Keywords
Medicaid, Health Policy, Structural Exclusion, Latinx Communities, Administrative Burden, Health Equity
Abstract
Access to health care in the United States is a complex system shaped by statutory programs and the discretionary powers of state governance. This thesis examines how Florida’s healthcare system structures access through administrative design, with particular attention to its impact on Latinx communities. Although formally race-neutral, Florida’s reliance on Medicaid non-expansion, managed care delivery, and complex eligibility processes produces systemic barriers that limit access for low-income populations. Drawing on the international right-to-health framework articulated in General Comment No. 14 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, alongside Latinx Critical Race Theory (LatCrit), this study analyzes how legal and administrative structures interact to produce unequal outcomes. Through qualitative legal analysis and a systematic literature review of empirical public health and policy literature, this research demonstrates that access to care is not determined solely by eligibility, but by the governance mechanisms through which that eligibility is implemented. While Florida’s healthcare system operates within the bounds of U.S. constitutional doctrine, its design diverges from internationally recognized standards of accessibility and equity, revealing how lawful governance can nonetheless produce structural exclusion.
Thesis Completion Year
2026
Thesis Completion Semester
Spring
Thesis Chair
Vega, Vanessa
College
College of Community Innovation and Education
Department
Legal Studies
Thesis Discipline
Legal Studies
Language
English
Access Status
Open Access
Length of Campus Access
None
Campus Location
Orlando (Main) Campus
STARS Citation
Medrano, Natalie, "Health Care Governance and Structural Exclusion in Florida: A Human Rights Analysis of Access for Latinx Communities" (2026). Honors Undergraduate Theses. 570.
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/hut2024/570
Included in
Comparative Politics Commons, Health Law and Policy Commons, International Law Commons, Public Health Commons, Public Law and Legal Theory Commons, Social Justice Commons
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