Policy Shocks: On the Legal Auspices of Latin American Migration to the United States

This chapter demonstrates how Latin American governments with large populations of migrants with precarious legal status in the United States are working together to promote policies focusing on their well-being and integration. It identifies the context in which these processes of policy diffusion and collaboration have taken place as well as their limitations. Notwithstanding the differences in capacities and motivations based on the domestic political and economic contexts, there is a convergence of practices and policies of diaspora engagement among Latin American countries driven by the common challenges faced by their migrant populations in the United States and by the Latino population more generally. These policies, framed as an issue of rights protection and the promotion of migrants’ well-being, are presented as a form of regional solidarity and unity, and are also mobilized by the Mexican government as a political instrument serving its foreign policy goals.

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Current knowledge of Chagas-related heart disease among pediatric cardiologists in the United States

BMC Cardiovascular Disorders ◽

10.1186/s12872-021-01924-8 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Sanchi Malhotra ◽

Imran Masood ◽

Noberto Giglio ◽

Jay D. Pruetz ◽

Pia S. Pannaraj

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Differential Diagnosis ◽

Heart Disease ◽

Chagas Disease ◽

Latin American ◽

Current Knowledge ◽

Parasitic Infection ◽

The United States ◽

Cardiac Complications ◽

The U.S

Abstract Background Chagas disease is a pathogenic parasitic infection with approximately 8 million cases worldwide and greater than 300,000 cases in the United States (U.S.). Chagas disease can lead to chronic cardiomyopathy and cardiac complications, with variable cardiac presentations in pediatrics making it difficult to recognize. The purpose of our study is to better understand current knowledge and experience with Chagas related heart disease among pediatric cardiologists in the U.S. Methods We prospectively disseminated a 19-question survey to pediatric cardiologists via 3 pediatric cardiology listservs. The survey included questions about demographics, Chagas disease presentation and experience. Results Of 139 responses, 119 cardiologists treat pediatric patients in the U.S. and were included. Most providers (87%) had not seen a case of Chagas disease in their practice; however, 72% also had never tested for it. The majority of knowledge-based questions about Chagas disease cardiac presentations were answered incorrectly, and 85% of providers expressed discomfort with recognizing cardiac presentations in children. Most respondents selected that they would not include Chagas disease on their differential diagnosis for presentations such as conduction anomalies, myocarditis and/or apical aneurysms, but would be more likely to include it if found in a Latin American immigrant. Of respondents, 87% agreed that they would be likely to attend a Chagas disease-related lecture. Conclusions Pediatric cardiologists in the U.S. have seen very few cases of Chagas disease, albeit most have not sent testing or included it in their differential diagnosis. Most individuals agreed that education on Chagas disease would be worth-while.

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The Myth of the Latin American Race Monolith: Notes for Future Comparative Research on Racial Inequality in the Americas

The Review of Black Political Economy ◽

10.1177/0034644621996008 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 003464462199600

Author(s):

Diego Ayala-McCormick

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Puerto Rico ◽

Latin American ◽

Comparative Research ◽

Racial Inequality ◽

Census Data ◽

The United States ◽

Unemployment Rates ◽

Racial Ideologies ◽

Racial Lines

It has become common to compare racial inequality in the United States with a “Latin American” pattern of racial inequality in which egalitarian racial ideologies mask stark socioeconomic inequalities along racial lines. However, relatively few comparative studies exist attempting to analyze variations in degrees of racial inequality in the Americas. To stimulate further research in this area, the following study analyzes census data on racial inequality in unemployment rates, educational attainment, homeownership rates, and income in Brazil, Colombia, Cuba, Puerto Rico, and the United States. The results suggest that while Brazil is similar to the United States in displaying large levels of racial inequality in the areas measured, Cuba and Puerto Rico display significantly lower levels of racial inequality and Colombia falls in between, undermining conceptions of a monolithic Latin American racial system.

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Drug prices in Latin American countries: the case of rheumatoid arthritis Biosimilars

Advances in Rheumatology ◽

10.1186/s42358-021-00172-w ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 61 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Gabriela Bittencourt Gonzalez Mosegui ◽

Fernando Antõnanzas ◽

Cid Manso de Mello Vianna ◽

Paula Rojas

Keyword(s):

Rheumatoid Arthritis ◽

United States ◽

Latin American ◽

United States Of America ◽

Purchasing Power Parity ◽

The United States ◽

Power Parity ◽

Drug Prices ◽

The Us ◽

Latin American Countries

Abstract Background The objective of this paper is to analyze the prices of biological drugs in the treatment of Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) in three Latin American countries (Brazil, Colombia and Mexico), as well as in Spain and the United States of America (US), from the point of market entry of biosimilars. Methods We analyzed products authorized for commercialization in the last 20 years, in Brazil, Colombia, and Mexico, comparing them to the United States of America (USA) and Spain. For this analysis, we sought the prices and registries of drugs marketed between 1999 and October 1, 2019, in the regulatory agencies’ databases. The pricing between countries was based on purchasing power parity (PPP). Results The US authorized the commercialization of 13 distinct biologicals and four biosimilars in the period. Spain and Brazil marketed 14 biopharmaceuticals for RA, ten original, four biosimilars. Colombia and Mexico have authorized three biosimilars in addition to the ten biological ones. For biological drug prices, the US is the most expensive country. Spain’s price behavior seems intermediate when compared to the three LA countries. Brazil has the highest LA prices, followed by Mexico and Colombia, which has the lowest prices. Spain has the lowest values in PPP, compared to LA countries, while the US has the highest prices. Conclusion The economic effort that LA countries make to access these medicines is much higher than the US and Spain. The use of the PPP ensured a better understanding of the actual access to these inputs in the countries analyzed.

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