The Unobserved Barriers in Undocumented Latina Women’s Reproductive Health Utilization: A Review of Health Policy Across Four States
Date
2024
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Producer
Director
Performer
Choreographer
Costume Designer
Music
Videographer
Lighting Designer
Set Designer
Crew Member
Funder
Rehearsal Director
Concert Coordinator
Advisor
Moderator
Panelist
Alternative Title
Department
Bryn Mawr College. Department of Sociology
Type
Thesis
Original Format
Running Time
File Format
Place of Publication
Date Span
Copyright Date
Award
Language
eng
Note
Table of Contents
Terms of Use
Rights Holder
Access Restrictions
Open access
Terms of Use
Tripod URL
Identifier
Abstract
This study examines the patterns of reproductive healthcare utilization of Latina undocumented immigrant women to contribute to a discussion of unequal health access for these women. The health-seeking behaviors of women were analyzed across California, New York, Minnesota, and Illinois to understand how state policy plays a role in preventing undocumented groups from receiving preventive services. The goal of this review is not to list patterns of reproductive health. Although it provides insight into prenatal and postpartum care rates for women. Instead, it deconstructs barriers in reproductive studies that prevent access to the health system. The undocumented Latina experience in the U.S is precarious compared to documented or U.S.-born Latinas. Undocumented women are subject to federal law that excludes them from receiving safety nets such as Medicaid. Based on a review of thirty-four qualitative articles on undocumented Latinas and health disparities, this thesis reveals how public health policy and cultural barriers influence care. The review adds to healthcare disparities for undocumented women by going beyond a mainstream model of SES barriers like income, and insurance status as determinants of health. The concept of unobserved barriers such as fear of deportation is used instead. The study is corrective to the thin literature on Medicaid policy by showing how state insurance has an intimate relationship with the undocumented. The findings reveal that undocumented women were receiving prenatal care at alarmingly lower rates than documented women or were receiving inadequate care. In all cases state sovereignty for public health was influential to the services women lacked. The prominent unobserved barriers were English proficiency, lack of knowledge, fear of deportation, and temporary coverage. The cases of California, New York, Minnesota, and Illinois reveal that to improve access unobserved barriers need to be taken seriously in the face of insufficient health policy.
Description
Stephany Yupe was a student at Bryn Mawr