Unequal Treatment: A Case Study

A healthcare disparity is a limitation of healthcare availability, usually among a certain racial or socioeconomic demographic (Black, 2013). However, there are disparities that don’t have a specific demographic and affect the entirety of the United States, which are potentially most detrimental to the overall health of our country. One of those disparities is health literacy, or the exchange of complex information from the healthcare provider to the patient or client (Black, 2013). The lack of health literacy in America poses as a problem, especially with the chronically ill. Without proper knowledge of how to treat their illness and what to do when the disease process worsens or ameliorates can potentially cause millions of unnecessary hospitalizations,

Disparate treatment is intentional discrimination. It exists when individuals are treated differently in a similar situation. It is based on considerations of age, race, color, disability status, religion, gender, or national origin.

Disparate treatment is the unlawful treatment of individuals that violates Title VII rights. The Different treatment of a plaintiff relies on direct, comparative, and circumstantial evidence to meet their burden of persuasion (Roberts, 2010). When individuals complain, they have been treated differently due to their protected class. They are claiming the organization has discriminated against them. For instance, this employee may state the firm only hires males at this facility. Upon investigation, the employer learns that the ratio of workers who are men is greater than women. At this point, the company may explain why the reason for hiring males is higher since women cannot perform these tasks as it may affect their well-being. Nevertheless,

Despite improvements, differences persist in health care quality among racial and ethnic minority groups. People in low-income families also experience poorer quality care (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2013). Access to care measures include facilitators and barriers to care and health care utilization experiences of subgroups defined by race and ethnicity, income, education, availability of health insurance, limited English proficiency, and availability of a usual source of care (Mandal, 2014).

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

disparities are exclusive to certain groups of racial and ethnic populations in the nation. Health

Through REACH, CDC supports awardee partners that will establish community-based programs and culturally-tailored interventions serving African Americans, American Indians, Hispanics/Latinos, Asian Americans, Alaska Natives, and Pacific Islanders. Interventions focus on proper nutrition, physical activity, tobacco use and exposure, and chronic disease prevention, risk reduction and management opportunities. Additionally, awardees will address health disparities in heart disease, diabetes, and infant health. The intent of REACH is to build an evidence base that supports community-centered approaches to reducing or eliminating health disparities. (REACH 2014 Awardees, para.

Disparate treatment is a worse offence than adverse impact because adverse impact is not necessarily intentional, and disparate treatment is intentional. Based on ethics, if a disparate treatment case is proven, it says very bad things about the employer, and depending on the case, it says the employer has been acting races, sexist, or engaging in a different form of discrimination. Adverse impact can have the same results as disparate treatment, but it does not mean the employer was discriminating on purpose. It is still bad, and the employer should not allow it to happen, but it is not quite as bad as disparate treatment if it is not intentional. Overall, both are very bad, and employers should do everything possible to avoid these kinds

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.

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 National Healthcare Disparities Reports (NHDR) and the National Health Quality Report (NHQR) is ways to compile information about disparities in the healthcare system as well as track progress. This tool must be available to better understand why certain disparities are happening to certain communities and racial and ethnic backgrounds. Having reports available in PHC can help reduce and find ways to integrate plans to decrease the disparities, and increase the quality

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

In order to eliminate these disparities in care, we must first document the extent of disparities, recognize factors and processes that cause these inequities in care, and apply this knowledge to develop and implement evidence-based interventions aimed at eliminating these trends in care. Mental health services and policies aimed at achieving this important objective must be informed by research because research can provides some best available evidences, produce valuable information about the pathways, documents specific trends in care, and explains why and how these inequities occur. For example, researchers suggest that a complex interplay of structural, economic, psychiatric, and cultural factors influence Latinos’access to mental health

Race and color discrimination. Color discrimination, different treatment due to race (or appearance of skin), and uniform and grooming codes. Can't sue people in general, only with regard to employment context and Title VII.

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.