Promoting Conservative Values
The conservatives are known for the careful consideration of their political actions and their consequences. One of the core goals of conservatism is to build a strong, sustainable society that would help to drive the country forward. The conservative ideology also stresses the importance of building unified societies. However, when it comes to health care, the communities are fractured, depending on income, race, and insurance.
Uninsured people are at a disadvantage when it comes to obtaining high-quality health care. Thus, the continued funding of the Vaccines for Uninsured Adults Program (VUA) is essential to promoting public health and building a stronger community. The present funding proposal seeks to explain the importance of the VUA program for the people of Wyoming and to explain how the program would contribute to the conservative agenda.
In Wyoming, vaccination rates are the lowest in America, with only 34.3% of adults being vaccinated against flu in 2016 (Gastaldo, 2016). Having low vaccination rates is dangerous, as it can lead to outbreaks of flu, pneumonia, hepatitis, and other preventable diseases. Improving vaccination rates is crucial to promote community health across the state. However, not all people have access to vaccinations. Uninsured people have lower access to medical care than the rest of the population, which means that their vaccination rate is even lower. Thus, reducing the threat of diseases in the uninsured population would help to reduce the threat to entire communities.
The VUA Program is currently supported by the Wyoming Department of Health (WDH) and serves to provide essential vaccinations to uninsured adults aged 19 and older (WDH, 2018). Under the program, uninsured adults can arrange a visit to a participating care provider and to receive a vaccination for pneumonia, mumps, diphtheria, human papillomavirus (HPV), and more (WDH, 2018). Continued funding for the program is crucial to ensure the safety of the state’s population.
The program contributes to the goals of conservatism by promoting social justice and strengthening local communities. Uninsured people usually come from low-income minority backgrounds, and thus they do not have enough resources to pay for healthcare. Thus, continuing the program would help to ensure social justice for low-income uninsured people. Also, the program helps to strengthen the local community by improving vaccination rates and preventing the spreading of life-threatening diseases that could harm both adults and children.
Overall, the VUA Program is important in improving the state’s vaccination rates, as it provides uninsured people with an opportunity to receive vaccines regularly. Moreover, the program contributes to the goals of the conservative ideology by promoting social justice and strengthening the community. Continued funding of this program would thus benefit both the people of Wyoming and the conservative political agenda.
Promoting Liberal Values
Liberalism is an ideology that stresses the importance of human rights, equality, and freedom. In America, we pride ourselves on being a free country with equal opportunities for people regardless of their race, gender, or background. However, low-income populations still face difficulties that threaten their basic human rights. People from underserved communities face struggles that prevent them from being equal to the rest of society, thus harming the liberal agenda. The majority of uninsured persons come from low-income backgrounds, which limits their ability to obtain health care. The continued funding of the Vaccines for Uninsured Adults (VUA) Program could help to promote human rights and equality for the low-income populations of Wyoming.
Vaccination rates in Wyoming are the lowest in the country, which affects the health of children and adults. While insured people have access to medical care and can keep their vaccinations up-to-date, many people from low-income communities do not have this opportunity. Throughout the country, 27.6 million people are uninsured (“Kay facts about the uninsured population,” 2017). Wyoming remains among the states that never adopted the Affordable Care Act of 2014, which means that a significant share of the population has limited access to health care. As of 2016, 11% of the state’s population is uninsured (“Key facts,” 2017).
Uninsured people experience more adverse health outcomes than those who have insurance. Providing adequate preventive care to the uninsured would help to avoid infections that could affect entire communities.
Access to adequate health care is widely considered to be an essential right of all human beings. Limited access to health care based on income and background, thus, becomes an issue of equal rights and opportunities. Continued funding of the VUA Program could help thousands of adults in Wyoming to receive vaccinations, thus lowering the risk of dangerous diseases, such as pneumonia, flu, and measles. Most importantly, however, funding the program would help to promote human rights and fight inequality throughout the state, thus fostering liberal values and goals.
Overall, the program contributes to the health of uninsured people in Wyoming. Many of these people come from disadvantaged, low-income backgrounds, and thus have difficulties accessing health care services. Erasing the gap in preventive care access between the uninsured people and the insured part of the community by providing access to vaccinations could help to advance the liberal agenda throughout the state. Besides, it would assist in improving population health in underserved communities, promoting access to health care as one of the vital human rights. Therefore, it is crucial to continue funding the program to encourage equality in Wyoming communities.
References
Gastaldo, E. (2016). 10 states with lowest vaccination rates. The Newser. Web.
Key facts about the uninsured population. (2017). Web.
Wyoming Department of Health (WDH). (2018). Adults need immunized too! Web.