Health Disparities Case Study

Barriers in health care can lead to disparities in meeting health needs and receiving appropriate care, including preventive services and the prevention of unnecessary hospitalizations (HealthyPeople.gov, 2012). In their 2008 annual report, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality lists several disparities’ in health care. They report that racial and ethnic minorities in the United States

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “health disparities are preventable differences in the burden of disease, injury, violence, or in opportunities to achieve optimal health experienced by socially disadvantaged racial, ethnic, and other population groups, and communities” (CDC, 2017).  It  is easy to believe that control on overall health relies solely on making  a firm decision (the “right” decision" to lead a healthy lifestyle— by being active and eating a balanced-diet. There are other factors to be considered in evaluating and understanding health disparities: why people seem to be noncompliant? Or why people aren’t seeking medical attention in a timely manner?  In reading

There are others areas of healthcare disparities to look into, such as immigrants and sexual orientation but for the purpose of this paper the following types will be the main areas discussed. The types of disparities of concern in this paper will include racial or ethnicity, gender, disabilities, socioeconomic, and geographic (Promotion, 2014). When looking into the racial or ethnic disparities, the population identifies themselves as racial or ethnic minority groups. Some examples of this population could

Disparities in health and health care in the United States have been a longstanding challenge resulting in some groups receiving less and lower quality health care than others and experiencing poorer health outcomes. Hispanics, Blacks, American Indians/Alaska Natives, and low-income individuals are more likely to be uninsured relative to Whites and those with higher incomes. Low-income individuals and people of color also face increased barriers to accessing care, receive poorer quality care, and experience worse health outcomes. The Department of Health and Human Services Disparities Action Plan (HHS) sets out a series of priorities, strategies, actions, and goals to achieve a vision of a nation free of disparities in health and health care.

Many Americans have access to health care that enable them to receive the care they need. Other faces a variety of barriers that make it difficult to receive health care services. According to the National Healthcare Disparities Reports, racial and ethnic groups are disproportionately represented among the uninsured and lower socioeconomic status. The report showed that health insurance is a contributing factor for poor health for some of the core measures and little improvement (AHRQ, 2014).

The status of disparities in 2016 is that many groups face substantial disparities in access to utilizations of care. Minorities face more access barriers and utilize less care then Caucasian counterparts. In many cases minorities are less likely to have routine care visits in the previous year comparison to Caucasian. Additionally, to the barriers of access to care, minorities experience poor experience in health care. It is reported that low-income people of all races report worse health status than higher income status. (Winker, 2006) So, where does the U.S. go from this point forward? What is known we still have a health care disparity that exist and persist in the U.S. While health disparities still are viewed, and reflected in race/ethnicity,

Health disparities are considered to be differences dealing with health care, which is closely linked with society economic and/or environmental disadvantages. The disadvantage could be caused by race, gender, age or socioeconomic status. Health disparities can be affect certain people in different ways which will cause greater obstacles based on their race or ethics group or religion.

There are three categories that summarize health disparities in the U.S. The first is disparities that have a social or economic cause rather than a biological cause. An example of this would be that the death rates of black American men are 26 percent higher than that of white men. Also, the death rates of black American woman are 19 percent higher than that of white women. An explanation for this is because blacks have a lower socioeconomic status than white. The reason for this is because blacks are more likely than white to never graduate high school, or graduate high school but not go to college (Barr, 43). Therefore, those with low socioeconomic status can’t afford to go to the doctor which results in a health disparity. The second category

The Institute of Medicine (IOM) defines health care disparities as the “difference in the quality of care received by minorities and non-minorities who have equal access to care.” Health care disparities can be affected by how

First and foremost, it is necessary to acknowledge that racial disparities in healthcare exist between African-Americans and other races. African-Americans are dying at a faster rate than their white counterparts (Mays et. al, 2007). Ultimately, this social problem leads

Inside the confines of the United States, millions of people are not able to enjoy prosperity, wealth, and privilege which remains to be a rare commodity despite our countries inured financial ability. Health is one of the aspects that remain stagnant. Various people with different ethnicities face many of the same health risks, but they also have fears unique to their racial, ethnic, cultural upbringings. To gain an understanding of these modifications and formulation of race responses requires an individual to study more in depth their surroundings. The health care delivery systems are not exempt from disparities. Such disparities cause a need for improvement in the areas of social interaction, economic viability, environmental awareness, or occupational security. Some investigators have examined concerns related to stigma, social support, lack of a home, and poor cultural understanding by providers. Along with a plethora of researchers who have lots of knowledge on this issue, I wanted to further investigate how socioeconomic factors have a huge mark on race and health disparities in the United States.

To obtain the necessary data to understand and eliminate health disparities, I would review a board array of data collection system from the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). These systems include “health surveys, administrative enrollment and billing records and records from private data systems” (Perrin, 2004). These data collection systems are used to understand broad areas of determinant of health (e.g. the impact income have on mortality) while others are used to understand health outcomes (e.g. the effect of patient race/ethnicity on health outcomes with diabetes). I would focus only on race/ethnic, socioeconomic position, and language because I believe these to be important in understanding disparities in health and health

Disparity in health care is found to be both bad and deadly. Disparity and discrimination in American health care has been going on for many years. This disparity is caused by race, culture, sex, and mental ability. Many disabled individuals also face difficulties as well. Discrimination in American health care results in poor health and death.

Health care disparities are the main crux of the American health care system because while American enjoys some of the most advanced health technology the world, it is very much market based, causing health care inequality. These inequalities force people of lower socioeconomic status without insurance to visit emergency rooms once their health problems are catastrophic, expensive, and difficult to treat. By transferring the health system to a proactive system with increased medical education and governmental subsidization, a patient will not only experience diminished health care costs, but also an improved quality of

In conclusion being in the know about racial or ethnic inequality in health care and aversive racism can help eliminate problems. Raising public and provider awareness of racial/ethnic disparities in care, expanding health insurance coverage (Obama Care), improving the capacity and number of providers in underserved communities, increasing the knowledge base on causes and interventions to reduce disparities, examining your own behavior, and techniques aimed at its roots at both the individual and collective levels.