The Complicated Love Story of Filipinos, the U.S., and Healthcare
By One Down in partnership with SOMCAN
Filipinos have long been the heart of healthcare in the United States—caring for families not their own, filling workforce shortages, and holding hospitals together through crisis after crisis. But while they’re essential to the system, they’ve also become some of the most vulnerable to its failures.
Now, as federal lawmakers propose cutting up to $880 billion from Medicaid, many Filipino families across the U.S. are wondering the same thing:
How did we become the backbone of a system that’s so quick to forget us?
A System Built on Filipino Labor
Filipinos make up just 1% of the U.S. population, yet account for:
4% of the entire nursing workforce
28% of all immigrant registered nurses
1 in 7 immigrant healthcare workers overall
This didn’t happen by accident.
During the U.S. colonization of the Philippines in the early 1900s, the American government established English-language nursing schools in the archipelago—creating a pipeline of workers ready to serve in U.S. hospitals.
Over time, that pipeline expanded into policy: under President Ferdinand Marcos in the 1970s, the Philippines institutionalized labor export as a national development strategy, sending trained Filipino nurses and caregivers abroad in exchange for remittances back home.
A Role That’s Essential—But Disposable
Filipinos have continued to serve on the frontlines of U.S. healthcare, especially during the pandemic:
25% of Filipino working adults in the U.S. are in frontline healthcare roles
They accounted for 24–25% of COVID-19 nurse deaths, despite being only 4% of the field
But the risks go beyond viruses. Many Filipino healthcare workers face:
Long hours, low pay, and unsafe working conditions
Exploitative recruitment practices, especially for visa-holders
Discrimination and racial bias in both hiring and treatment
(USA Inquirer, NCBI)
And now, they’re facing Medicaid cuts that could cost them coverage, security, and stability.
What the Cuts Would Do
The U.S. Congress is considering proposals to slash federal Medicaid funding by $800 billion—the largest rollback in the program’s history.
If passed, these cuts would:
Strip coverage from millions of low-income Americans, including thousands of Filipinos
Defund the clinics and hospitals where many Filipino caregivers work
Increase out-of-pocket costs for Filipino elders, families, and essential workers
Undermine safety net programs in every state with a significant Filipino population
In Hawaii, around 61,000 Filipinos—roughly 15% of the state’s Medicaid recipients—stand to lose coverage under proposed federal cuts.
In California, New York, Texas, Nevada, and Illinois, the numbers are just as staggering.
Yet despite these stakes, most people—including many Filipinos—don’t even know these cuts are on the table.
(Philippine News, The Filipino Chronicle)
A Love Story That’s Always Been Unequal
The U.S. benefits from Filipino labor—but often at the cost of Filipino well-being.
This dynamic is rooted in neocolonialism: where the Philippines, despite being politically independent, still supplies cheap, skilled labor to wealthier nations, propping up economies and healthcare systems that give little in return.
The result? A global pattern where Filipino workers are essential but disposable.
We raise the children of America’s richest families.
We nurse strangers through sickness and loss.
And yet, we’re the first ones left out when it comes to access, protection, and care.
(SNOQAP, NYU Berlin)
What Can We Do About It?
This isn’t just a federal budget fight—it’s a question of who we choose to care for.
And that means we need to show up for each other. Here’s how:
📞 Join a Phone Bank
Call voters in key districts from home. You don’t need experience—just your voice.
🗳️ Contact Your Lawmakers
Tell your state and federal reps: Protect Medicaid. Protect Filipino families.
📣 Spread the Word
Tag your friends. Forward this article. Talk to your elders. Every conversation counts.
Final Thought
Filipinos didn’t just show up to the U.S. healthcare system.
We built it.
We kept it running during a pandemic. We staffed the night shifts. We bathed the sick. We buried our own.
We are caregivers—but we’re also voters, organizers, and advocates.
And if we’re going to be the heart of this system, we deserve to have a say in how it loves us back.
Let’s protect the people who protect everyone else.
Sources & References
On Filipino Representation in U.S. Healthcare:
NIH – Filipino Nurses Help Shape U.S. Healthcare System
https://nihrecord.nih.gov/2024/10/11/filipino-nurses-help-shape-u-s-healthcare-system
Inquirer – One in Seven Immigrant Healthcare Workers in U.S. Are Filipinos
https://globalnation.inquirer.net/239439/one-in-seven-immigrant-healthcare-workers-in-us-are-filipinos-report
NCBI – Filipino Health Workers and Labor Dynamics
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8251240/
Harvard International Review – From U.S. Reign to Brain Drain
https://hir.harvard.edu/from-us-reign-to-brain-drain-the-mass-emigration-of-filipino-nurses-to-the-united-states/
SDSU School of Public Health – A Tradition of Nursing Excellence
https://publichealth.sdsu.edu/news/2023/a-tradition-of-nursing-excellence-in-the-filipino-community
NCBI – Workplace Challenges for Filipino Nurses in the U.S.
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7969854/
Frontiers in Public Health – COVID Disproportionality Among Filipino Nurses
https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/public-health/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2022.958530/full
ABC7 – Filipino Nurses in America: Breaking Stereotypes
https://abc7chicago.com/filipino-nurse-nurses-in-america-history-stereotype/11909898/
NBC News – Filipino Nurses Reflect on Disproportionate Toll During COVID-19
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/filipino-american-nurses-reflecting-disproportionate-covid-toll-look-a-rcna1112
USA Inquirer – Filipino Americans’ Significant Contributions to U.S. Healthcare
https://usa.inquirer.net/129619/filipino-americans-significant-contributions-to-us-healthcare-system
On Medicaid and Proposed Cuts:
11. Philippine News – Budget Cuts on Medicaid to Negatively Impact Low-Income Dependents
https://www.philippinenews.com/budget-cuts-on-medicaid-to-negatively-impact-low-income-dependents/
12. The Filipino Chronicle – Thousands of Hawaii Filipinos Could Lose Their Health Insurance
https://thefilipinochronicle.com/2025/06/06/thousands-of-hawaii-filipinos-could-lose-their-health-insurance-if-cuts-to-medicaid-pushes-through/
13. Protect Our Care – Medicaid Coverage Is at Risk for Millions in the AANHPI Community
https://www.protectourcare.org/new-report-medicaid-coverage-is-at-risk-for-millions-in-the-asian-american-native-hawaiian-and-pacific-islander-community/
14. ASPE, HHS – Coverage & Access Among AANHPI Communities
https://aspe.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/documents/7f8a700b0af4d4a5cabbe192ef3e3fd1/aspe-coverage-access-aanhpi-ib.pdf
On Labor, Colonial History, and Neocolonialism:
15. SNOQAP – Neocolonialism in the Philippines and the Global Labor Market
https://www.snoqap.com/posts/2022/11/4/neocolonialism-in-the-philippines
16. NYU Berlin Blog – Structural Inequities and Filipino Healthcare Workers
https://wp.nyu.edu/berlinblog/filipino-healthcare-workers/
