Our Health is More Than A Statistic
The California State Legislature faces a crucial decision as it considers whether or not to extend health care coverage to all Californians, regardless of immigration status. This coverage would protect thousands of people who continue to be locked out of the health care system and finally provide the fundamental care and treatment that so many of us take for granted.
Medi-Cal should be expanded to undocumented elders for many reasons. Having access to primary, secondary, and tertiary care will ensure that their health care needs are met to maximize their well-being and quality of life. Without these securities, our elders are often forced to go without the treatments they require and deserve.
Undocumented immigrants are human beings who suffer immensely when they are unable to access health care, just like other Californians. And just like other Californians, they should be able to access health care that will guarantee the dignity and security they deserve.
My own family members have repeatedly faced this barrier to access. Even after experiencing palpitations and chest pain, my mother refused to go to the Emergency Department because she was afraid of how much the ambulance and hospital visit would cost. Fortunately, she was able to eventually access primary care services through Healthy San Francisco. At the clinic, health care providers ran tests to diagnose her and prescribed her with medications, which she wouldn’t have been able to afford without Healthy San Francisco.
Similarly, my dad has refused to get dentures for years even though he only has two upper teeth and one lower tooth left in his mouth. He doesn’t have dental insurance and knows that dentures, along with the extraction of those three teeth, will cost thousands of dollars. Access to Denti-Cal would help him immensely.
For years, my parents forwent medical screening procedures recommended for their age simply because they couldn’t afford it. But Healthy San Francisco isn’t insurance and doesn’t cover health care outside of San Francisco. Low-income, elderly individuals and parents in other areas of California continue to forego care and suffer the consequences of untreated conditions due to a lack of health insurance and an inability to afford treatment.
Working in the health care industry has shown me firsthand how a lack of access to care can lead to adverse health outcomes for individuals and entire communities. It doesn’t matter how advanced or cutting-edge our medical technology, treatments, and knowledge are if everyday people cannot access care.
As a champion for progressive values, California is well positioned to fight for health care inclusion when no other part of the country is doing anything of this scale. Equipped with its large geographic size, population, and economy sustained by a workforce in which nearly 1 in 10 workers are undocumented, California can greatly influence others to follow in our example and should proudly uphold its place as a driving force shaping a more equitable country.
Dora is a member of ASPIRE, the first pan-Asian undocumented group in the country and a program of Advancing Justice — Asian Law Caucus, and she is currently a nurse at a small clinic. She came to the United States when she was 4 years old.
