Purpose
The ICU HEAL Project seeks to center the voices of diverse immigrant communities in Connecticut and understand their perspectives on HUSKY, the state’s public health coverage program. The project utilizes focus groups to better understand perceptions and knowledge surrounding the recent expansions granting access to the HUSKY to undocumented children 15 years and young. The community-based research project will be conducted alongside the HUSKY4Immigrants Coalition. For more information on these organizations, please visit the following websites:
https://www.husky4immigrants.org/
Implications
Existing research has documented numerous barriers to healthcare access among diverse immigrant populations in the United States. Individuals with undocumented or unauthorized status are often excluded from public health insurance and public benefits programs. Various states across the country, including Connecticut, have made efforts in recent years to expand access to healthcare for undocumented children, youth, and families. Yet we know little about how immigrant communities understand and come to find out about these expansions. The findings of the study may give insight into the efficacy of these expansions and highlight the remaining barriers that prevent CT immigrants from accessing healthcare.