I. Introduction to Access to Health Care
People who are able to have access to health care benefit from the health care system. The remaining Americans who are unable to benefit, are faced with adversities trying to obtain basic services within the health care system. As indicated and presented in National Healthcare Disparities Reports, People who are disproportionately affected with the access to health care are minorities, and individuals holding low socioeconomic health status.
Persons who are uninsured have a decreased chance in receiving recommendations. In the National HealthCare Quality Report, it demonstrated that a major factor that resulted in poor quality care was health insurance. In addition to receiving poor access to care,
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Furthermore education level was a determining factor in obtaining health insurance. People with a high school education were one third less likely to having health insurance compared to college educated persons. Along with health insurance are premiums and payments made out-of-pocket. According to a study conducted, 12% of the hospital stays were paid for by families uninsured. High health care cost are caused by an array of factors including the advancement of technology.As a result, people seek and utilize services offered in the black market at a lower cost.
II. Purpose of Black Market The black market is an economic activity, where goods and services are obtained and sold illegally, with no government intervention. Black markets- sometimes referred to, as the Underground market can be located by researching online and from word of mouth. For instance the prohibition of alcohol in 1919 is an example of a black market. As a result of the outlawing of alcohol, speakeasies erupted. Smuggling in alcohol began organized crime in the United States. From alcohol to selling stolen products to even performing plastic surgery. According to Huffington Post, “items bought and sold on the black market, make up the world’s second largest economy behind the United States at roughly $10 trillion.” That is an enormous amount of money that if thought about it could contribute into the economy if done legally. As stated by Bob Mundy, the investigation
Health care is not a privilege. In fact, a good level and quality on healthcare should be an inalienable right for all people. Social class, status or economic situation shouldn’t dictate who live and enjoy of good health or who doesn’t. Healthcare in America should be universal, continuous, and affordable to all individuals and families. Although some of the states in the US are taking unilateral measures not to focus exclusively on the poor, but seeks to guarantee health access to any uninsured people, achieving universal coverage will require federal leadership and support, regardless of which strategy is adopted to achieve this
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).
. Addressing health inequalities and health care is not only important from the point of view of social justice, but also to improving the health of all Americans by improving the quality of care and health of their children. People. Moreover, the difference in health is expensive. An analysis estimates that about 30% of total direct medical expenses for blacks, Hispanics and Asians are excessive costs due to inequalities in health. The difference also leads to economic losses due to indirect costs related to loss of productivity and premature mortality. (Artiga,
Despite the improvements made toward health reform, there are still problems that need to be address. There are still cost related access problems among insured adults, particularly among people with lower incomes. According to the Commonwealth Fund Biennial Health Insurance Survey of 2014, 33 percent of adults who had been insured all year with incomes under 200 percent of poverty and 25 percent with incomes above that level said they did not get needed care because of costs in the past 12 months (Collins et al., 2015). The high deductibles and cost sharing in both employer and individually purchased private plans lead many adults to delay or avoid needed care (Collins et al., 2015). Also there is still a large share of adults who were insured all year but still struggle to pay their medical bills. People with lower incomes reported these problems at the highest rates. One third (34%) of adults with incomes under 200 percent of poverty who were insured all year
The United States is faced with multiple health disparities within the country that encompass many challenges for individuals when it comes to the fairness and access to health care. A health disparity is defined as the inconsistency of treatment between two different groups of individuals. Treatment that could be different could be seen as different care due to age, race, ethnicity, culture, or current socioeconomic status (Koh et al., 2012). Treatment may be different or delivered in different ways between literacy component individuals and illiterate individuals and be viewed as unequal care. Healthcare facilities must be cautious when providing care and be cautious of the health disparities that exist in order to provide equal and
For decades, a person’s socioeconomic status or SES has affected the healthcare that people receive due to race and “wealth”. This problem has plagued American society because of these factors leading to many receiving inadequate healthcare. All of these factors for someone’s SES has changed a lot in the healthcare domain that is unfair to many who are not the “ideal”. Due to this the perception, experiences with healthcare waver and are different between the stages of these SES’s. No matter the status of a person they should receive the same amount of care, treatment, and closer.
The United States is plagued with stark health disparities across its communities (Institute of Medicine, 2013). Defined as the “variation in rates of disease occurrence and disabilities between socioeconomic and/or geographically defined population groups,” disparities describe the inequality of access to basic health services in America (HSRIC, 2016). Over the past decade, health reform has attempted to address this issue of health inequality by strategizing to insure more people and provide increased access to care.
Within the United States some populations groups face greater challenges then the general public with being able to access needed health care services in a timely fashion. These populations are at a greater risk for poor physical, psychological, and social health. The correct term would be underserved populations or medically disadvantaged. They are at a disadvantaged for many reason such as socioeconomic status, health, and geographic conditions. Within these groups are the racial and ethnic minorities, uninsured children, women, rural area residents, mentally ill, chronic illness and the disabled. These groups experience greater barriers in access to care, financing of care, and cultural acceptance. Addressing these
There continues to be racial and ethnic disparities in the United States, and these problems need to be addressed since the rate of racial/ethnic populations in the country are steadily rising. According to the 2001 United States Census, “racial/ethnic minority populations are growing at such a fast rate that by 2050 more than 50% of the population will belong to a minority group” (Weech-Maldonado, Al-Amin, Nishimi, Salam, 2011). Race and ethnicity should not determine the levels of health care people receive. Certain races have genetic predispositions for certain diseases and that fact cannot be changed. However, the differences among race for things such as treatment, access to health care, and availability of medicine should not be as great as they are. One of the most important disparities that exists between racial/ethnic groups is access to care, specifically how access to care is limited due to treatment not being tailored to the needs of different minorities.
Substantial increases in health care costs has put significant strains on federal, state, and household budgets as well. Quality of health care varies widely, even after controlling for cost, patient preferences, and sources of payment (ATR, 2015). Many Americans lack health insurance coverage which also put a burden on the health care system itself, onto the consumers, and the tax payers as well.
Mitchell (2015) discovered that, compared to white Americans, those who are uninsured or underinsured tend to lack regular sources and access to care and receive poor quality of care. About 50% of these individuals are “in lower socioeconomic brackets [with] limited education in historically underrepresented racial and ethnic groups, who have . . . experienced oppression, discrimination, and social and economic inequalities. [Consequently,] they experience higher rates of disease,
The impacts of a large portion of the population being uninsured can have an adverse reaction on the population who are insured. Study done by RAND Corporation and a UCLA shows that it hard for insured patients to find a regular source of care, have delay in their care or going care, and less satisfied with their care (Kelly, 2011, Para 2). Furthermore, high rates of uninsured population can also increase rate of acute health conditions and diagnoses. Thus, causing American health care to be more expensive and increase raise in disease, and sickness in the American population. According to Kaiser Family Foundation (2017), “Because people without health coverage are less likely than those with insurance to have regular outpatient care, they
Expanding and improving the healthcare system is a key part of the 2016 presidential candidacy. What should be kept in mind is that the American citizens have seen the good, the bad, and the ugly of policy implementations from Medicare to the Affordable Care Act. The proposed alternative, Medicare for All, is feasible but caution must be exercised in earning the favor of the American people on accepting and implementing another revision of healthcare.
Access to health care refers to the individual’s ability to obtain and use needed services (Ellis & Hartley, 2008). Access to health care affects a multitude of people. Uninsured, underinsured, elderly, lower socioeconomic class, minorities, and people that live in remote areas are at the highest risk for lack of access to health care. There are also economical and political roles that complicate access to health care. Access to health care is a multi-faceted concept involving geographic, economics, or sociocultural issues. With my extensive research on access to health care, I hope to provide influences regarding; who is affected by lack of access, geographic, economic, sociocultural access, and
Changes in access to health care across different populations are the chief reason for current disparities in health care provision. These changes occur for several reasons, and some of the main factors that contribute to the problem in the United States are: Lack of health insurance – Several racial, ethnic, socioeconomic and other minority groups lack adequate health insurance coverage in comparison with people who can afford healthcare insurance. The majority of these individuals are likely to put off health care or go without the necessary healthcare and medication that is needed. Lack of financial resources – Lack of accessibility to funding is a barrier to health care for a lot of people living in the United States