down.
The collapse of multiple hospitals around the country during the pandemic is hard enough. However, the financial strain put on the system from unpaid visits and uninsured visitors will cause a more considerable downfall to our healthcare system overall as more hospitals to become overcrowded. The U.S. will also see a decrease in the overall population with more hospitals shutting down.
Diseases Entering Through Borders
Many of those who enter the United States illegally are young and healthy. Therefore, they might not pose the same health risk for carrying diseases. Unfortunately, however, a percentage of those who enter the U.S. without proper medical screening and vetting have deadly diseases into the United States borders. Medical professionals even eradicated many diseases before being brought back by undocumented immigrants. Some of these diseases are Leprosy, Tuberculosis, and Chagas Disease. These diseases not only threaten the mast population, they mainly affect the young and elderly as their immune systems tend to be weaker.
Regular immigration ensures that those who enter the United States are appropriately screened for Tuberculosis, HIV, Malaria, and other infectious diseases before entering the country. Those who test positive are not allowed into the United States. Properly vetting those who wish to enter the country lowers the risk of deadly disease spreading across the United States population. However, irregular immigration does not have any of those safety protocols. They are untested for disease. However, detainment doesn't solve this problem either. It doesn't make a difference if they are detained or not. If they have an infectious disease, they have already brought it into the U.S.
One worry for a massive outbreak in the U.S. comes from detainment camps. Federals send at least 50 of these individuals for urgent medical care a day; this is a problem for detainment camps. The COVID-19 situation is the perfect example. A disease like COVID-19 thrives off of proximity. Like any high-density living quarters always pose a significant threat to a country's healthcare. More than half a million people are taken into federal custody. This threat doesn't stop at those who are detained, though. This health threat also threatens those who work in these facilities and those they encounter. A sizeable medical outbreak of a deadly disease in these camps can quickly become catastrophic.
Leprosy
Leprosy is one of the rising diseases in the U.S. due to irregular migration. Once primarily eradicated in the U.S has seen some recent spikes. Some call it a crisis that is ignored amongst medical professionals. While not inherently deadly, this disease is contagious and can cause lasting damage.
Leprosy, or Hansen's disease, is an infection caused by a bacterium. Originating in East Africa, being brought to the west within the last 500 years. It is a common belief that this disease comes from monkeys.
Leprosy is not generally considered deadly. It is, however, not deemed dangerous and life-altering. This is a disease that mainly affects one's eyes, skin, nose, and nerves -this disease, when untreated, can cause permanent nerve damage that is permanent. Nerve damage can ultimately change one's life, making it impossible to do everyday tasks.
Many years before 2002, there were only 900 cases of Leprosy in the United States. This number was a massive improvement over 1985, seeing 434 cases in the U.S. After that, however, numbers began to steadily increase across the U.S. Many of these spikes in Leprosy are caused by illegal immigrants whose country does not have proper medical care for this type of illness.
Tuberculosis
A highly deadly disease being reintroduced to the United States is Tuberculosis, or T.B. T.B can be traced back at least 70,000 years. Much like a simple cold, T.B. spreads through the air can circulate through split droplets when one causes or sneezes. However, it is more likely to spread through people inside together for long periods.
The early signs of T.B. mimic that of a cold, making it harder to detect even with proper screening. Over time T.B. will affect the host's lungs, causing their body to continue to break down, eventually leading to potential death. Tuberculosis can kill its host within five years when left untreated. Those infected with this infectious disease are in quarantine from others to slow the spread.
The United States did an excellent job of lowering T.B. numbers up until the 1980s, where immigrants showed a steady increase in those numbers. However, studies show that more than 50% of those immigrants carry the disease now. In recent years, the United States has been decreasing its number of Tuberculosis cases. However, the countries from which illegal immigrants come tend not to have as much of a handle on this disease, making it harder to control from outside forces.
Infectious and deadly diseases like T.B. can cause significant panic inside detainment camps. Like many diseases in closed spaces, they will spread much faster. However, T.B is known to spread even faster and more efficiently when those infected are in close contact with others. Since it isn't always obvious and those inside the centers live in clusters, close together, it becomes the perfect breeding ground for a massive outbreak in the United States.
Chagas Disease
Chagas Disease is transmitted by triatomine bugs, or 'the kissing bug .'It originated in South and Central America. Once isolated to more rural parts of South America, it now can be found in highly populated urban settings. It is mainly transmitted through blood, mother to child, and food. It can generally start with minor symptoms like fever or swelling. In cases left untreated, though, the individual infected by this disease may develop congestive heart failure leading to chronic illness or death. Though relatively new to the United States, this disease can genuinely harm the U.S population.
Chagas Disease is not well known among medical personnel in the United States. Its relative newness makes it hard for doctors who have yet to be adequately trained to identify in the blood. As a result, it is rarely found outside of illegal immigrant groups. However, there are now roughly 200,000 cases in the United States. This means the number of cases is in the U.S is are growing.
Malaria
Another once eliminated disease that has recently been brought back into the U.S is Malaria. Malaria is an illness usually carried by mosquitos that then bite humans to infect them. This disease acts like the hyper flu. However, Malaria can quickly become fatal to the host. Unlike the flu, Malaria does not transfer through the spread of germs. Instead, it spreads through blood. This means any blood transfusions, organ donations, or needle-sharing can cause one to become infected with Malaria.
According to the CDC, there are roughly 2,000 cases of Malaria in the United States each year. Reports say the majority of cases are in immigrants and travelers. The number of how many of those immigrants came to the U.S illegally is unknown. However, with extensive testing for those who want to enter the country legally, it stands to reason that Malaria can be found in many illegal immigrants.
Though Malaria does not transfer like a common cold, it poses a threat if anyone infected with Malaria is an organ donor or donated blood. The more likely situation is amongst drug users, though. Heroin usage in the United States is at 15% users. This can translate to those who use syringe drugs sharing needles. If someone infected with Malaria shares a needle, it's a steep slope downhill to a Malaria outbreak.
Sexually Transmitted Disease
Sexually transmitted disease (STD) is also a heightened risk amongst illegal immigrants. STDs are diseases like AIDS, HIV, or herpes transmitted through sexual acts. Most of these immigrants come from a place where sexual education is a low priority in their education systems, making it easier for STDs to spread. Studies show better education about sexual education lowers the chances of STDs. In poorer countries, the education system is limited, leaving no room for proper sexual education courses.
It seems that there is insufficient knowledge of the risks of STDs, no knowledge of STD status, and common condom usage among undocumented immigrants. These things propel the rate at which STDs spread throughout the community. Moreover, these risks don't stay within the illegal alien population as casual sex is also prevalent among many people across the U.S.
The Effects of Illegal Immigrants on Migrants
Finally, many of these immigrants face challenges of their own. They face hard times trying to find affordable healthcare. They become sicker here in the United States because they don't seek medical attention when needed. Furthermore, they become marginalized for it and require more attention as time goes forward. Even though a substantial number work under fake social security numbers and pay taxes to get insurance, among all the things a U.S. citizen can do, too many cause harm to the health system and themselves.
Conclusion
In conclusion, illegal immigrants are part of why public health in the United States is threatened. Several of those ways include bringing infectious diseases. In addition, the health system in the United States is not equipped to handle the number that comes with new conditions, unpaid bills, and increased patients. These things can genuinely harm the United States if left unchecked and unused or new policies aren't put into place to counteract illegal immigration.
Citations
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