Compact of Free Association Migrants and Health Insurance Policies:Barriers and Solutions to Improve Health Equity

摘要

This commentary outlines the health insurance disparities of Compact of FreeAssociation (COFA) migrants living in the United States. Compact of FreeAssociation migrants are citizens of the Republic of the Marshall Islands, theFederated States of Micronesia, and the Republic of Palau who can live, work,and study in the United States without a visa. Compact of Free Associationmigrants make up a significant proportion of the rapidly growing PacificIslander population in the United States. This article describes the historicaland current relationships between the United States and the Compact nations andexamines national policy barriers constraining health insurance access for COFAmigrants. In addition, the commentary describes the state-level health policiesof Arkansas, Hawai’i, and Oregon, which are the states where the majority ofCOFA migrants reside. Finally, policy recommendations are provided to improvehealth equity for COFA migrants.