Barriers to Healthcare : How Legal Status Shapes Migrants Healthcare Access in Germany : A qualitative content analysis of legal and administrative barriers

This thesis investigates how Germany’s legal and administrative structures restrict migrants’ access to healthcare and explores which policy changes could improve this access. The study uses a qualitative content analysis of legal documents, policy texts, and academic literature. It analyses healthcare entitlements of different legal status, particularly asylum applicants, individuals with tolerated stay, and irregular migrants. France, the Netherlands, and Sweden are used to draw comparative insights and identify alternative approaches. The baseline of this study is the perspective, that access to healthcare is a human right based on different international agreements. Germany has also committed to multiple international legal frameworks that obligate healthcare access for everyone, but national laws remain different. The analysis reveals that healthcare access in Germany is highly stratified, with different administrative implementations of the law leading to unequal conditions for migrants. Irregular migrants face further barriers due to a reporting obligation. In contrast, the compared countries provide at some points a more inclusive systems of access for migrants. The policy elements that were identified in this thesis, such as electronic health cards, anonymous access mechanisms, and administrative harmonization, can be used to inform policy reforms in Germany.