Health disparities have been an issue all over the world. In the United States, individual and community activism have been seen in an attempt to address the health inequalities of the underrepresented groups tracing back to 1781 (Mitchell, 2015). With the passing of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), the hope for social equality and justice through insurance for all remains complex. The legislation will certainly provide better health outcomes, but health advocacy remains an important aspect in changing the landscape of our health system. A study indicated that the overall rate of insurance coverage increased and a decreased in “coverage disparities related to race and ethnicity” was noted a few years after the ACA was passed (Buchmueller,
Background statement: Heritage Valley Medical Center has had a wonderful reputation for providing excellent health care services to their community. Initially, their community was 80% Caucasian, 40% African American, and 5% Hispanic. However, in the last 5 years, the population has changed to more minorities and the whites have moved out to the suburbs. This caused the Center’s occupancy rate to go down 40% because many of their traditional, more affluent, private-pay patients had left the neighborhood. To bring in revenue, they campaigned to bring in more Medicaid patients.
Minorities that have the Medicaid medical insurance, now have two things against them. They have a lower percentage of ability to communicate effectively to advocate for their children’s
Health disparities is not only a Clayton County issue but a national issue as well. Consequently, Healthy People 2020 initiated a decisive goal to reduce health disparities among all Americans by the year 2020. One of this goals of Healthy People 2020 is the reduction of infant mortality rate among Americans to a target goal of 6.0 deaths per 1,000 live births.1 In 2015, infant mortality rates for black non-Hispanics were 2.2 times that of white non-Hispanics. As it relates to sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) black non-Hispanics mothers were 2 times greater than that of white non-Hispanics mothers.
There are many healthcare disparities involving parasitic infection. One disparity, for example, is that any one can get parasitic infection, it is so easy to be infected by a parasitic infection. Also, to really prevent one from getting a parasitic infection, they would have to be extremely cautious on the food they are eating and the water they are drinking. It is more common in regions of tropical or subtropical to avoid getting infected. We can also get infected through our pets and the disparity in this is that its hard to keep up with everything to avoid getting infected with parasitic
Those who work in the health care field can create and promote a plan for decreasing disparities in health care. Interventions can also be held based upon one 's race, social status, age, or any of the other factor contributing to health disparities. Providing health care equally to all people will also assist in ending disparities. If everyone is given equal opportunities and treatment, then everyone will be at a fair advantage for good health despite their race, geographic location, age, or socioeconomic structure. References Causes of Health Disparities.
Having experienced the struggle of unaffordable and inaccessible health care, he was able to put himself in others shoes and provide a real solution to the everlasting problem of uninsured health care for African Americans, as well as the residents of America as a whole. President Obama has done so by signing The Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, into law on March 23, 2010 (NBC, 2015). Before this health reform was passed, 19% of Americans were not able to afford health insurance (NBC, 2015). This law has significantly impacted the African Americans who lacked health care coverage by providing healthcare for the 8 million African Americans who lacked it (White House, 2015). It was reported that the African American uninsured health coverage rate decreased by 9.2%, therefore providing coverage for 2.3 million adults.
Introduction Disparities in social welfare has long been an issue affecting minority and structurally disadvantaged groups in America. These populations can be described as socially and economically lagging behind the majority of their other social counterparts. This state often further restricts their opportunities for advancement. Although accomplishments in increasing the economic capabilities of minority groups have led to significant progress in the social and economic welfare for disadvantaged populations, crucial issues are still not adequately addressed and the progress made is far from the goals of many social welfare organizations seeking to uplift disadvantaged populations to acquire sustainable and prosperous living. Opportunities
Health Care in the US is arguably available to all who seek it but not everybody has had the same experience and treatment when walking through the doors of a healthcare facility. In many cases, people are discriminated against due to their gender, race/ethnicity, age, and income and are often provided with minimal service. Differences between groups in health coverage, access to care, and quality of care is majorly affected through these disparities. Income is a major factor and can cause groups of people to experience higher burden of illness, injury, disability, or mortality relative to another group.
Could health care reform truly fix this issue? Did John Q’s race factor into the overall plot? Why has this not happened in reality? John Q poses as an excellent case study for the researcher looking to understand the state of American Healthcare today and will serve as the platform for this
Background The Affordable Care Act (ACA) is officially referred to as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act was enacted into law on March 23, 2010. It is estimated that prior to the enactment of the ACA, 44% or 81 million people between the ages 19-64 were either uninsured or underinsured in the United States (Schoen, Doty, Robertson, & Collins, 2011). The populations most likely to be uninsured or underinsured are individuals with earning between 133-200 % below the established federal poverty guidelines (Schoen et al., 2011). Consequently, 80% of individuals with earning under $20,000-$39,999 were uninsured or underinsured (Schoen et al., 2011).
In addition, the decision by some states not to expand Medicaid eligibility will have detrimental effects on the insurance coverage of African immigrants with the lowest incomes. For example, in states that expanded Medicaid, studies show that the rate of uninsured Latino’s decreased from 35% to 15%, while in states without expansion, the uninsured rates remained the same.(32) Cancer awareness was accomplished during this health fair, with a family history of certain cancers
Medical accessibility has been a problem for a long time and many laws/acts have been passed in attempt to help this problem but, “[a]n estimated 43 million people (1 in 6 Americans) live in federally designated underserved areas and lack access to a private primary care provider” (Lefkowitz and Todd). “In 1998, 8.7 million people, one fifth of the 43 million, were served by health centers”(John, Smith, and JH Bloomberg School of Public Health). Not only is healthcare unaccessible but so is insurance. In fact, “[t]he number of uninsured patients in health centers has increased by nearly 60 percent since 1990, from 2.2 million to more than 3.5 million in 1998, representing about 8 percent of the nation’s 44.3 million uninsured” (John, Smith, and JH Bloomberg School of Public Health), Census Bureau). Within that group of uninsured people “Hispanic Americans
Summary of Findings This project discusses key health disparities that exist between Blacks and Whites in the United States Health Care System. This analysis also discusses the historical origins of the health disparities that exist between Blacks and Whites in the U.S. Health care system. This analysis describes the complex social, political and health factors of health disparities between Black and Whites. This describes the steps individuals can take to combat racism and decrease health disparities among African Americans and whites.
Educational status and employment status play a significant role in the amount of population receiving adequate care and those who have insurance coverage. So all in all, the ethical question remains, “Should the level of healthcare provided be affected by financial status of an individual?” We healthcare professionals know that the door of access to healthcare services, although not widely opened is not completely closed and that these patients do receive care. Each year, federal, state, and local governments along with numerous charity organizations, billions are raised to support healthcare for the uninsured but this care often is of lower quality and results in poor outcomes than that provided to those who have health insurance. No insurance means less financial security and more stress for those uninsured persons and their families which can be felt throughout communities.
Many Americans were led to believe that the introduction of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act in 2009 would put an end to disparities in health care access. While it did improve the situation for a small percentage of the population there are still many Americans who lack access to good quality health care. Health care access in America is determined by money and those in lower socioeconomic groups frequently tend to miss out on adequate care. In a recent health care report by the national health research foundation Kaiser Family Foundation, it was noted “health care disparities remain a persistent problem in the United States, leading to certain groups being at higher risk of being uninsured, having limited access to care, and experiencing poorer quality of care” (Kaiser Family Foundation). The current health care