Health Disparities
In my opinion I believe that health disparities are a social injustice problem. The reason I say this is because non-minorities receive better health care than racial minorities. Racial and ethnic disparities in health care exist. The disparities in health care have always come down to a social inequality and evidence of it presents its self-every day in American life. Many sources contribute to these disparities. Such as the health system and health care providers. Health care, including access, quality and delivery of medical services are likely contributors to health disparities. Persons of higher socioeconomic status have available a broad range of resources to benefit their health and therefore hold an advantage in warding off whatever particular threats to health exist at a given time. Health insurance also plays a part in the socioeconomic problem. Some people are not able to get health insurance so they go to “free” clinics which don’t provide all the care that they need. The worst health problems and premature deaths are highly concentrated in neighborhoods that also experience a host of other social inequalities, including lack of basic sanitation and water services, and high poverty rates. Health disparities are growing, despite the fact that people in all groups are living longer. Disparities in health are growing between the advantaged and least advantaged groups, despite gains in medical technology and increased access to medical care. According to the CDC report Health, United States, persons living in poverty are more than three times as likely to rate their health as poor than are persons with incomes twice the poverty level (CDC, 2004, Table 57). “More than 30 percent of direct medical costs faced by African Americans, Hispanics, and Asian Americans were excess costs due to health inequities – more than $230 billion over a three year period” (The Economic Burden of Health Inequalities in the United States pg. 5). So by the...