The purpose of this paper is to exemplify the healthcare crisis of African Americans within the broader context of American healthcare reform. In order for one to appreciate the depth of necessity for healthcare reform in the African American community, he or she must have a general understanding of the history of healthcare for African Americans. As stated by the institute of medicine in a study assessing the health and mental health disparities of African Americans, “The sources of these disparities are complex, are rooted in historic and contemporary inequities, and involve many participants at several levels, including health systems, their administrative and bureaucratic processes, utilization managers, healthcare professionals, and patients” (Snowden, 2012).. The discussion of healthcare reform, as it concerns African Americans, in large part, will be a discussion of the healthcare access, quality, and costs. A discussion of healthcare reform for African Americans from birth to death must include the issues surrounding the of the Affordable Care Act and Medicare. A thorough discussion of healthcare reform requires an analysis of the history of American healthcare, the current state of the American Healthcare system, and the budgetary projections for American healthcare. Finally, one cannot broach the history African American healthcare crisis without discussing the Civil Rights movement and the affects of segregated medical institutions on African health. Finally, I will propose an alternative that considers the interest of African Americans and the looming budget crisis.
Healthcare Cost, Quality, and Access
The U.S. healthcare system has evolved from a network of quarantined pest-houses sprawled across the south a...
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...ture of poverty” and black blame. Journal of African American Studies , 16, 423-425. doi: 10.1007/s12111-011-9197-7
12. Waldron, T. (2012, November 3). The african-american unemployment crisis continues. Retrieved from http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2012/11/03/1129721/african-american-unemployment-crisis/
13. Joyce, P. G. (2011). The Congressional Budget Office : Honest Numbers, Power, and Policymaking. Washington, D.C.: Georgetown University Press.
14. CONG. PAUL RYAN'S (R-WI-1) & THE REPUBLICAN'S HEALTH CARE PLAN IN THEIR LATEST BUDGET PROPOSAL. (2012). (). Lanham: Federal Information & News Dispatch, Inc. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/935870165?accountid=11243
15. Gleckman, H. (2012). Healthcare and the long-term fiscal outlook. Tax Law Review, 65(4), 835-858. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1269483775?accountid=11243
Ghosh, C. (2013). Affordable Care Act: Strategies to Tame the Future. Physician Executive, 39(6), 68-70.
Studies have analyzed how African Americans deal with an enormous amount of disease, injury, death, and disability compared to other ethnic group, and whites, Utilization of health services by African Americans is less frequent than other ethnic groups in the country. This non utilization of services contributes to health disparities amongst African Americans in the United States. Current and past studies have shown that because of discrimination, medical mistrust, racial/ethnic background, and poor communication African Americans tend to not seek medical care unless they are in dire need or forced to seek professional care. African Americans would rather self –medicate than to trust a doctor who might show some type of discriminatory
In recent discussions of health care disparities, a controversial issue has been whether racism is the cause of health care disparities or not. On one hand, some argue that racism is a serious problem in the health care system. From this perspective, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) states that there is a big gap between the health care quality received by minorities, and the quality of health care received by non-minorities, and the reason is due to racism. On the other hand, however, others argue that health care disparities are not due to racism. In the words of Sally Satel, one of this view’s main proponents, “White and black patients, on average don’t even visit the same population of physicians” (Satel 1), hence this reduces the chances of racism being the cause of health care disparities. According to this view, racism is not a serious problem in the health care system. In sum, then, the issue is whether racism is a major cause of health care disparities as the Institute of Medicine argues or racism is not really an issue in the health care system as suggested by Sally Satel.
Considering that the United States ranks low in health status, the percentage of its population covered by health insurance is also low. Health care should be a right that all Americans has, not a privilege. (McGovern) With this in mind, everyone should work to extend that right to every American. “To succeed at it, we must find common principles that unite us and move beyond what divides us.” (Sweeney) We must work together to make coverage accessible to everyone. As a nation, we are all facing a crisis of the uninsured, and if it doesn’t get fixed, then the problems will never go away and the percentage of uninsured people will keep going on a rise. (McGovern) Preventative care, total overall costs, and morality are just some of the few arguments for getting coverage for everyone.
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
Boser, Ulrich. "The Black Man's Burden." U.S. News & World Report 133.8 (2002): 50. Academic
The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, (March 2010). Focus on Health Reform, Summary of New Health Reform Law, Retrieved on Feb. 1, 2011, from http://www.kff.org/healthreform/upload/8061.pdf
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.
African Americans face a multidimensional health care crisis that affects the young or old, rich or poor. Too many African Americans are uninsured or underinsured. The elderly cannot afford long-term health care leaving the family to care for them. Health care cost is constantly rising and are out of control, reform is the only way out.
When society thinks of healthcare, there are many racial disparities within healthcare, especially in treatment. How being a person of color in the United States can be difficult when it comes to accessing health care, especially in the hospital. In the United States, there seems to be a separation between physicians and patient, which contributes to the disparities in quality of healthcare. The hospital is a place where people should feel equally treated. The hospital is also a place where can be refused medical attention due to their socioeconomic status, race and gender. A patient needs to have confidence in the capability of their physician, so that they can be able to confide in him or her. When a person goes to the hospital to have
Today’s society protects against discrimination through laws, which have been passed to protect minorities. The persons in a minority can be defined as “a group having little power or representation relative to other groups within a society” (The Free Dictionary). It is not ethical for any person to discriminate based on race or ethnicity in a medical situation, whether it takes place in the private settings of someone’s home or in a public hospital. Racial discrimination, in a medical setting, is not ethical on the grounds of legal statues, moral teachings, and social standings.
Whitehouse, Office of Management and Budget (OMB), 1 Jan. 2009. Web. 13 Apr. 2014. .
The U.S. healthcare system is very complex in structure hence it can be appraised with diverse perspectives. From one viewpoint it is described as the most unparalleled health care system in the world, what with the cutting-edge medical technology, the high quality human resources, and the constantly-modernized facilities that are symbolic of the system. This is in addition to the proliferation of innovations aimed at increasing life expectancy and enhancing the quality of life as well as diagnostic and treatment options. At the other extreme are the fair criticisms of the system as being fragmented, inefficient and costly. What are the problems with the U.S. healthcare system? These are the questions this opinion paper tries to propound.
It is hard to imagine life without health insurance. If you have any type of medical problem that requires attention, and you have appropriate health care insurance, you can be cared for in the finest of private hospitals. You can get great treatment and your ailments, depending on the severity, can be treated as soon as possible. Doctors, physicians and surgeons are willing to put out a big effort if they know that they are dealing with patients who are insured and have the money to go under extensive medical treatment. But imagine life without such luxuries. For example, what happens if a relative requires much needed surgery, but does not have health insurance to cover the procedure? What happens if a lack of medical insurance prevents you or your family from seeing a doctor, which could result in health problems that had not been identified but could have been treated before they became life threatening? These scenarios may seem far-fetched, but these types of situations happen to people who lack health coverage everyday. There is a true story about a patient who was insured and diagnosed with treatable cervical cancer. Unfortunately, she lost her job and with it her insurance. She was then unable to see her private doctor, and was turned away from other hospitals because ?cancer treatment is not considered an emergency in a patient who can?t pay? (?Help for D.C.?s Uninsured?). The woman later died at her home without ever being treated. This example raises the question, since when are people with less money less deserving of health care or appropriate treatment?
Despite the substantial developments in diagnostic and treatment processes, there is convincing evidence that ethnic and racial minorities normally access and receive low quality services compared to the majority communities (Lum, 2011). As such, minority groups have higher mortality and morbidity rates arising from both preventable and treatable diseases judged against the majority groups. Elimination of both racial and ethnic disparities is mainly politically sensitive, but plays an important role in the equitable access of services, including the health care ones without discrimination. In addition, accountability, accessibility, and availability of equitable health care services are crucial for the continually growing