When reflecting on the class readings and course materials it becomes evident that government policies are what forms this nation. Beginning with the insurance programs which impact the elderly, unemployed, and poor. What's more, the continuing issues which are associated with the distribution of benefits and resources. As well as movements which aided in the creation for laws that would ensure the rights of some of the country’s most helpless. The complex conflicts are a culmination of various problems which impact entitlements, health insurance and welfare policies. Additional topics will include class videos which shed light on sensitive issues. From the deteriorating welfare to work programs to the internal conflicts over charter schools and the failures of the foster care system. The issues which influence and impact this …show more content…
nation are complex. Which explains why there has yet to be a permanent solution to Americas’ problems. This paper will provide factual information and personal insight on the policies and individual issues various Americans face today. Chapter 5 Preventing Poverty: Social Insurance and Personal Responsibility Social insurance programs are utilized through its principal policy which helps to reduce economic hardships for its workers and their families. The benefits granted to former workers and their families along with the disabled was initially created, to boost the economy. However there have been many issues which have made it more difficult for government and program receipts to maintain socioeconomic sustainability due inflation and the cost of living. Additional issues impacting this programs are employment rates which decrease due to displaced, disabled, and retiring workers who continue leave the workforce. “Deeper structural changes may be needed to maintain the system for decades to ahead given the large numbers of retirees who will start drawing benefits” (pg.185). This program enables former workers and their families a way to survive in the constant changing economy. It provides financial and medical support which can in certain cases help individual reenter the workforce therefore increasing productivity and social mobility that can reduce poverty for workers and their families. This program is especially important because it provides medical and cash benefits in cases of temporary and partial disabilities as well as total and permanent disabilities”(pg. 185). While this type of welfare program does have significant differences when compared to other government programs in the sense that in most cases recipients have made prior contributions to their own benefits its main premise is the same. Social Security offers benefits to individuals and families with the hopes of reducing poverty by providing aid to individuals in need. Additionally what I learned throughout this chapter was how many employers are reluctant when it comes to pensions. Many prefer to make monetary contributions while at the same time refusing to deal with any negative repercussions in regards to investment. Additionally IRAs are beneficial for those whose employers refuse to provide pension plans. Pensions, IRAs and 401k are additional ways workers can save for their future in order sustain their way of life after they leave the workforce. Chapter 6 Disability Policy: FROM PUBLIC ASSISTANCE TO CIVIL RIGHTS “Prior to the Social Security Act of 1935, man states had public assistance programs to aid the elderly and poor who were unable to work”(pg. 193). After reading this chapter what I found most appalling was the dehumanizing way the disabled were treated. Prior to legislative changes poor individuals were expected to live off others and were devalued. Discrimination was acceptable and resources were scarce however clemency was granted to blind individuals. Since they were viewed as deserving when compared to the elderly and individuals with debilitating illnesses or injuries. “Individuals who were also considered deserving. Eligibility requirements were often more lenient in state pension laws for these individuals than they were for the elderly” (pg. 193). Additionally the class video involving APS workers demonstrated how vulnerable disabled individuals are also how disability can occur at any time. While there have been many legal changes controversial issues over who should be classified as disabled has yet to be resolved. For instance substance abuse, HIV, AIDS are still sensitive issue since many feel these illness that were caused by negligence and are consequences of irresponsible decision making. “In addition feeling that most could work if they would stop using alcohol or drugs some believed “that SSI checks were fueling addiction” (pg.199). Nevertheless, I personally feel disability despite how it occurs does not take away the fact an individual’s is less capable of sustaining work and taking care of themselves. There are numerous psychological, physical, and emotion issues that can cause an individual’s life to change. Life expectancy and quality of life can diminish and with it the resources needed to survive. The five step process which is used to calculate qualifying factors for disability much include many other factors aside from an individual’s mental and physical, capacity to work. Issues such as housing and safe living conditions should be made available to those who are among the most at vulnerable. Nevertheless the false stigma associated with the disabled has led to many political changes. In the years past many were thought flawed or dispensable. Many were stripped away of their dignity and human rights that were given to others that were not seen as a societal burden. However things have changed and with it the laws that have made society more accessible and inclusive for those with disabilities. “The disability rights or social model views disability as an aspect of human diversity since humans vary in many ways, including their abilities”; Disability is considered “a natural and normal part of the human experience rather than “fixing” the individual, this paradigm focuses on eliminating the attitudinal and institutional barriers that preclude individuals with disabilities from fully participating in society’s mainstream (pg.212)”. CHAPTER 7 PREVENTING POVERTY: HELPING NEEDY FAMILIES: AN END TO WELFARE AS WE KNEW IT There are many factors which influence the level of resources an individual or family has. There are numerous reasons for the amount of poverty that exist in America today. Nevertheless the laws, created to help the poor are created by the rich. The guidelines and criteria’s influenced by political policies that minimize opportunity for the poor. For instance the class video showed how work to welfare programs failed to assist those required to attend. The welfare systems is flawed in many ways first the individuals who receive benefits are used to generate funding for failing programs. Secondly the requirement standards exclude educational costs and exclude poor working individuals. As seen in the video were the young single mother was obligated to give the majority of earnings in order to maintain her rental assistance. These programs must instead offer resources that decrease the need for benefits. Additionally education and an individualized attention should focus on the personal issues which prevent socio economic stability for poor individuals. While there are individuals who abuse the system, there are government programs, which abuse and prey on the poor. This is done to generate funding and other benefits from state and federal budgets. “Regardless of the reason, many families that leave the rolls are not doing well financially. The various versions of welfare to work programs have met with limited success, and work participation rates have not met expected standards” (pg.266). Chapter 8 FINANCING HEALTHCARE: CAN ALL AMERICANS BE INSURED? For many Americans healthcare seems to be more of a privilege than a basic human right.
However there are countless Americans who are denied access to healthcare and the medical preventative measures which decrease mortality rates. “On average, the poor and older adults require more medical attention than the general population; indeed “the prevalence” of many chronic conditions is directly related to age and inversely related to financial status” (pg. 278). Also race, and gender have a major role in the health benefits an individual is given. “Gender is also an important factor in health outcomes. For example, men are 50 percent more likely than women to die of heart disease or cancer but there is very little difference in deaths from strokes or cerebrovascular disease” (pg. 278). The statistical findings also explain how individuals pay for healthcare which sheds some light on why it is so difficult for all Americans to have health coverage. “Employment-based group health insurance covered 59 percent. Private individually purchased health insurance covered about 9 percent” (pg. 278). However the amount of uninsured remains in the
millions. Additionally what I learned was that income determines the quality of care a family or individuals receive. Also there continuous issues over the financial assistance government health programs receive. “In 1970 a, total Medical costs were about $5 billion; by 1990 they had risen to about $ 72 billion” (pg.285). Unfortunately the individuals who are among the most impacted are the poor. Sadly the societal stigmas add to the reduction of political lobbying for those who have minimal political power.
Due to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act signed into law on March 23rd, 2010; health care in the US is presently in a state of much needed transition. As of 2008, 46 Million residents (15% of the population) were uninsured and 60% of residents had coverage from private insurers. 55% of those covered by private insurers received it through their employer and 5% paid for it directly. Federal programs covered 24% of Americans; 13% under Medicare and10% under Medicaid. (Squires, 2010)
On a global scale, the United States is a relatively wealthy country of advanced industrialization. Unfortunately, the healthcare system is among the costliest, spending close to 18% of gross domestic product (GDP) towards funding healthcare (2011). No universal healthcare coverage is currently available. United States healthcare is currently funded through private, federal, state, and local sources. Coverage is provided privately and through the government and military. Nearly 85% of the U.S. population is covered to some extent, leaving a population of close to 48 million without any type of health insurance. Cost is the primary reason for lack of insurance and individuals foregoing medical care and use of prescription medications.
Unnatural Causes, is Inequality Making us Sick? Is a documentary produced by California Newsreel, and directed by Lleewled M. Smith. Unnatural Cause analyses the factors which can influence the US population‘s health. The film illustrated several families in order to show how their health is influenced depend on different circumstances. The film is supported by the use of survey research which it is a sociological method to gather data. Additionally, the film gives proved sources showing that The US invests billions of dollars on health but still millions of people die every day. In fact, The USA is one of the richest countries in the world, but it is at the bottom of the list concerning life expectancy. An important question that professionals
When we consider the education of our children in the United States, we must consider their health as a significant issue as it can positively or negatively impact a student’s education. It has generally been acknowledged that there is a great disparity in our country in the area of health care. Healthy People2010, a published report put out by the Health and Human Services Division of the Unites States Government (2000) has included as part of its Goals for 2010, to eliminate health disparities among different segments of the population. According to this report, health differences occur depending on a persons gender, race or ethnicity, education or income, disability, rural locality, or sexual orientation. In this paper, I will mostly concentrate on racial and ethnic differences as well as socioeconomic differences. According to the Healthy People 2010 report, biological and genetic differences do not explain the health disparities experienced by non-White populations in the United States. Besides "complex interaction among genetic variations, environmental factors, and specific health behaviors," Health and Human Services says, "inequalities in income and education underlie many health disparities in the United States." Also, "population groups that suffer the worst health status are also those that have the highest poverty rates and least education." Health, United States (1998) reported that each increase of income or education increased the likelihood of being in good health. According to this report, those with less education tend to die younger than those with more education for all major causes of death including chronic diseases, communicable diseases and injuries. There are several factors that account for differences between socioeconomic and racial and ethnic groups. These factors include a lower sedentary life style, cigarette smoking and less likely to have health insurance coverage or receive preventive care among these groups.
The public needs to address racial disparities in health which is achievable by changing policy addressing the major components of socioeconomic status (income, education, and occupation) as well as the pathways by which these affect health. To modify these risk factors, one needs to look even further to consider the factors. Socioeconomic status is a key underlying factor. Several components need to be identified to offer more options for those working on policy making. Because the issue is so big, I believe that not a single policy can eliminate health disparities in the United States. One possible pathway can be education, like the campaign to decrease tobacco usage, which is still a big problem, but the health issue has decreased in severity. The other pathway can be by addressing the income, by giving low-income individuals the same quality of care as an individual who has a high
Out of all the industrialized countries in the world, the United States is the only one that doesn’t have a universal health care plan (Yamin 1157). The current health care system in the United States relies on employer-sponsored insurance programs or purchase of individual insurance plans. Employer-sponsored coverage has dropped from roughly 80 percent in 1982 to a little over 60 percent in 2006 (Kinney 809). The government does provide...
Healthcare disparities are when there are inequalities or differences of the conditions of health and the quality of care that is received among specific groups of people such as African Americans, Caucasians, Asians, or Hispanics. Not only does it occur between racial and ethnic groups, health disparities can happen between males and females as well. Minorities have the worst healthcare outcomes, higher death rates, and are more prone to terminal diseases. For African American men and women, some of the most common health disparities are diabetes, cancer, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, and HIV infections. Some factors that can contribute to disparities are healthcare access, transportation, specialist referrals, and non-effective communication with patients. There is also much racism that still occurs today, which can be another reason African Americans may be mistreated with their healthcare. “Although both black and white patients tended not to endorse the existence of racism in the medical system, African Americans patients were more likely to perceive racism” (Laveist, Nickerson, Bowie, 2000). Over the years, the health care system has made improvements but some Americans, such as African Americans, are still being treating unequally when wanting the same care they desire as everyone else.
Until Obama-care, The United States was one of the only developed nations that did not provide some sort of health care for its citizens. To most other nations that do provide healthcare, it is because it is considered a human right that all people should be entitled to. That hasn’t been the case in America, however, where only those who could afford it could have healthcare plans. Those who stand to gain the most from universal healthcare are the already mentioned 45 million americans who currently don’t have any form of healthcare. For many of these individuals, there are many obstacles that prevent them from gaining healthcare. 80% of the 45 million are working class citizens, but either their employer doesn’t offer insurance, or they do but the individual can n...
Although women of low economical standing were some of the most reported as forgoing healthcare due to cost, women that were insured also disclosed the same reasoning for not seeking out care. Healthy People’s components of access-coverage, or the lack of coverage, states that “when they (uninsured) do get care” that is needed, they become “burden(ed) with large medical bills” (“Healthy People 2020”, 2017). Uninsured women faced large amounts of medical debt that hindered their ability to purchase essentials (Salganicoff, Ranji, Beamesderfer, & Kurani,
America has a lower life expectancy. The life expectancy of the United States fares poorly to other countries. There are high mortality rates above the age of 50 because of the low performance of the health care system. While the US does screen well for cancer, survival rates of cancer, survival rates of heart attacks, strokes, and the medication for patients with high blood pressure or cholesterol. In greater depth there is a high mortality rate for prostate and breast cancer. We can see that the united States have a faster decline in the mortality rate for these two diseases than any other countries. And the gap between higher and lower income Americans has soared in recent decades according to a study. The failing wages for low income Americans have left 16 percent households classified as food insecure. And since America has a low life expectancy it’s hard to keep up with the diseases that are always popping up. Let’s take cancer for example, we have been fighting it for a long time and there is no cure for it. So the health insurance companies pay a lot to keep you for those treatments. And your health
Most of these articles also argued that healthy policies by themselves cannot achieve the expected health improvement.1-3,7-13 This is why the US healthcare access cannot be improved without paying attention to the social and environmental needs of the poor Americans, who in most cases are at the receiving end. The social determinants of health can only be improved through actions targeted at the factors that improve life.1-3,4-5 Government policies should be translated into actions that are centered on enhancing the conditions in which people live, work, play, and grow.1,3,12 The situation that people are born into should not control their destiny, access to healthcare or other opportunities in life, because it will be then unfair and unjust. 1-3,7-13
In all areas of health, poor people do not share the same life chances as those in the social class above them. Furthermore low income correlates with a lower quality of treatment for illness and disease.(389.2)
One of the significant factors that contributes to health disparities is different ethnic and racial minorities have shown greater rates of being uninsured. Now millions of individuals, especially of color and social class, have access to the resources and to affordable health coverage (Ross, 2014). Since the ACA was enacted in 2010, the first five years included 11.7 million Americans purchasing new plans from marketplace, with 10.8 million more have Medicaid coverage, and an additional 3 million young adults are on their parents’ policies. (French et al., 2016). According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the percentage of individuals without health insurance fell from 16 percent in 2010 to 8.9 percent in 2016 (2016). That is almost half of the population, and is an significant
According to the data given, by CTISP Community Survey 2010 by a Central Texas Region, Health care has a direct correlation to a person’s income or lack thereof. Table 1 displays a graph of respondents to a community survey about Health Care Coverage. The graph contains income amounts from $15,000 to $85,000 and percentages of people who do not receive coverage based on their income. The graph shows the lower the income the less likely to afford coverage. Table 2 displays, of those who took the survey their reasons for having no Coverage. The reason with the highest percentage was “could not afford prem...
This paper will provide a brief overview of the problem analyzed and study methods used to resolve the problem. The problem analyzed in this article is whether clinical care would improve if a patient with Limited English Proficiency (LEP) is a provided someone who could interpret for them in a medical setting. The article segments the interpreters into 3 groups: untrained/ad hoc interpreters, professional interpreters only, and professional and ad hoc/untrained interpreter combined. The professional interpreters varied on training time from on-the-job to formal 40-hour training in medical terminology and skills specific to performing interpretation in a medical setting. The ad hoc interpreters could be anyone from a bilingual family member