This study investigates the impact of income on the types of healthcare options available to individuals. Income inequality is growing with the exodus of manufacturing jobs from the country and an increase in low-paying jobs, part-time jobs and contract positions that usually lack health benefits (Shi, Starfield, Kennedy and Kawachi, 1999). In the absence of social policy that addresses income inequality, the promotion of primary care may serve as a palliative strategy for reducing the adverse effect of social inequality (Shi, Starfield, Kennedy and Kawachi, 1999). Even among higher-income adults, lack of health care insurance was associated with significantly decreased use of recommended health care services; increased income did not attenuate the difference in use between uninsured and insured adults (Ross, Bradley, Busch, 2006). Efforts to improve the use of recommended health care services among uninsured should focus on patient education and expanding insurance eligibility for both lower-income and higher income adults (Ross, Bradley, Busch, 2006). Medicaid and Medicare coverage, encompassing nearly one-third of persons with disabilities may also represent an employment barrier in many cases because the potential loss of such coverage can be an important disincentive to taking a job (Kruse, 1993). For example, due largely to lower employment rates, persons with disabilities have lower average household and personal incomes and are more likely to be living in poverty and receiving means-tested income than are persons without disabilities (Kruse, 1993). Also, while the rate of health insurance coverage is similar for the two populations, persons with disabilities are more likely to receive coverage from Medicare or Med... ... middle of paper ... ...d. 1999. “ income Inequality, Primary Care and Health Indicators.” The Journal of Family Practice. Vol. 48, No. 4 Klien, Alyson. 2010. “Health-Care Law Also Makes Over Student Lending.” Education Week. Vol. 29, Iss. 27, pg. 21 Kruse, Douglas L. 1998. “ Demographic, income and health care characteristics.” Monthly Labor Review. Vol. 121, Iss. 9, pg. 13 Kullgren, Jeffrey T. and Catherine G. McLaughlin. 2010. “Beyond Affordability: The Impact of Nonfinancial Barriers on Access for Uninsured Adults in Three Diverse Communities.” Journal of Community Health. Vol. 35, Iss. 3, pg. 240 Shapiro, Joseph P. 1999. “No time for the poor.” U.S. News and World Report. Vol. 126, Iss. 13, pg. 57 Starr, Paul. 2010. “Last Chance for Health Reform.” The American Prospect. Vol. 21, Iss. 3, pg. 3 Sullivan, Gary. 2010. “Controlling Medical Costs.” Momentum. Vol. 3, Iss. 2, pg. 30
During the study of various reforms that were proposed and denied, both the GOP and Democrats attempted to find a balance that would guarantee the success of their proposals. Years of research, growing ideologies, political views and disregard for the country's constitution sparked an array of alternatives to solve the country's healthcare spending. The expenditure of US healthcare dollars was mostly due to hospital reimbursements, which constitute to 30% (Longest & Darr, 2008). During the research for alternatives, the gr...
Ghosh, C. (2013). Affordable Care Act: Strategies to Tame the Future. Physician Executive, 39(6), 68-70.
Peterson, Mark A. "It Was A Different Time: Obama And The Unique Opportunity For Health Care Reform." Journal Of Health Politics, Policy & Law 36.3 (2011): 429-436.Academic Search Complete. Web. 23 Mar. 2014.
Longest Jr., B.B (2009) Health Policy making in the United States (5th Edition). Chicago, IL: HAP/AUPHA.
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...
Niles, N. J. (2011). Basics of the U.S. health care system. Sudbury, MA: Jones and Bartlett.
Berman, M. L. (2011). From Health Care Reform to Public Health Reform. Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics, 39(3), 328-339. doi:10.1111/j.1748-720X.2011.00603.x
Reese, Philip. Public Agenda Foundation. The Health Care Crisis: Containing Costs, Expanding Coverage. New York: McGraw, 2002.
Lee, S. &. (2009). Disparities in access to health care among non-citizens in the United States. Health Sociology Review , 18 (3), 307-317.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. (2008). National healthcare disparities report Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office. Retrieved from http://www.ahrq.gov/qual/nhdr08/nhdr08.pdf
Shipler, David K. The Working Poor: Invisible in America (Vintage). Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. Kindle Edition, 2008.
Over 46.3 Million People in the United States (15.4 percent of the US population) did not have health insurance in 2008 (DeNavas-Walt, Proctor, & Smith, 2009). Consequently, many Americans receive little or no health care. Many, but not all of these people are women and children. Some are destitute, some are not. Many of these people are hard working Americans who cannot afford coverage, yet earn too much money to qualify for their state Medicaid plans, but should have access to health care. In 2008, health care expenditures surpassed $2.3 trillion, more than three times the $714 billion spent in 1990, and over eight times the $253 billion spent in 1980 (Kimbuende, Ranji, Lundy, & Salganicoff, 2010, para. 1). In 2007, 62.1 Percent of all US bankruptcies were related to medical expenses. Ironically, 78 percent of the medical bankruptcies were filed by people who had health insurance (Himmelstein, Thorne, Warren, & Woolhandler, 2009). Due to the rising costs of healthcare and increased numbers of the uninsured most Americans support the need for healthcare reform; however the reform that is proposed by the government is unfair, too expensive and inadequate to meet the needs of our population.
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.
Health insurance facilitates entry into the health care system. Uninsured people are less likely to receive medical care and more likely to have poor health. Many Americans are foregoing medical care because they cannot afford it, or are struggling to pay their medical bills. “Adults in the US are more likely to go without health care due to cost” (Schoen, Osborn, Squires, Doty, & Pierson, 2010) Many of the currently uninsured or underinsured are forced accept inferior plans with large out-of-pocket costs, or are not be able to afford coverage offered by private health insurers. This lack of adequate coverage makes it difficult for people to get the health care they need and can have a particularly serious impact on a person's health and stability.
ObamaCare Summary: A Summary of Obama's Health Care Reform. n.d. Web. 18 03 2014. .