Abstract

Out of the shadows. One of the interesting things about starting a new research project is its uncertainty. You’re not yet sure what you think about the issues you’re about to explore. I was reminded of this recently when, with colleagues here at the Center, I started work on a project on undocumented patients in the U.S. health care system—or rather, in the different systems that make up this fragmented system. There are more than eleven million undocumented residents of the United States. Most are low-income workers, or family members of these workers. Most are also uninsured, with no prospect of obtaining health insurance. Like anyone else who has a body, sometimes an undocumented resident gets sick. What ..