Medical Care for U.S. Immigrants

The polarizing controversy over undocumented immigrants in our society casts a shadow over all immigrants. Should physicians be aware of their patients’ citizenship status? Is it ethical to offer scarce medical resources and services to “medical tourists”? Is it fair to accept labor (and organs) from immigrants and not offer them the medical care they need? This month's issue explores these and other dilemmas physicians confront in delivering comprehensive treatment to U.S. immigrants

Volume 10, Number 4: 189-261 Full Issue PDF
  • From the Editor
    Apr 2008

    Why We Can't Turn Our Backs

    Louise P. King, MD, JD
    As a society that relies heavily on immigrant workers, we have a duty to provide members of that labor force with competent, compassionate medical care.
    Virtual Mentor. 2008;10(4):191-194. doi: 10.1001/virtualmentor.2008.10.4.fred1-0804.
  • Case and Commentary
    Apr 2008

    Miracle Surgery for Foreign Patients

    Reza Yassari, MD, MS
    Should a family’s ability to afford follow-up care for a child who needs “miracle surgery” play a role in the physician’s decision to operate? Would the answer change depending on the patient’s immigration status?
    Virtual Mentor. 2008;10(4):206-210. doi: 10.1001/virtualmentor.2008.10.4.ccas3-0804.
  • Medical Education
    Apr 2008

    Should All U.S. Physicians Speak Spanish?

    Katherine E. Clarridge, Ernest A. Fischer, Andrea R. Quintana, and James M. Wagner, MD
    Virtual Mentor. 2008;10(4):211-216. doi: 10.1001/virtualmentor.2008.10.4.medu1-0804.
  • History of Medicine
    Apr 2008

    Medical Examination of Immigrants at Ellis Island

    Alison Bateman-House, MA, MPH and Amy Fairchild, PhD, MPH
    When a Public Health Service medical officer diagnosed an immigrant with a “loathsome or a dangerous contagious disease,” that individual was considered “medically certified.”
    Virtual Mentor. 2008;10(4):235-241. doi: 10.1001/virtualmentor.2008.10.4.mhst1-0804.
  • Viewpoint
    Apr 2008

    Why We Should Care for the Undocumented

    Ron J. Anderson, MD
    We must not pit immigration policy and health care needs against one another. We need better policy on immigration, and that policy should confront immigration at the workplace and at the border—not in the hospital emergency room.
    Virtual Mentor. 2008;10(4):245-248. doi: 10.1001/virtualmentor.2008.10.4.oped1-0804.