November 21,13
Social Class: Unequal Distribution Of Healthcare In The U.S.
“Inequality” and “discrimination” are words that have been around for years. For example, Subramanian and Kawachi’s article, "Social Class and Survival on the S.S. Titanic, " demonstrates how social class determined the chances of survival on the S.S. Titanic. On April 15th, 1912 the unsinkable S.S. Titanic sank. The authors explain that the chances of surviving the sinking were not equally distributed between passengers in first, second, and third class. Also, the Titanic, under British Board of trade and regulation, was not required to carry enough lifeboat accommodation for every passenger. Subramanian and Kawachi explain that the crew on the …show more content…
Therefore, nearly a hundred years ago the passengers who were allowed onto the lifeboats largely determined who lived and who died. In turn, this was mostly based on their social class, thus it was social class that determined the passenger’s life chances.
The story hasn’t changed much today. Still the words, “Inequality” and “Discrimination” as well as the prejudice behavior portrayed by the crew on the S.S. Titanic, has had a massive impact on the healthcare system in the U.S. In fact, an article written by Janny Scott, reporter for The New York Times, compared the lives of three New Yorkers suffering from a heart attack. Scott sates that class informed everything from the emergency care received to the after effect of their recovery. According to the article Mr. Miele, an architect, had the best treatment and recovery of the three. The article claims that as soon as his coronary artery ruptured his colleagues were knowledgeable enough to take him to Tisch Hospital, part of the New York University Medical Center. Within minutes Mr. Miele was in surgery receiving an angioplasty to unclog his artery. Therefore, if it weren’t