That is one of the interesting facts we are learning while reading through ORR’s Key Indicators for Fiscal Year 2015. We have been telling you about it (see here and here).
The Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) has recently been compiling statistics on such things as employment opportunities and whether your state has generous social service benefits and healthcare to help refugees get the very best care they can get.
I found the ‘Access to Health Care’ on page 18 of the Statistical Abstract enlightening.
By the way, if yours is one of 26 states expanding Medicaid, yours will be a more “welcoming” location than the 19 (stingy) states which have not.
Access to Health Care
Access to health care and health insurance is an important consideration in refugee placement and resettlement decisions. Depending on their circumstances, refugees may be eligible for different types of health insurance, including Medicaid, Children’s Health Insurance Program, Refugee Medical Assistance (RMA), employer-based plans, and private insurance available through the Health Insurance Marketplace. However, many refugees are uninsured. In fact, one third of refugees from ORR’s Annual Survey in 2011 lacked medical of any kind throughout the preceding year. In addition, the availability of “safety net” health services varies by state.
Initial placement decisions can have a long-term impact on refugees’ health outcomes;
For example:
* Treatment for chronic Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C can last up to one year. People with these conditions who are resettled in a state where RMA is the only health insurance option will be less likely to start or complete treatment.
* Refugees with HIV will require specialized care; the availability of long-term health
insurance and the robustness of local Ryan White programs (especially, waiting periods to
access anti-HIV medications) should be considered when making placement decisions
regarding people with HIV.
You really should check out the report, you will learn a lot about how generous (or not) your state is and how well refugees are doing finding jobs and keeping them.
And, how is your TANF (Temporary Assistance to Needy Families)? There is a very detailed state-by-state list of how much refugees get and what the rules are in your state.
Oh, and we learned one more thing! ORR is using your tax dollars for “gaining socio-political support for the refugee program.”
For new readers, we have an extensive ‘health issues’ category, click here. You may be surprised to learn that in addition to HIV and Hepatitis, we take refugees with TB, venereal diseases and parasites as well.