A comparative analysis of migrant health policies and practices in the US and Switzerland

Migrants compose a large proportion of the population in both the US and Switzerland. The social vulnerability of migrants has been well-established in literature, but few studies have attempted to compare healthcare policies and approaches that most effectively support migrant health using multiple measures. To fill this gap in the literature, this study will comparatively analyze of the efficacy of US and Switzerland migrant health policies and services by assessing access to and quality of care for migrants in each country. Four main features of healthcare systems were analyzed: insurance policy, healthcare utilization, NCD outcomes, and patient perceptions of care. This analysis was built around a literature review, data analysis leveraging the 2019 US National Health Interview Survey and 2017 Swiss Health Survey, and interviews with migrant experts from each country and a migrant in Switzerland. Switzerland had more equitable utilization patterns between migrants and citizens as well as more positive migrant perceptions of care, while the US had lower NCD prevalence among migrants than citizens. Switzerland seemed to have more equitable insurance policy, but this inference could not be confirmed due to lack of data. Ultimately, these results suggest that migrant health is better supported by health policies and practices in Switzerland than in the US.