Immigrant Diapora and Economics in Healthcare -

The podcast discusses the immigrant diaspora and the impact of economics on the healthcare system. The hosts, who are first-generation Americans, talk about their parents' experiences with healthcare as immigrants. They highlight issues such as lack of health insurance and biases faced by black immigrants in the healthcare industry. They emphasize the need to raise awareness about these issues and suggest solutions like examining healthcare insurance systems and addressing biases in medical professionals. They also mention the importance of representation and creating a comfortable environment for immigrants to discuss their healthcare needs. The hosts conclude by urging for improvements in the healthcare system to provide better care and support for immigrants. Hey guys, welcome to our podcast. My name is Daniela and I'm here with my partner. Hi guys, my name is Enoma. And so today's segment is going to be about the immigrant diaspora and the effects of economics in the healthcare system. Um, being that we're first generation Americans, I feel like it's easier to relate to this topic because our parents were immigrants and they've most likely like throughout their time in America have had to deal with like these scenarios before. And even like seeing even like seeing them as we were smaller and not really thinking about it and now that we're older and we see these types of situations and scenarios happening at a much more wider standpoint, I could even remember like things like health insurance and being in an urbanized community such as Boston and not having mass health and that totally affecting your experience whether you get care or not. Um, yeah, it's so funny because both my parents are health care professionals, but just nurses to be exact. And, you know, growing up like they'd often like come home like from days of work and talk about how this patient wasn't able to get the medication that they need because they didn't have health insurance. Um, yeah, they know that they see these issues present themselves on a daily basis. And so that's the same exact reason why like to watching them be in those scenarios could ultimately just affect like the way they're like experience with doctors are. And that's why we wanted to raise awareness about the we wanted to raise awareness about like the immigrant diaspora in health care because the environmental injustices of immigrants not being able to prioritize their health care because they don't feel comfortable in these situations makes them like a ricochet effect where they don't trust the health care system, especially because immigrant communities make up a large portion of our urban communities in Boston. Yeah, like, honestly, like the health care industry is very predatory towards black immigrants because of the stereotypes that are put in place to ensure that they don't get the same treatment as their counterparts. I think partially like the reasons for this is because they're not viewed as American enough. You know, there's a lot of biases that professionals unconscious and conscious biases that professionals come in like come in with that impacts their patients negatively. For example, a common one is that black people don't feel as much pain as their counterparts. They don't get the medication that they need when, when they're in pain, or when they are in pain, they're often ignored or brush aside like, oh, like, you know, you're not like they're, they're gaslighted into thinking like, they're not feeling anything. Another example is the maternity, the the maternity, the mortality rate for black pregnant women in America, it's the highest in the United States, which is very unfortunate. The biases often lead to black individuals not seeking help when needed, because they're a bit of trusting the medical professionals, they fail them repeatedly. It often leads them to turning to home remedies to alleviate their conditions. And in a first world country like this, it's very, like, unfortunate to hear that they have to, you know, turn to home remedies, because they're not able to get the care that they're that they should that they should be receiving. And for immigrants to feel like they're even put in the position where they have where they don't where they feel like they don't even need to see a doctor or get checkups, or have a primary health care provider is this very, like, it's just very crazy to me, just because it's like, that's something everyone should need and have. And the fact that they're like, just like disabled, or disabled, I'm sorry, guys, disabled with these resources, and it's just limited and limited even more and more is just like, why do I have to resort if I'm coming to America as to see a better opportunity for my future and my health and to run away from whatever problems that I had in my country? Why am I facing these exact same problems in America? Yeah, yeah. A solution to this would be, we can examine, you know, the systems like health care insurance that were put in like, are put in place to make sure that they don't to make sure that they don't receive adequate care or to make sure that they don't, you know, get a treatment that's afforded to others, but not afforded to them. Oftentimes, there are predatory practices that are put in place to make sure that immigrants don't have adequate care. An example of this is a higher the hierarchy system that not all insurances, but quite a few insurances follow that rank from, you know, you'll have like, okay, this is one tier insurance that has like the max best benefits, you have dental insurance, eye insurance, and a plethora of others, but then you'll have the lowest tier, which has very minimal benefits, and you only have like, they'll only cover maybe insurance like for your eyes or regular yearly checkups. So things like that. And then also, looking at the billing practices, that insurance is like to follow maybe, or the certainty a lot of times, they'll charge you more for items used in for your duration in the hospital. It's always good to ask for like an itemized billing to make sure that they're not charging more. A lot of people don't know about it, but they should definitely follow up on that. Another thing that we can do is just to make sure that these, the medical professionals come in with an open mind and an open ear, and making sure that they're not seeing, they're coming in, and they're not seeing a stereotype. They're not letting stereotypes affect their decision making. And yeah. And I feel like if we're looking at this, like, if we're looking at this, as in like the background scenario, like say, like, there's a lot of positions where these immigrants are because they don't feel comfortable in these spaces. These immigrants are the same ones who are forcing their children to be in these spaces. And that can kind of be like a communicational signal to them. And so when these black doctors are in these fields, they can use their disadvantages as an advantage to be able to connect through language barriers between immigrants and Americanized medicine. Because if the immigrants don't want to go to the doctors or prioritize their health for comfortability reasons, then they should be able to be in a space where they do feel comfortable to speak about their issues. And it's things like being able to speak your own language, connecting with the patient and making sure that they know that you hear them and you're setting these things in place for them to be able to feel heard and feel like they are having a better journey in America. And it kind of like this ultimately continues to like improving the healthcare system and improving these issues that we have in America when it comes to black people, women in labor, itemized bills, and just mediating the health outcomes when it comes to these people who do need help and can't get the help they need because they're limited in their resources. And actually, according to the National Library of Medicine, they said that often people feel like health care providers treat them differently and assume that they're less educated and important. That's where the systemic racism came in that, you know, Merle mentioned. It's like representation is very much important. And so that patients who want to receive the best healthcare don't feel judged and don't feel like they're being like, oh, they know that I don't have health insurance, or they know that I'm not in the best position right now to be able to provide for myself, just by looking at me. Yeah, or be able to locate themselves in areas where immigrants need the support that they should be having. And that is all for our podcast. Thank you for listening, and I hope you guys enjoyed a little more knowledge. Yes, thank you so much for listening, guys. Much appreciated. Okay, bye now. Bye.