Cited: MacMann, Patti. "Insured vs Uninsured - The Segregation of American Health Care." EzineArticles Submission - Submit Your Best Quality Original Articles For Massive Exposure, Ezine Publishers Get 25 Free Article Reprints. 2007. Web. 5 Dec. 2010. .…
Summary of Health disparities, is about gaps quality of health and health care across racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic groups. The Health Resources and Services Administration defines health disparities as "population-specific differences in the presence of disease, health outcomes, or access to health care. According to research United States, health disparities are well documented in minority populations such as African Americans, Native Americans, Asian Americans, and Latinos. When compared to whites, these minority groups have higher incidence of chronic diseases, higher mortality, and poorer health outcomes. Among the disease-specific examples of racial and ethnic disparities in the United States is the cancer incidence rate among…
Race, ethnicity, age, sexual orientation, and socioeconomic status are used to characterize health disparities globally. Thirty years ago, the Health and Human Services Secretary, Margaret M. Heckler, created a taskforce to examine health concerns of Blacks and other minority populations in the United States 1. The Heckler Report advocated for changes in the Federal Government’s approach to addressing health disparities. Following dissemination of the Heckler Report, a number of books, manuscripts, and policies were published to bring attention to a systemic lack in health equity among physicians across the U.S.. Lack of health equity ultimately leads to unequal treatment of diverse patients and contributes to the growing disparities seen in national health. In response to these growing disparities, in 2002, the Kaiser Family Foundation examined physicians’ perceptions of disparities and noted that physician gender and race had an impact on whether the physician believed that disparities…
The definition of health disparities according to Healthy People 2020 (2016), is the greater or lessor extent between a population, such as race, ethnicity, sex, sexual identity, disability, socioeconomic status, and geographical location. These identities prevent individuals from accessing equal and quality health care. Health disparities are important indicators of a community’s health and provide guidelines for implementing interventions that would help decrease morbidity and mortality (CDC Health Disparities, 2011). The…
The United States is gradually becoming more diverse, racially and ethnically (Delphin-Rittmon, Andres-Hyman, Flanagan, & Davidson, 2013; Douglas, Rosenkoetter, Pacquiao, Callister, Hattar-Pollara, Lauderdale, Milstead, Nardi, & Purnell, 2014; Loftin, Hartin, Branson, & Reyes, 2013). However, multiple studies indicate there is a severe lack of health care available to care for this patient population. Inadequate access to healthcare, decrease quality of care, and poor outcomes for individuals with racial and ethnic disparities has become increasingly more evident in the healthcare settings.…
Question 1): How do past and present experiences influence gene expression susceptibility to health disparities? Give an example.…
It is not enough to merely partake in conversations regarding health disparities, inequities, and social injustices, there needs to be movement toward changing the systems that gave birth to them. Therefore, to better appreciate diverse informal elder caregivers and their care recipients, aging organizations and health care providers need a better understanding of their values, belief systems, ways of thinking and behaving, so they are better equipped to identify cultural influences that act as barriers (Goodenough, 1981), while acknowledging social injustices in their communities, influence on health disparities and inequities. Goodenough defines (as cited in Dilworth-Anderson et al., 2012, p. 30-31) culture as a set of “shared symbols,…
According to (Kilbourne, Switzer & Fine, (2006), Health disparities are significant differences that are needed and viewed clinically and statistically in health care and health outcomes. These differences between groups of people can affect how often an illness(disease) have group affects, the number of people who have gotten sick and how many times do this particular disease or problem ends up with death occurring. There are a number of populations that can be…
The best way for the medical profession to overcome disparities in healthcare is to enhance treatment outcomes by improving equality of care. As a child, I relied on government funded healthcare programs for medical treatment. Currently, I am insured through my employer’s health insurance policy and am able to enjoy the luxuries of having private insurance. Experiencing treatment from both channels I realized a gap in the quality of care. The medical profession can fill this gap by focusing on teaching compassion and equality in the classroom. Muhammad Ali once said, “It’s the repetition of affirmations that leads to belief and once that belief becomes a deep conviction, things begin to happen.” If medical programs continue to emphasize the…
Health disparities from no access to healthcare lopsidedly influence a developing fragment of a population. Clear differences exist in rates of medical coverage scope. The outcomes of being uninsured are vital and contain utilization of lesser preventive administrations, poorer well-being result, an expansion of death and incapacity rates, bring down yearly wages due to illness and disease, and the exceedingly created phase of sicknesses. Therefore, the uninsured gathering shelter being slightly poor, youthful, and from racial and additionally ethnic minority. Disparities in health and health care does not only affect the groups facing disparities, but also limit overall improvements in quality of care and health for the broader population…
Reducing and eliminating health status disparities by providing access to appropriate health care is a goal of most health delivery systems. As advanced health care providers employed at the retail clinic, we attempt to reduce or eliminate health care disparities by providing high quality, affordable care to the uninsured, low-income minority populations. This group of populations are less likely to have access to medical care by way of primary care. As a result, these populations tend to use more costly services and are not reached by early preventive care or intervention services. In a general sense, the retail clinics ease the primary care burden by providing low cost affordable care. Retail-based convenient care clinics are small health…
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Health disparities are preventable differences in the burden of disease, injury, violence, or opportunities to achieve optimal health that are experienced by socially disadvantaged populations. Health disparities are inequitable and are directly related to the historical and current unequal distribution of social, political, economic, and environmental resources (Health Disparities, 2015). There are multiple factors that contribute to health disparities such as, poverty, inadequate access to health care, inadequate education, environmental factors, and individual behaviors. An example of a health disparity is dropping out of school. Dropping out of school has a direct relation with…
Fiscella, K. (2011, March 09). Health Care Reform and Equity: Promise, Pitfalls, and Prescriptions. Retrieved March 19, 2011, from http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/736209…
Fein, R. 1972. On Achieving Access and Equity in Health Care. Milbank Memorial Fund Quarterly/Health and Society 50(4, pt.2):157-90…
Health care in America is a serious issue as it involves families that are unable to receive accessible, affordable and quality medical treatment. Middle class or impoverished families are unable to receive the benefits of health care due to low income levels and a volatile economy. Politicians discuss the reformation of the health care system, but people who are uninsured suffer the consequences of a system that overlooks middle class families in favor of wealthy families, a dominant issue for conflict theorists. Some argue that the health care system is not in need of reform and state that government programs would require higher taxes and reduce health care quality. Health care is a major concern among Americans. The rise in uninsured people and the unstable security of insured people are of prime importance in resolving this critical issue. It was estimated that 47 million Americans were uninsured for a year as reported for the 2006 US Census. In addition, another 16 million people were considered underinsured (Ginsburg, et al., 2008, 1). There have been many attempts to demonstrate how the politics of health care (government intervention, health care policy, and personal issues) affects the concerns of those who are uninsured and underinsured. Some argue that government intervention is a risk that can further weaken the system.…