The Public Health Dimension Of Germany’s Refugee Crisis

Germany is expecting up to 1.5 million asylum-seekers in 2015 who need shelter, food, and access to basic services. The continued influx of migrants is a major challenge for Germany’s health care system, which is tasked with providing essential medical services for the new arrivals — and may have to deal with novel and unexpected challenges such as mushroom poisoning among foraging asylum-seekers and refugees. How does a system geared toward providing comprehensive coverage to a population of 80 million deal with a large number of new migrants? And how can policies be crafted to respond to this challenge? Access to health care for migrants in Germany evolves along three stages depending on their status and length of stay (Exhibit 1). Upon arriving in Germany, an asylum-seeker will first be given shelter in a centralized reception center run by one of the German states. The center will process the migrant’s application for asylum and conduct basic health screenings. Afterwards, the asylum-seeker will be relocated to the county, which is responsible for providing basic benefits such as food, clothing, housing, and limited access to health care. Regular access to health care is available once the application has been accepted or after 15 months, regardless of the application status. Individuals in the latter group are not only those still awaiting a decision, but also those with a negative decision who either cannot be expatriated on various grounds or are waiting for ...
Source: Health Affairs Blog - Category: Health Management Authors: Tags: Costs and Spending Equity and Disparities Featured Global Health Long-term Services and Supports Organization and Delivery Population Health Public Health European refugees Germany healthy migrant effect immigration crisis immuniza Source Type: blogs