In many countries, having access to healthcare is often seen as a privilege that ensures people can receive the help they need in time. However, in the United States, it’s very expensive and filled with so many issues, especially in the immigrant community. Hispanic individuals, in particular, face some of the biggest challenges when it comes to receiving fair and equal care, which makes it difficult for them to seek help when needed. The inequality Hispanic immigrants face in the healthcare system affects their daily lives by exposing them to false information, discrimination, limited access to treatment, and financial stress. 

Discrimination is something many people face. We can’t all agree on which group is specifically more targeted because, in truth, each culture and race gets attacked and stereotyped. However, one community that has experienced many issues for a long time, and is getting worse as time goes on, is the Hispanic community. Being a Hispanic immigrant in the U.S has many cons due to the language barrier that is taken advantage of at school, work, hospitals, etc. It’s such a problem that every first and second generation have their own negative story they experienced due to the racialism and bias they face, from big to small. There is lack of resources and unfair treatment due to this, mainly in the healthcare system where many Hispanic immigrants have come forward to tell their story on how they or their family members were treated differently. There was a study back in 2017 by The University of North Carolina where multiple Hispanic patients with diabetes rated their hospital experience, unfortunately all their stories were the same. Each patient encountered a lack of respectful communication, information and poor quality care. It is not stated if all 172 Hispanic adults were at the same hospital but it’s obvious there’s a repeating cycle of doctors rushing in and out and giving their patients the wrong information that can risk their lives. A 65 year old patient even stated, “I went to the cardiologist and [they] checked me out and my sugar level that the primary doctor had apparently already sent to him and the cardiologist told me “No, no everything is fine”.. I had a heart attack, and 3 or 4 days later they were operating on me.” This experience reminded me of Amy Tan’s novel, “Mother Tongue”, where her mother was also being denied to see her medical results and was told it was lost, most likely due to her not being able to speak good English and being seen as not strong enough to fight for what she wanted. That was until she called her daughter and they suddenly found them. Discrimination from before the 1990s to now is unfortunately still the same. There was only one single experience that was positive, and that was because this patient went to a clinic that was receptive to working with hispanics. Hospitals should be a place that is accepting and nondiscriminatory because it’s a place many go to with serious issues, with unfair and false treatment it’s not about being harassed out of your own health but a bigger problem. 

Certain ethnic groups like Hispanic immigrants are most likely to receive less medical attention compared to U.S citizens. No matter if the person in need is or isn’t an immigrant these people should be treated as human beings and not patients, they need to be taken care of and treated properly. Being in a hospital with a big or small injury surrounded by the smell of hand sanitizer, big bright lights and nurses and doctors walking past you without a glance is not what someone wants to experience when they have no idea what is happening to them. In the article “The Immigrant Health Care Narrative and What It Tells Us about the U.S. Health Care System” the author Brietta R. Clark talks about an undocumented man getting unfair and horrible treatment. This unnamed man was a part of a car accident and was rushed to the emergency room at a San Diego California hospital with a shattered right leg and broken jaw that had to be wired shut. “Unfortunately, the patient was transferred to the Mexican clinic before the wires were taken off, and due to poor communication and follow ups, his gums became infected and grew over the wires in his mouth.” This statement shows the unprofessionalism these doctors had for not taking care of a man and ruining his health. It was stated that he would rather be transferred to a hospital in Tijuana, Mexico, to be able to get the wires removed and eat solid food. Hospitals in Mexico are sometimes also a problem, some are high quality but others are small and lack treatment and equipment which is a big issue for locals and tourists. 

Language barriers are often the reason miscommunication happens between patients and doctors, forcing their kids to talk for them. Often, many patients are confused on how to do certain things like understanding medical information or asking for help that they rely on a family member that does speak English. It’s important for healthcare workers to be patient and try to figure out alternatives for their patient to understand and feel taken care of. This story isn’t about a Hispanic immigrant but it is focused on immigrants and the struggles they face with language barriers. In the “Mother Tongue” essay written by Amy Tan and previously mentioned in the first paragraph, Amy writes, “She said she had spoken very good English, her best English, no mistakes. Still, she said, the hospital did not apologize when they said they had lost the CAT scan and she had come for nothing. She said they did not seem to have any sympathy when she told them she was anxious to know the exact diagnosis, since her husband and son had both died of brain tumors. She said they would not give her any more information until the next time and she would have to make another appointment for that.” Her mothers experience is an example of what doctors shouldn’t do, which is dismiss a patient’s health, especially if it’s a health problem that is passed on in families because then it’s a bigger issue of putting someone’s life on the line due to their mistake. This is also a big reason why many immigrants prefer to bring their children with them so they can speak for them and get the point across smoothly and fast. It might be embarrassing having to talk for your parents when it should be the other way around but also you start realizing the truth as you grow up, I sure did. 

Being a part of the medical field should mean having some understanding of different languages or at least taking the time to communicate with and understand the patient. An example of this is in an article called “Language Barriers to Health Care in the United States” by Glenn Flores, a medical doctor, who shared stories of miscommunication and its effect. An example of miscommunication is when a mother rushed her two year old daughter to the emergency room after she had hurt herself falling off her tricycle, the mother did her best to try and share that information but “the resident misinterpreted two words, understood the fracture to have resulted from abuse, and contacted the Department of Social Services (DSS). DSS sent a worker who, without an interpreter present, had the mother sign over custody of her two children.” It’s very important for these people with big roles to know more than one language so they don’t make any major mistakes that could affect someone’s life. 

Many Hispanic immigrants struggle to access affordable healthcare, which often leaves them with limited and unsafe options. Even with or without insurance, it is still difficult to pay off doctor visits due to their low income and having to worry about other financial responsibilities. Undocumented immigrants face an even bigger challenge, most are not eligible for insurance which makes it even harder to seek professional help and forces them to find cheaper alternatives. Over the years, several studies have shown the large number of individuals who have stopped paying for healthcare, most of them being Hispanic and Black Americans, “with 46% and 52%, respectively, reporting that they would be unable to afford quality healthcare…but the rate of unaffordability increased significantly among lower-income households” (Tiffany Yu 2025). These statistics have continued to rise over the years which shows that the healthcare system isn’t providing enough help to undocumented immigrants or other low income communities. Worrying about medical bills and having to pay those bills causes great stress and having to add that on top of other responsibilities. Delay of payment can cause delay in their own health and might have these individuals stop seeking help if it prevents them from saving up money and spending it on things they need more. 

In conclusion, Hispanic immigrants in the United States continue to face many challenges in accessing healthcare, and these inequalities they face have an impact on their daily lives. From facing discrimination to struggling with limited access and financial stress. Over time I started to notice the large number of young people from Hispanic immigrant families studying for careers in nursing and the medical field. This shows how much they want to improve the experience and support their community.