Meagan Su Our Approach
We are APHC (Asian Pacific Health Corps) at UCLA, an organization aiming to promote healthy lifestyles and provide healthcare resources for the underserved API community. As health insurance can oftentimes be a confusing journey for many, we seek to introduce the basics of U.S. healthcare insurance and tips on how the API community can find the most suitable healthcare insurance for themselves in the U.S. What is healthcare insurance in the US? Healthcare insurance in the US can help pay for medical expenses through privately purchased insurance, social insurance, or a social welfare program funded by the government (“Why health insurance is important”, n.d.). Different healthcare insurances in the US can cover different medical costs, from vaccination to cancer treatment. Why do we need healthcare insurance? It could be very expensive to visit a doctor once in the US without healthcare insurance. A single doctor’s office visit may cost several hundred dollars and an average three-day hospital stay can run tens of thousands of dollars or even more depending on the type of care provided (“How U.S. Health Insurance Works”, n.d.). Most of us could not afford to pay such large sums if we got sick, especially since we don’t know when we might become ill or injured or how much care we might need. Health insurance offers a way to reduce such costs to more reasonable amounts, and it can reduce the financial pressure on people. Mr. Wong, one of the interviewers, was a Chinese immigrant who moved to New York in 2000. He had heard that medical care in the United States was so expensive that he didn't even dare to get sick. Even if he felt uncomfortable, he simply put up with it, telling himself that it was an “exercise” for his immune system. Without health insurance, the burden of a single doctor's visit and the potential expenses of a hospital stay felt like an insurmountable mountain. In a foreign land with uncertainties abound, health insurance emerged as a crucial shield, offering financial relief and ensuring that the pursuit of the American dream wasn't overshadowed by the looming shadows of medical bills. How do immigrants get healthcare insurance in the US? With society's progress and development, it is much easier for immigrants to get healthcare insurance than before. Many healthcare organizations offer different language translators and healthcare insurance applications for various immigrants, and most of them focus on helping Asian immigrants, providing Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese, Thai, etc.(“Key Facts on Health Coverage of Immigrants”, n.d. ) Also, there are more professional service centers and organizations that can offer assistance with enrolling in health insurance programs, such as Medicaid, CHIP, or marketplace plans. This assistance may include helping immigrants understand eligibility criteria, completing application forms, gathering required documentation, and navigating the enrollment process. For example, the APAC insurance service center provides guided assistance throughout the insurance application, minimizing obstacles surrounding language barriers. Additionally, United Health Care can guide the immigrants through the application for health insurance until they get it successfully. Lastly, Medi-Cal and Medicare can offer help with applying for healthcare insurance and language help for the elderly API immigrants living in California. How to Choose the Most Suitable Healthcare Insurance? There are more and more applicable choices of healthcare insurance for API immigrants to choose from. How to choose the best one for you? Here are some key factors and conditions for you to consider:
Sources: How U.S. Health Insurance Works. Vaden Health Services. (n.d.). https://vaden.stanford.edu/insurance-referral-office/health-insurance-overview/how-us-health-insurance-works See how health insurance coverage protects you. See How Health Insurance Coverage Protects You | HealthCare.gov. (n.d.-a). https://www.healthcare.gov/why-coverage-is-important/#:~:text=Health%20insurance%20covers%20essential%20health,before%20you%20meet%20your%20deductible. Key facts on health coverage of immigrants. KFF. (2024, February 6). https://www.kff.org/racial-equity-and-health-policy/fact-sheet/key-facts-on-health-coverage-of-immigrants/ About the Author Meagan Su, a senior student at UCLA majoring in Biology, is profoundly interested in exploring healthcare treatments and policies in the U.S. As an Asian American, she is deeply committed to serving and advocating for the Asian and Pacific Islander (API) communities. She is also an undergraduate researcher, healthcare volunteer, and artistic instructor outside APHC.
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