The United States of America were founded on the belief that everyone should be treated equally. A tremendous amount of progress has been made to eliminate racism and inequality over the past two centuries. Even though America has come a long way, more advances can be made and should not be stopped until racial and ethnic disparities are completely eradicated. A fundamental area that significant disparities exist in is the healthcare industry. Evidence shows medical care is not distributed equally among residents of the United States. The social ecological model will be used to investigate the existing gaps in the healthcare system in the U.S. The social ecological model is comprised of five components. Starting on the inside is the individual, which refers to a person’s knowledge, skills, and attitudes. The next layer outside of the individual is the interpersonal level, which is composed of a person’s family, friends, and social networks. After interpersonal is the organizational level, which makes up the social institutions and organizations a person belongs to. Outside of organizational is the community level, which refers to the relationships a person has among organizations. Lastly, the outside layer of the ecological model is the societal level, which refers to the public policy implemented at the national, state, and local levels (Warner, 2013, pp. 13-18). This paper will address the dissimilar access to care between the Hispanic and white non-Hispanic populations by examining the organizational, interpersonal, and societal levels of the ecological model. The dissimilar care leads to higher prevalence of certain health issues like heart disease, stroke, cancer, and many others. The term Hispanic is used to describe a perso... ... middle of paper ... ... intriguing though is the change in percentages over time. While both groups showed reduced rates for people with less than a high school education. The non-Hispanic white group was cut in half while the Hispanic group was reduced by merely 3%. A person’s level of education can be correlated to his or her health because many risk factors for health conditions are behavioral. Each ethnic group has a rich history and culture setting them apart from the others. Food is a dominant element of the Hispanic culture, which can be relevant when examining health disparities at the interpersonal level of the ecological model The well-known Affordable Care Act is currently in the process of being implemented. The Affordable Care Act falls under the societal layer of the ecological model and will attempt to abolish the high percentage of uninsured civilians that currently exist.
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
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.
There is an ongoing debate on the topic of how to fix the health care system in America. Some believe that there should be a Single Payer system that ensures all health care costs are covered by the government, and the people that want a Public Option system believe that there should be no government interference with paying for individual’s health care costs. In 1993, President Bill Clinton introduced the Health Security Act. Its goal was to provide universal health care for America. There was a lot of controversy throughout the nation whether this Act was going in the right direction, and in 1994, the Act died. Since then there have been multiple other attempts to fix the health care situation, but those attempts have not succeeded. The Affordable Care Act was passed in the senate on December 24, 2009, and passed in the house on March 21, 2010. President Obama signed it into law on March 23 (Obamacare Facts). This indeed was a step forward to end the debate about health care, and began to establish the middle ground for people in America. In order for America to stay on track to rebuild the health care system, we need to keep going in the same direction and expand our horizons by keeping and adding on to the Affordable Care Act so every citizen is content.
Hispanic or Latino are statistically proven to be one of the nation’s largest and fastest growing minority in the United States, and they rank about 15 percent of the U.S. population which is expected to double almost to 29 percent by 2050 if current demographic trends continue (Livingston, et al., 2008). Before analyzing the Hispanic health status, demographic factors should take into consideration because the structure of populations, such as inadequate, unhealthy housing and living areas with poor air quality, can determine their health conditions. More so, they have the lower prevalence in many chronic health conditions than the U.S. adult population, but higher prevalence in diabetes and obesity than the non-Hispanic wh...
Patients with limited funds and finances may be more likely to die from home than in a hospice, especially if they are not able to have access needed to support beyond what is available with routine hospice care according to (Barclay, Joshua S., et al). When a patient decides to die at home, a lot of factors arise such as lack of caregiver support, lack of home health personal and equipment’s, lack of health care provider mindfulness of preferences and reduced control of disease control may result in one being transferred to subacute or acute care settings before death. Palliative care is given to help improve the quality of life of patients who have a serious or life-threatening disease, such as cancer. According to experts studying access
Therefore, considering these issues is an impediment when discussing the disparities in health. Some minorities are disadvantaged in the current healthcare while some are not. However, it is complicated to identify reasons for inequalities because health outcome is a result of numerous interactions with factors including the individual’s access to care, the quality of care provided, health behaviors such as tobacco and alcohol consumption, the presence or absence of complicating conditions, and personal attitudes toward health and medicine. Therefore, Examining existing racial and ethnic issues, developing potential solutions for current disparities, and preparing for future challenges as shifts in trends emerge are essential aspects of health care improvements” (Boslaugh,
The Affordable Care Act (ACA) is a federal that was signed into law by President Barack Obama on March 23, 2010 to systematically improve, reform, and structure the healthcare system. The ACA’s ultimate goal is to promote the health outcomes of an individual by reducing costs. Previously known as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, the ACA was established in order to increase the superiority, accessibility, and affordability of health insurance. President Obama has indicated the ACA is fully paid for and by staying under the original $900 billion dollar budget; it will be able to provide around 94% of Americans with coverage. In addition, the ACA has implemented that implemented that insurance companies can no longer deny c...
ACEs are a social problem that interconnect and affect communities and families. The Social Ecological Model (SEM) considers the multifaceted interaction between various influences and has been used by the CDC to prevent child maltreatment. Child maltreatment includes several categories of ACEs and is an example of toxic stress. Therefore, the SEM prevention model would be appropriate for Washington County, as the prevention of ACEs requires understanding all the potential conditions and factors that cause them. The CDC uses a four level social ecological model to better understand potential strategies for prevention. The SEM studies the interchange between individual, relationship, community and societal elements (Middlebrooks & Audage, 2008).
The aim of affordable care act (ACA) was to extend health insurance coverage to around 15% of US population who lack it. These include people with no coverage from their employers and don’t have coverage by US health programs like Medicaid (Retrieved from, https://www.healthcare.gov/glossary/affordable-care-act/). To achieve this, the law required all Americans to have health insurance which is a reason of controversy because, it was inappropriate intrusion of government into the massive health care industry and insult to personal liberty. To make health care more affordable subsidies are offered and the cost of the insurance was supposed to be reduced by bringing younger, healthier people to the health insurance system. This could be controversial, if older, sicker people who need the coverage most enter the market but younger group decline to do so. The insurance pool will be unbalanced and the cost of coverage will rise correspondingly.
The Affordable Care Act may be an expansion of Medicare that helps provide for needy United States citizens, but it negatively impacts members of the medical field. Many United States Citizens will receive medical care that they originally could not afford to receive, but not all citizens will be eligible for Medicare even with the program’s expansion. The Affordable Care Act could and will provide help to many United States citizens, but it will not perform its purpose efficiently without more thought and consideration of the act’s secondary effects. This act will prove to be both a tremendous help to those in poverty and a menace to those working in the healthcare setting.
The Affordable Care Act, more commonly known as Obamacare, is a new health policy created by the American federal government. Its purpose is to make healthcare more affordable and friendly for the people. Unfortunately in some way that does not prove to be the case. It is becoming apparent that Obama may have made some misleading statements to help get the ACA put into action. The ACA is sprinkled with many flaws that call for a reform such as people’s current plans being terminated, high costs, and at minimum some people’s hours being cut by their employers.
Although some differences in health status observed across groups can be directly attributed to characteristic lifestyles and habits of living, factors such as prejudice, fear, and stereotyping may further isolate certain groups
Seeking to position lower socioeconomic status above racial/ethnic biases or vice versa is irresponsible to the goal of eliminating healthcare delivery differences at large. Both these are realities of a group of people who are not receiving the same level of care from the healthcare professionals although they exist within one of the most resource rich countries in the world, the United States. According to House & Williams (2000), “racism restricts and truncates socioeconomic attainment” (page, 106). This alone will hinder good health and spur on disparities as racism reduces the level of education and income as well as the prospect of better jobs. Blacksher (2008) cites the nation’s institutionalized racism as one of the leading factors
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
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.