I dont have any insurance!

by Angel Garcia/Race, poverty and immigrant scholar

Living as an immigrant in this country, I know what it is like to go to public health clinics and try and receive health care. The first thing the desk clerks want is proof of insurance. My answer has always been the same, "I don't have any insurance." As soon as the words roll off my tongue I always wish I hadn't spoken them. The demeanor of the person across the desk from me quickly changes. People look down on me. I am a nuisance to them because I have no health insurance.

Every time I hear the same laundry list of unaffordable options for people like me to obtain health care. In the end I will have to pay ridiculous fees just to see a doctor for five minutes. I have to think twice about going to the hospital or going to get any kind of health treatment because I can’t afford it.

For many immigrants in this country the story is the same, and most of us are forced to live without any kind of health insurance. Often immigrants will not seek health care unless they desperately have to.

Recently a health campaign and twelve-city health fair tour was launched by Celebra La Vida Con Salud. The campaign targets immigrant and Latino communities. The fairs offer screenings and health information with the goal of focusing on the high percentage of Latino women with preventable cervical cancer.

Although Celebra tries to treat people at these one-day fairs, which is nearly impossible to begin with, it does not seek to understand or address the reasons behind the high percentage of preventable diseases among Latino communities. Health fairs do not look at the root causes for the lack of health care among immigrant and Spanish speaking communities. Health fairs are a quick fix for a larger systemic problem in this country. The main reason immigrant families do not seek health care is because to obtain treatment is a long and expensive task. Health fairs do not address the issue of lack of affordable health insurance and health treatment, rather they use a bandaid approach to fixing this large problem.

Health fairs serve to boost the image of their sponsors. Celebra's sponsors include big pharmaceutical corporations such as Merck. Health fairs are marketing strategies. Health fairs portray their sponsors and pharmaceuticals as angles and saviors of the community. The media only reports on the "heroic" stories concerning the health and health care of immigrants. These are the sexy stories. We do not hear stories about the families that have to wait in long lines just to see a doctor and have them say they will be okay they should just take an aspirin. The people who attend health fairs are generally poor people who work two or three jobs and have no health benefits. These families come to health fairs to try and get some treatment for themselves and their families. But these health fairs do not provide long term lasting solutions.

I continue to be skeptical of health fairs when large pharmaceutical companies such as Merck are sponsors. Merck was established in 1891. As written on their website they say, "Merck discovers, develops, manufactures and markets vaccines and medicines to address unmet medical needs." Merck has stolen indigenous plant medicines from rainforests in Latin American countries and criminalizes indigenous people by making it illegal for them to use their own traditional herbal medicines.

Merck has a long controversial past. In 1999 the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the drug Vioxx, also known as rofecoxib, made by Merck. In 2004 Merck took Vioxx from the shelves because of the serious adverse side affects it can cause, such as heart attacks. Many lawsuits were filed against Merck by patients and family members of people who took the drug. Over eighty million people were proscribed the drug.

Merck also produced the drug fosamax that was later found to cause serious health issues. The media continues to largely ignore these issues surrounding Merck's past. Merck is participating in health fairs while simultaneously distributing and continuing to distribute drugs known to be harmful. I ask myself, are these companies really concerned about the people they claim to be helping or are they just concerned about making a name for themselves? These pharmaceutical companies and all these health fairs, are like politicians, full of promises but take no concrete action.

Health fairs glorify the current health care system and the big pharmaceutical companies. We need to hear more voices from immigrant families, the people who are supposed to be helped at such events like health fairs. My own story is no different than many immigrants living in this country. I have lived in the Bay Area since I was fourteen. I have never had health insurance. I have never had any continuity of doctors or health care. I only go to the doctors when I have to because I am forced to pay in cash up front.

Immigrant communities are wrongfully blamed for their own lack of initiative concerning health care. But the real reasons behind higher percentages of preventable disease among immigrant communities is not because of a lack of understanding or self-care, but because of this country’s denial to provide access to health care for all.