Essay about Healthcare Coverage: Unequal based on Wealth

Everyone should have the opportunity to achieve a healthy life and have comprehensive health care services available to them. To achieve this healthy life, people need to have access to the health care system and to a health care provider with whom they can develop a trusting relationship. However, existing barriers to attaining health care services often lead to disparities which in turn lead to differences in life expectancy, health status and a higher prevalence of certain chronic diseases (HealthyPeople.gov, 2012).

A sensitive topic in the United States today revolves around the issue of healthcare. Is health care a basic human right or is it just a privilege to those who are able to afford it? Health care in the United States is in desperate need of reform. The Affordable Care Act takes that stance that health care is in fact a basic human right and that everyone should have health insurance. When the term “basic human rights” is used, most people think of the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. This doesn’t necessarily mean that people should be forced to sustain others’ lives, or that they have the responsibility to make others happy because they have a “right” to pursue happiness. You are born with these basics rights that no

The dysfunction of the American health care system implies that not everyone has access to the right medication and medical treatment. Middle-class families and chronically ill patients do not always have access to health care, and when they do they do not receive adequate treatment with regards to hospitalization and medical services or quality of service. The lack of payment reform results in

Widening economic inequality in the United States is being accompanied by increasing health care disparity. While the health care system seeks to provide health care as a human right, it fails to do so often worsening the disparities (Dickman, Himmelstein, & Woolhandler, 2017). While health care today has made major strides, there are many people who are still suffering from health care system injustices. Of the people who are still uninsured a majority of them are in the middle-working class or those living in poverty. Poor Americans have less access to health care than wealthy Americans. The life expectancy gap between the rich and poor continues to widen. Health care in poor communities is too often neglected. This issue has been a trend in the United States for many years. In Abraham’s book, Mama might be better off dead these very same inequalities are evident for the Banes family. Because of these inequalities, preventive illness becomes life threatening causing care to then become extensive and even more expensive.

The Health and Wealth connection distilled is our health will most commonly reflect from our amount of wealth. The wealthy can afford the cost of quality care and the time to take care of themselves. Within the textbook, Dimensions of Human Behavior Hutchison writes. Public health experts have long noted the association of poor clinical outcomes, in all body systems, with low income, low education, unsanitary housing, poor healthcare, on stable employment, and uncertain physical environment (Hutchison, 2015). Easily demonstrated throughout American society the rather dubious and is a somewhat perplexing phenomenon of the Health-and-Wealth connection theory. The gap between the haves and have-nots are ever expanding. Those who have the funding to pay for resources will pay to get those resources. And those who do not have sufficient funds to pay for said resources will, unfortunately, have to stand in the long lines to receive seemingly, deceptively, scarce resources.

I strongly believe that all American citizens should be entitled free healthcare. This is due to that fact that this can play a big role of ensuring that there is an improved access to health services. In addition, ensuring that all American citizens have an access to the right health care will also decrease health care costs. For instance, by allowing people to receive regular and preventive medical care and not wait until they are persistently ill to request treatment when medical costs are much higher (Niles, 2011). In relation to this free health care will promote equal chance by decreasing the number of people who are economically deprived in society (Niles, 2011). This can be because of bad health and other medically-related financial problems.

The essay discusses the article "Access to Health Care in the U.S", which highlights the key issues of the healthcare system in US and how has it impacted the society as a whole. The healthcare system based on social inequalities has a lot of shortcomings which are discussed in the essay.

As humans, the right to medical care is something that should be seen as a privilege. No one should have to worry about if they are able to receive the healthcare that they require. Everyone has the right to receive the care that they should need. The only way to provide equal care for everyone in America is if healthcare were to be free. Though many countries around the world are able to provide free healthcare, this is something that is unfortunately not possible for all countries. There would be many issues that would arise if free healthcare were provided here in America. Due to the fact that quality care would be difficult to find, taxes would be increased, and much more, health care should not be free.

The Health and wealth connection distilled is our health will most commonly reflect from our amount of wealth. The wealthy can afford the cost of quality care and the time to take care of them selves. Within the textbook, Dimensions of Human Behavior Hutchison writes. Public health experts have long noted the association of poor health outcomes, in all body systems, with low income, low education, unsanitary housing, in adequate healthcare, on stable employment, and unsafe physical environment (Hutchison, 2015). Easily demonstrated throughout American society the rather dubious and is somewhat perplexing phenomenon of the Health-and-Wealth connection theory. The gap between the haves and have-nots are ever expanding. Those who have the funding to pay for resources will pay to get those resources. And those who do not have adequate funding to pay for said resources will unfortunately have to stand in the long lines to receive seemingly, deceptively, scarce resources.

This study investigates the impact of income on the types of healthcare options available to individuals. Income inequality is growing with the exodus of manufacturing jobs from the country and an increase in low-paying jobs, part-time jobs and contract positions that usually lack health benefits (Shi, Starfield, Kennedy and Kawachi, 1999). In the absence of social policy that addresses income inequality, the promotion of primary care may serve as a palliative strategy for reducing the adverse effect of social inequality (Shi, Starfield, Kennedy and Kawachi, 1999). Even among higher-income adults, lack of health care insurance was associated with significantly decreased use of recommended health care services; increased income did not

Minorities in America (African Americans, Native Americans, Latinos/Hispanic, etc.), are experiencing health disparities and these disparities are proving to be alarmingly fatal and too endemic to ignore; heart disease and stroke are statically most common in greater numbers among people of color. Health disparities among minorities associated with heart disease and stroke stem from social stresses of life (i.e. job security, transportation, living wage, safety as well as affordable living, quality education, food availability, social safety and supportive connections), which also, in turn, impact risky health behaviors and unhealthy patterns associated with daily living. These factors of disparities, according to American Heart Associations (2017), are linked to a number of complex factors that include income and education, genetic and physiological factors, access to care, and communication barriers (Para 3). Communication barriers with Hispanic/Latino and some older Native Americans can cause for doctors visits to be difficult due to limited English, it makes it twice as hard to educate patient with the importance of proper eating and daily health maintenance.

The Behavioural or Cultural Explanation: places emphasis on the individuals and the consequences of their behaviour, when they choose to eat, drink and live healthily the inequalities will be reduced.

Health care can bring people together when there is equal access, or divide people when there is not.

Visiting the doctor has never been viewed as an enjoyable experience for clients. It is likely considered to be a necessary evil, something that must be done but is not pleasantly anticipated. Making the encounter between health care professional and client both helpful and therapeutic can be a challenge. This is especially true for those whose financial situation is precarious, meaning, one pay check away from being homeless. So not only does the client arrive for their scheduled appointment with the normal anxiety visiting the doctor brings; added to this is fear of a serious diagnosis, and the stress of finding the funds to pay for medical services, medications, and any follow-up visits that may be required. The extra expenses will

Americans have higher death rates, and high rates of uninsurance even though we are a wealthy nation and spend more on health care per capita than many other nations. I have learned that there is a wealth-health link, and data has shown that those who are wealthier have better health outcomes than their peers who are of lower socioeconomic status. This is something that really frustrates me because a person’s wealth should not be a determinant of their health in my opinion. Everyone, regardless of income should have access to affordable and competent health care.