I also agree that the Health care system in the United States maintains and generates inequality and there is a huge gap between the social classes and especially race has an impact on the inequality of the system. “Health care disparities arise from complex interactions between patients, providers, institutions, and health systems that are difficult to unravel.” (King and Wheeler 815) Despite being the most expensive health care system in the world, the U.S. health care system fails to provide care to all our citizens and the care actually delivered is substandard. “Evidence suggests that discrimination in the clinical encounter defined by the Institute of Medicine as bias, prejudice, stereotyping, or miscommunication that undermines clinical
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.
Overall this book discusses health care inequalities in America by documenting the need for the equal treatment and equal health statuses of minorities. The book was written to be a resource for students in public health and social sciences, also for the people who work with the minority populations. The book is a combination of peer reviewed research from scholars and workers in the field. These scholars give a political and historical view of healthcare through race and ethnicity, specifically focusing on inequalities of access and quality of healthcare that is provided to minorities.
Race/ethnicity, gender, and socioeconomic position are social determinants that lead to disparities in healthcare. Despite declining death rates, African Americans have consistently had higher mortality rates than Whites. For example, breast cancer is more prevalent in whites however the incidence of mortality from breast cancer is higher in black women. Black women are also likely to have more advanced cancer at the time of diagnosis than their White peers. Williams (2002) proposes that racial categories are more alike than different in terms of biological characteristics and genetics. Furthermore, they do not capture patterns of genetic variation. Thus, it is not biologically reasonable for genetic differences alone to play a major role
The disparities in healthcare amongst minorities, elderly, and the poor are mind blowing, but in order to help reduce disparities, there needs to be an awareness and accurate data available to assess and implement a plan to bring better quality healthcare to communities.
Social locations and societal makeup of neighborhoods and communities undoubtedly influences local incidence and perception of health and illness. The many ramifications of “social location” such as education level, poverty, and targeted institutional and social prejudice construct the fabric of the morbidity and mortality that we see in minority populations (the heterogeneous amalgam of race/ethnic, gender, sexual orientation, political, and economic minorities). Factors such as access to healthcare, health education, community cleanliness and pollution, willingness to seek care, and fear of discrimination can partially explain health care disparities as they relate to such populations. I think a good way to approach the topic of vulnerability
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.
Throughout the course we discussed the causes of health disparities which really impact me a lot, due to my directly work with minorities. I hear many times that stress can kill a person, and based The Death Gap stress it focus on structural violence throughout the book, it is the policies and laws that determines your access to a quality life. Minorities are segregated into certain communities where there is poverty, violence and less access to resources and that has a major impact in the quality of health and life that leads to premature death. African American are victims of discrimination when trying to buy a house on a more well off area, or rental discrimination. Income inequality affects minorities and access to health care. We need
Healthcare disparities within racial minority groups are an ongoing issue in the United States. Factors that affect these disparities are overall quality of care, access to healthcare, and access to insurance. Numerous efforts have been made to decrease the access and quality of care for minorities. The current intervention being used is the Affordable Care Act (ACA). This act was initiated by President Obama in 2010 and has had much controversy in the past years. The main arguments are the ACA increasing the taxes for Americans and the fact that all Americans must obtain insurance if proper funds are available. In 2014 the ACA Medicaid expanded and each state had the opportunity to expand if the state believed it appropriate. Out of the 50
If everyone in the United States is treated equal, then why are Americans facing health disparities regarding to race? Race has always been an issue in this country. When it comes to the healthcare system, not all Americans receive the same outcomes or came services as others. Most Americans due to race receives unfair healthcare treatment because they’re not getting appropriate medical attention, they’re more likely to do die based on their illness, and if they’re uninsured they can’t receive any medical attention. This argument is going to be based on Americans who face these health disparities in the U.S regarding to mental health disorders, breast cancer, and the people who are uninsured.
Though the civil rights movement made substantial progress yet race remains a controlling factor in dictating who gets access to healthcare, the quality of care, and health insurance coverage. Because this stems from the supremacist belief that one race is superior, I would educate my patients, my colleagues, and my classmates on the importance of equity between all
I am writing to you mainly because I am alarmed about the health care system for minorities and their access to it. Health care access and insurance coverage are main causes that contributed to racial and ethnic differences before the ACA success. Most healthcare systems are recognized that black and minority populations have always experienced low wellbeing and difficulties in improving undeniable services. Securing the health gap for people in these population groups is now an important primacy. Groups such as African Americans, American Indians, in addition to other groups like Asians and Hispanics, are in jeopardy of inappropriate benefits of health-care. Health insurance expansions under the ACA, however, have resulted in a net increase of 16.9 million people gaining insurance between 2013 and 2015, allowing millions of previously uninsured individuals to access and utilize health care.
The U.S. healthcare has been dealing with disparities for centuries. These disparities can be racial, social, or economical. The disparities are easier to see when compared to other reference points, such as policies, procedure or protocol. Williams & Torrens, 2008 list several disparities when it comes to patient care, such as minorities are less likely to get diagnosed with cancer verses whites, patients with lower socioeconomic statuses are less likely to received diabetic services, and many more. In order to eliminate some there disparities it must first be recognized by others that it is a serious problem. These problems have been around for years; therefore the public must put pressure on the policymakers to promote change. In order
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 United States is world renowned for having the best health care if not the most accessible. Citizens have at their disposal a plethora of hospitals, physicians, and therapists to improve their well-being. Statistical data was taken back in 2010 under the Central Texas Region and studied health care coverage and income in regards to the community. The data displayed in the surveys heavily suggest that income/ health in general have a high correlation. The issue that arose with the given data imply that those who are on the lower end of the income spectrum subsequently have no health care coverage and poorer health than those with higher income. In any case with high correlation there are a number of factors influencing the statistical evidence, and in this case sociological barriers are present in regards of inequality and health care.
Growing up in a comfortable, middle-class household, it seemed that my community was very easily defined by similar houses, hobbies, socioeconomic statuses, and even cars. As I began to stretch the boundaries of the community I knew, I realized the diversity within. Various volunteer experiences working with homeless, marginalized, and impoverished individuals exposed the struggles and needs of others. Through volunteering and shadowing at community health clinics, I witnessed the cycle of poverty that results from health care inequality. A construction worker with a broken hand was unable to work, and without work he was unable to pay for the treatment to fix his hand. A treatment that many take for granted, repairing a broken bone, proved