ArticlePLOS global public health2023
'We don't have the right to get sick': A qualitative study of gaps in public health insurance among Im/migrant women in British Columbia, Canada.
Article in PLOS global public health, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 10 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
10 citing papers in PubMed, 15 citations in OpenAlex.
- Prescription Medication Access Among Immigrant and Refugee Populations in Canada: A Scoping Review.Journal of immigrant and minority health · 2026Review
- Difficulty accessing contraceptives in a 2010-2022 prospective cohort of sex workers in Vancouver, Canada: intersectional influence of im/migration status and racialization.Reproductive health · 2025Article
- Impacts of local, provincial, and federal immigration policies on health and social services access among women with precarious immigration status.BMC public health · 2025Article
- Social-structural barriers to primary care among sex workers: findings from a community-based cohort in Vancouver, Canada (2014-2021).BMC health services research · 2025Article
- How immigration shapes health disadvantages and what healthcare organizations can do to deliver more equitable care.Healthcare management forum · 2025Article
- Newcomer youth's access to contraception care in Canada: A scoping review of qualitative evidence.PloS one · 2025Article
- Contraceptive access and use among women with migratory experience living in high-income countries: a scoping review.BMC public health · 2024Article
- Structural Barriers to Primary Care Among Sex Workers: Findings from a Community- Based Cohort in Vancouver, Canada (2014-2021).Research square · 2024Article
- Migrant workers' perception and awareness of health insurance coverage in Brunei Darussalam.BMC health services research · 2024Article
- Respectful community engagement in health research with diverse im/migrant communities.BMJ open · 2023Review
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
7 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
Globally, the exclusion of im/migrants from public health care systems remains a significant health and human rights issue, calling into question claims of 'universality' of public health systems where eligibility for coverage is determined by immigration status. We aimed to describe lived experiences of health insurance coverage and the health and social impacts of gaps in health insurance amongst im/migrant women in British Columbia (BC), Canada. This analysis draws on qualitative in-depth interviews (n = 78) with im/migrant women and im/migrant-focused service providers (n = 10) conducted between July 2018-March 2021 in Metro Vancouver, BC, as part of a larger community-based, mixed-methods study of im/migrants' health access (IRIS). In contrast to common perceptions of Canada's health system as 'universal', participants faced multifaceted barriers to health insurance and necessary healthcare for themselves and their families following arrival in BC. Narratives highlighted the ways in which ineligibility for public health insurance coverage resulted in unmet needs for essential sexual and reproductive health and preventive care among im/migrant women, children, and families. Participants also described ineligibility for public health insurance as resulting in a high economic burden, and that exclusion from public health insurance perpetuated experiences of discrimination, invisibility, and exclusion from systems of care amongst im/migrant participants. Despite these structural challenges, participant narratives highlighted the crucial role of community-based supports for minimizing harm and navigating oppressive immigration and health systems. Changes to immigration and health policies are required to remove barriers to public health care for im/migrant women and ensure that Canada's health system is accessible to all. Expanding health insurance options to cover all residents and decoupling health insurance eligibility from immigration status are recommended, alongside implementation of 'Sanctuary' policies at the local level.
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.