One of the most prevalent and pervasive social issues in the United States today is the provision of equal access to health care for the impoverished. Far too many people live in conditions of poverty and struggle to find the means by which to meet their basic needs. For those without insurance, access to medical care is often preempted by other necessities. An unexpected medical expense can push this group further into poverty. Those who do have insurance may find themselves underinsured in the event of an emergency and unable to make the necessary co-payments. Alternatively, the insured’s provider may refuse to cover certain conditions. Besides the cost of adequate insurance and the booming cost of medical care, there are other factors that affect equal access to medical care for the impoverished. Among these are race, age, and geographic location. Poverty and the resulting inadequate medical care is a ubiquitous social problem that merits further discussion of the issue’s causes and implications. In recent years racial disparities in health status have received increasing attention. The relationship between race, poverty, and health is complex. Something to consider is that people suffering from mental illness and members of minority racial populations are disproportionately concentrated in high-poverty areas.(Chun-Chung Chow) Disparities in health status in these areas are believed to reflect a lack of access to care because of an absence of insurance coverage, a tendency to attribute certain health concerns to religious and culturally sanctioned belief systems, and a shortage of culturally compatible health care providers. (Chun-Chung Chow) Because of the lesser access to medical treatments Blacks and Hispanics ... ... middle of paper ... ...family status of individuals. For example, poor Blacks have a low level of psychological well-being in urban areas and a high level of well-being in rural areas. The opposite is true for Whites. The location and distribution of white people across urban environments tend to be more scattered than that of Blacks. This leads to a decreased likelihood of poor Whites experiencing the problems found in inner-city neighborhoods characterized by substandard housing, inferior schools, and high crime rates. Blacks living in rural areas, although problematic in some ways, likely experience less stress on a day-to-day basis than their urban counterparts. Although poverty is typically associated with lower general well-being, its implications do not appear to be distributed by location while also demonstrating that poverty is not a homogeneous experience for individuals.
Mental health care disparities can be rooted in inequalities in access to good providers, differences in insurance coverage, or discrimination by health professionals in the clinical encounter (McGuire & Miranda, 2008). Surely, those who are affected by these disparities are minorities Blacks and Latinos compare to Whites. Due to higher rates of poverty and poor health among United States minorities compared with whites. Moreover, the fact that poverty and poor health are
In this paper, I examine the ways in which living in poverty negatively impacts the health of African-Americans, based on the ethnographic family history and study of health care policy recounted by Laurie Kaye Abraham in Mama Might Be Better Off Dead: The Failure of Health Care in Urban America. I will focus first on the barriers that poverty creates to health care on a structural and personal level. I will then discuss how the unique stresses of poverty construct specific behavioral and emotional patterns which reinforce systemic problems to exacerbate poor health outcomes.
Does every citizen have the right to have access to basic health care in the wealthiest country of the world? The current healthcare system in America has many inequalities in the access, quality, and cost of healthcare among different economic groups of people. In addition, it would be more beneficial to give citizens access to preventative care that could avoid health issues by addressing them early on, while they are still manageable. Siegfried Karsten (1995), professor of economics at West Georgia College, brings up a valid argument in the American Journal of Economics and Sociology when he questions whether “society really can afford not to cover all people…..is it economically and politically rational to continue to have millions of people develop serious health problems, at great costs to society……because they are financially unable to obtain the necessary medical care when it does them the most good?” (p.138). The cost of healthcare in America is a deterrent to lower income groups who cannot afford insurance, or even if they have insurance, hesitate to seek treatment due to deductibles and copays.
Samaan, R. A. (2000). The Influences of Race, Ethnicity, and Poverty on the Mental Health of Children. Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved, 100-110.
All minority groups experience discrimination which leads to increased levels of stress in those individuals. As the level of stress goes up, so does the risk for several health complications including those related to mental health. Wells, Klap, Koike, and Sherbourne (2001) conducted a study examining the disparities in mental health care among black, Hispanic, and white Americans. Of those Hispanics in the study (n=617), 16.6% of them had a probable mental disorder compared to 13.4% of whites (n=7,299). Hispanics also had a higher incidence of substance abuse problems with 9% of those surveyed meeting criteria compared to 7.6% of whites. Hispanics also had the least reported perceived need for treatment with 10.4% for mental health and only 1.3% for substance abuse. A clinician treating Antonio should keep in mind that he has a higher likelihood of having a mental illness or substance use disorder than a white client as well as the fact that if he does meet the criteria for either, that he probably does not believe he needs
The disparities in the healthcare system contribute to the overall health status disparities that affect ethnic and racial minorities. The sources of ethnic and racial healthcare disparities include cultural barriers, geography differences, or healthcare provider stereotyping. In addition, difficulties in communication between health care providers and patients, lack of access to healthcare providers, and lack of access to adequate health care coverage
The author also briefly demonstrates in Chapter 11 how healthcare programs fail the poor. She mentions the high medical costs of antirejection drugs and how Medicare refuses to cover costs after a year. This is not a main argument of the chapter but an important one. The goal of Chapters 10
The sociological analysis for why these inequalities in health and health care happen are mainly because of racism that has happened throughout society across the United States. The racial differences between black and white was a big deal in the past for the U.S. and this brought massive attention whether a person should be treated like this because of their skin. Gender in society plays an important role in identifying social status and therefore, has more increased health care to be implemented within society. Next, Race/Ethnicity is the category in how we define ourselves within society (White, Black, American Indian, Pacific Islander, etc.). This inequality is traces all the way back to disease, and forms of social norms that fail to maintain
Williams, D. R., & Jackson, P. (2014, April 1). Health Affairs. Social Sources Of Racial Disparities In Health. Retrieved April 29, 2014, from http://content.healthaffairs.org/content/24/2/325.short
The growing number of uninsured and underinsured is on the rise. In 1979, 11 million African americans were uninsured (Jaffe 10). Today, the number is 15 million and it is increasing every year (Jaffe 11). According to the Department of Health and Human Services, thirteen million blacks in America have health care and fourteen million do not (Fitzgerald 31). Also, those who are insured today may be at risk tomorrow if their employer drops coverage, or the head of the household changes or loses their job. Most blacks in the United States who are uninsured simply cannot receive health care at an affordable price because their employer does not offer it and self-insurance cost much more. The lack of adequate insurance can be devastating to families both in financial terms and in terms of timely access to needed health care (Jaffe 12). Altogether, collection agencies report every year that most blacks are in debt due to unpaid medical bills, because they are not insured or they are underinsured.
Visiting the doctor has never been viewed as an enjoyable experience for clients. It is likely considered to be a necessary evil, something that must be done but is not pleasantly anticipated. Making the encounter between health care professional and client both helpful and therapeutic can be a challenge. This is especially true for those whose financial situation is precarious, meaning, one pay check away from being homeless. So not only does the client arrive for their scheduled appointment with the normal anxiety visiting the doctor brings; added to this is fear of a serious diagnosis, and the stress of finding the funds to pay for medical services, medications, and any follow-up visits that may be required. The extra expenses will put a greater strain on an already overburdened family budget. The first hint of the client’s tenuous financial position should be gleaned from the helping interview.
Positive rights are rights that everyone is entitled to including: the right to a public education, access to public roads, and the right to health care. There are no guarantees when it comes to life, but having health insurance makes a huge difference with preventing, diagnosing, and treating diseases. Of course having insurance itself is a great resource to ensure medical care and containing costs, but not all insurance programs are created equal. Insurance programs have caveats, exclusions, varying co-payments, and access to certain doctors and hospitals, which creates an ethical dilemma. Receiving the best care is subjective in most cases, but with money you can buy almost anything, including the best care. Although those living in poverty are given access to healthcare, that does not mean they receive the best or equal care as those who are wealthy.
Socioeconomic Disparities and health are growing at a rapid rate throughout the United States of America. To further understand the meaning of Socioeconomic Disparities, Health and Socioeconomic disparities & health, this essay will assist in providing evidence. Disparities can be defined in many ways, of which include ethnic and racial background and class types that deal with it the most. Due to the low income some individuals receive, they have less access to health care and are at risk for major health issues. Although, ethnicity and socioeconomic status should not determine the level of health care one should receive or whether not the individual receives healthcare.
African-Americans make up approximately 13% of the United States population according to U.S. Census (2001). However, despite representing 13% of the population there is misrepresentation in mental health services for African-American people. We know that research has shown many different indications to explain the lack of representation. Poverty is one of the many explanations given, U.S. census data for the 13.1% of the U.S. population identifying themselves as African American, the poverty rate in 2012 was 27.2%. This poverty rate compares with a 9.7% poverty rate for non-Hispanic Whites (Snowden, 2014). Another study explain treatment differences between African-Americans and European American, according to Schwartz & Feisthamel (2009)
The United States being the strongest economy in the world with more than enough resources to aid its citizens shows great social inequity notably in health care. While some people can afford great quality health care, others simply cannot access adequate treatments. America’s fractured health care insurance system is often seen as the medium for providing access to appropriate services for some while being grossly inadequate for others. People who cannot afford health care coverage are often the same people who need health care treatment the most. Another important factor to consider is the financial hardship and personal ruin that people can experience when having an unexpected accident or illness that can be very costly to attend simply