New Jersey Healthcare

Across the nation, nearly 45,000 people passed away as a direct result of not having adequate healthcare coverage.  Despite immense success compared to other states, New Jersey healthcare still has its faults, with nearly 7 percent of New Jersey’s occupants not having proper medical insurance. This problem is only worse for immigrants, with 50 percent of undocumented immigrants and 18 percent of documented immigrants not having proper medical insurance. New Jersey legislators have taken steps in the right direction to address these issues, as children under the age of 19 whose families meet income eligibility requirements are now able to obtain Medicaid coverage regardless of their immigration status. 

While this may be a step in the right direction, many immigrant adults still remain in the dark. According to New Jersey Family Care guidelines, “Immigrant adults must have Legal Permanent Resident status in the United States for at least five years in order to qualify for NJ FamilyCare.” With there being an estimated 416,000 undocumented immigrants above the age of 16 in New Jersey, the lack of healthcare coverage offered to immigrants is alarming. The Language barrier for many undocumented immigrants only exacerbates the problem, with Language barriers causing issues in preventative care, chronic disease management, and delayed access to routine care, leading to adverse health outcomes. 

 To solve this issue, collective action is required from New Jersey legislators; 6 percent of the nation's population makes up 23 percent of the uninsured, and legislation expanding existing Medicaid guildies to the undocumented is vital. To address issues regarding the language barrier, training healthcare professionals to be considerate of language barriers, and utilizing translating technology can help to prevent communication issues. Furthermore, due to a large percentage of undocumented immigrants in the United States speaking Spanish as their native language, offering training for healthcare professionals on basic Spanish phrases can further help foster improved communication. 

Overall, New Jersey is already putting out a good effort to resolve healthcare inequities, but more effort is still needed from policymakers, legislators, and the people of New Jersey.