Discrimination In Healthcare

Discrimination has been a major social issue for as long as time, with the changing landscape of race and ethnicity in the U.S. manifesting discrimination in different ways over time. In an incredibly diverse society racial discrimination is prevalent and has greater damages and implications than many imagine. Racism is defined as a set of attitudes, beliefs, and practices used to justify the superior treatment of one racial or ethnic group and the inferior treatment of another racial or ethnic group. Racism is always accompanied by prejudice, a negative attitude based on faulty generalizations about members of selected racial and ethnic groups (p. 53). Racism and prejudice are the ideological basis for discrimination. Discrimination is more
far reaching then racial slurs or simple exclusions, and can effectively exclude racial minorities from employment, education, and the ability to participate in greater society. An unseen cost of discrimination is its effects on the mental and physical health of the racial minorities that face discrimination. The trauma of constant discrimination leads to a higher prevalence of mental health issues such as depression, and can negatively impact the quality of healthcare people receive.
It seems that because minority groups are overrepresented amongst those in poverty that these issues could be explained by the poorer health and mental health issues that are more prevalent among those in poverty. However, discrimination effects healthcare in wealthier minority groups such as Asian Indian Americans. Nearly one in ten Asian Indian Americans reports having perceived discrimination when seeking or receiving healthcare. While this percentage is low in comparison with other minority groups, the high income levels of those surveyed demonstrate that it is more than a socioeconomic issue (Misra, p.6). Discrimination leads to poor mental health outcomes and higher rates of anxiety and depression among those that report being discriminated against. In a study on the economic impact of these poor mental health outcomes, Elias says, “the economic consequences experiences of racial discrimination extend beyond the immediate targets to those witnessing discrimination”(p.1) The effects of discrimination on health are real and costly to individuals and society as a
whole. Racial discrimination is perhaps one of the most difficult social issues to combat because it is rooted in racist ideology, not legislation or public policy. While it is positive that more states have adopted legislation the recognizes hate crimes, it does not address the root of discrimination. Affirmative Action and other policy moves have attempted to rid institutions of discriminatory practices or create more opportunities for minority groups, but only with limited success. Ending discriminatory acts starts with addressing the racial prejudice of individuals and functions of society. The field of psychology has been instrumental in studying the prevalence and impact of racial prejudice on individuals and society. Implicit biases effect healthcare and how physicians approach their patients and the quality of care they receive, even if these biases are unknown to the physician (Mays, p. 20). Psychological understanding of racism can be utilized in policy initiatives that emphasize education and early intervention. Educating elementary aged children about racial biases helps to keep those biases from being formed (Mays, p.22). Policy that educates and encourages introspection into racial prejudice is doing a lot to breakdown the prejudice that causes discrimination. Another way of breaking down prejudice is by engaging with minority groups facing discrimination.
College campuses have encouraged this through service-learning, which puts students in communities to serve in different areas and subsequently learn from that service. A study at St. Mary’s College found that twenty-nine of thirty students engaged in service-learning felt that they were more aware of racial inequality and their own prejudice (Reed-Bouley, p.2). Engaging those facing discrimination and making space for discussion void of hateful rhetoric are important ways of addressing discrimination that are becoming more and more
popular. The role of discrimination in society can be examined through the functionalist perspective. Functionalist consider assimilation, the process by which minority groups adopt the norms of mainstream society, as important to maintaining social order. This assimilation has primarily followed the Anglo-conformity model, where minority groups are expected to adopt Anglo-American culture and customs (Kendall, p.56). Other functionalists emphasize ethnic pluralism, where a society is harmonious because of the coexistence of different ethnic groups as opposed to assimilation. While ideally this is what the U.S. would be like, the U.S. is more categorized as segregated due to economic disparity among groups (Kendall, p.58). Discrimination, especially in regards to healthcare prevents society from functioning ideally. Conflict Perspective considers discrimination a product of class stratification and capitalist power controlled by the main racial group. Conflict theorists believe that the division of social classes in labor perpetuate racial division and discrimination (Kendall, p. 59). In regards to healthcare, this stratification is evident in the quality of medical care available to different racial groups. When areas highly concentrated with racial minorities have poorer or fewer hospitals and medical clinics, they are disadvantaged compared to the more powerful, predominately white groups with better access. Often racial minorities have little control over the healthcare plans or medical care available to them. These conflicts foster discrimination and leave racial minorities at a disadvantage in many ways. As a member of the dominant society it can be easy to ignore or downplay the effects of discrimination on racial minorities and the negative impact it has on their lives and health. As Christians I think we are called to acknowledge these inequities and promote justice and quality of life for all. We need to search ourselves and our local churches for seeds of prejudice that leads to discrimination. I largely believed that we lived in a society no longer affected by discrimination until I opened up my own circle and began to interact with and build real relationships with people not of the same racial or socioeconomic background as myself. This is an incredibly complex issue but one we can begin to address first with ourselves, and then our immediate community and strive for love and justice.