Essay On Health Disparities
Health disparities are a continuing issue, especially in America where there are many different socioeconomic hierarchies that can affect the level of health care. These health disparities refer to the different groups of people and how diseases affect each group. There have been many studies done to identify the health disparities driven by socioeconomic status (SES). Most all of the studies have provided evidence that racial and ethnic minorities tend to receive lower quality health care than the non-minorities (APA, 2015). Acculturation is another concept related to a culture that could explain ethnic disparities in health outcomes (Egede, 2006). Although there has been an increase in medical technology, studies continue to show that
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Although there have been many positive strides in civil rights, race remains a significant factor in determining whether an individual receives care, whether an individual receives high quality care, and in determining health outcomes (NIH, 2015). Inequality in education, income, and occupation exacerbates the gaps between the health disparities (Adler & Newman, 2002). The Institute of Medicine (IOM) landmark report, Unequal Treatment, provides compelling evidence that racial and ethnic disparities continue to grow despite efforts to reduce or eliminate racial and ethnic health care disparities (Fairhall, 2008). Since this report, there has been renewed interest in understanding the sources of disparities, identifying contributing factors, and designing and evaluating effective interventions to reduce or eliminate racial and ethnic disparities in health care (Egede, 2006). Economic historians interested in health try to understand the relationship of inequality and health. Some evidence of closing the gap of health disparities are, for example, Social Security dramatically reduced the proportion of elderly who lived in poverty, Federal Reserve policies that lowered interest rates, cut unemployment and led to wage increases, welfare benefits, subsidized housing, U.S. surgeon general’s report on smoking, and schools increasing physical and nutritional education (Adler & Newman,
Although there have been many positive strides in civil rights, race remains a significant factor in determining whether an individual receives care, whether an individual receives high quality care, and in determining health outcomes (NIH, 2015). Inequality in education, income, and occupation exacerbates the gaps between the health disparities (Adler & Newman, 2002). The Institute of Medicine (IOM) landmark report, Unequal Treatment, provides compelling evidence that racial and ethnic disparities continue to grow despite efforts to reduce or eliminate racial and ethnic health care disparities (Fairhall, 2008). Since this report, there has been renewed interest in understanding the sources of disparities, identifying contributing factors, and designing and evaluating effective interventions to reduce or eliminate racial and ethnic disparities in health care (Egede, 2006). Economic historians interested in health try to understand the relationship of inequality and health. Some evidence of closing the gap of health disparities are, for example, Social Security dramatically reduced the proportion of elderly who lived in poverty, Federal Reserve policies that lowered interest rates, cut unemployment and led to wage increases, welfare benefits, subsidized housing, U.S. surgeon general’s report on smoking, and schools increasing physical and nutritional education (Adler & Newman,