The primary goal of the government is to serve its people by implementing appropriate policies and establishing various agencies. Some of the key areas that politicians should take into consideration include social welfare, healthcare, and education. In the United States, disparities have remained a major predicament that affects the experiences of different people with diverse racial and cultural backgrounds. This question will guide the study presented below and support the formulation of the most appropriate conclusion: What factors have resulted in health disparities among different demographic, gender, and racial groups in the US?
Background Information
Health disparities is a term that scholars use to analyze and describe the differences that affect the overall access to medical services and wellbeing. The prevalence, incidence, or adverse effects of specific diseases tend to affect certain groups than others (Fiscella and Sanders 380). The presence of these differences is attributable to a wide range of factors and aspects that have the potential to affect the experiences of many people. Past analysts and scholars have identified disparities as a major concern that government leaders and policymakers should address using evidence-based approaches. Unfortunately, those in power have failed to implement evidence-based strategies to address most of the existing gaps. Consequently, the overall outcomes of the affected individuals have continued to decline within the past few decades.
In this country, analysts have identified specific conditions that affect specific people in the community. For example, Bailey et al. indicates that obesity is a chronic medical condition affecting most of the minorities in the country (Bailey et al. 1455). The patients will be unable to lead high-quality lives or pursue their economic potential. Obese persons will also be at risk of various illnesses, such as stroke, diabetes, cancer, and heart disease. However, experts still believe that the recorded differences should not form the basis for this topic since majority of the citizens are usually at risk of some of the identified conditions.
Health disparities connected to gender, demographic, and racial backgrounds have remained predominant in this country. Most of the improvements, social programs, and policies implemented within the past three decades have failed to change the situation (Fiscella and Sanders 384). This predicament makes it impossible for some members of the community to seek high-quality medical services. Others will take long before receiving personalized health support since they lack adequate insurance cover (Fiscella and Sanders 385). Individuals from minority groups are usually affected the most by these problems. Such realities explain why a new study was needed to investigate and identify the triggers of the recorded racial disparities in healthcare attainment in the US. Similarly, women are affected the most by cancer, lack job opportunities, and find it hard to acquire timely medical services in comparison with men (“CDC Health Disparities & Inequalities Report”). Female citizens from minority groups encounter additional challenges, thereby being unable to record positive health outcomes.
Investigation and Findings
The completed qualitative study presented timely insights regarding the nature of health disparity when examined from racial, demographic, and gender perspectives. For instance, Assari observed that Asians, Native Americans, African Americans, and Hispanics had higher chances of experiencing numerous medical challenges, such as disability, injury, disease burden, and even premature death (6). Most of the citizens from these populations encounter other problems that worsen their situations, including reduced economic opportunities and poor living standards. Since 1985, the American government implemented superior policies and approaches to minimize some of the recorded gaps (Bailey et al. 1458). The primary intention was ensure that more people were able to access better services.
In terms of demographics, the elderly and disabled persons encounter various barriers when trying to access medical services. Some of these individuals had higher chances of becoming homeless or lacking health insurance. Disabled citizens without access to various natural supports had trouble seeking new jobs or focusing on the health needs (“10 Facts on Health Inequities and their Causes”). Women have been affected the most by various disparities that are attributable to the established social and empowerment programs. Within the past century, more women have encountered diverse obstacles that have affected their overall health experiences (“About Us”). Some of them include the problem of glass ceiling, workplace discrimination, and unavailability of women-specific medical services.
Unfortunately, the experiences and outcomes of most of the people from the minority racial groups explain why there is a need for effective changes. Citizens with diverse racial backgrounds are associated with unique factors that determine their health outcomes. For example, Assari identifies socio-economic forces as powerful attributes that dictate the overall health of many ethnic groups (4). People from minority groups, the disabled, and women have been unable to get educational opportunities in the past. This trend has created a disparity whereby the affected individuals lack adequate competencies for engaging in acceptable health behaviors or practices. Consequently, such citizens have been associated with various medical conditions and risks, such as reduced levels of physical activity, alcohol abuse, smoking, and obesity (del Pino et al. 3315). The issue of poor education attainment creates a new complexity whereby most of the women, disabled persons, and citizens from minority races are unable to get good paying jobs. Such individuals will find it hard to purchase appropriate health insurance plan.
In the US, most of the available clinical services are designed in such a way that they focus on the demands of the majority while ignoring women and the disabled. The implemented health model also meets the demands of individuals who have adequate financial resources. The established public resources have also been unable to meet the changing demands of many individuals in the country, such as alcohol abusers and smokers (del Pino et al. 3316). The overall outcome is that most of the people will record negative health experiences. The nature of service delivery ensures that those who have permanent jobs will find it easier to purchase health insurance and access the required medical services.
The government has failed to acknowledge the social and cultural differences that define the lives of many citizens with diverse backgrounds or physical disabilities (Rose 67). Such a malpractice has created a scenario whereby the system does not support the use of traditional herbs. Native Americans living in urban regions are forced to embrace the power of conventional medicine even when they have little trust in it. This gap has worsened the situation much further by making it impossible for many people to record positive health outcomes (Bailey et al. 1457). The same problem emerges when disabled persons have lacked the relevant resources and support to pursue their economic and health objectives. The end result is that new barriers emerge that make it hard for most of the individuals to obtain high-quality and timely health services.
Lifestyle behaviors tend to influence the overall health outcomes of more people in different parts of the US. Assari also indicates that such tendencies are directly linked to race or ethnicity (7). For example, most of the people who have lacked adequate opportunities in the past will engage in behaviors that could have significant impacts on their overall health. Tobacco use and drug abuse are common predicaments affecting some of the citizens from minority groups.
Women who are unable to get timely screening services have higher chances of developing a wide range of medical complications, such as cardiovascular disease and cancer. Most of the incentives and strategies put in place to address most of these disparities have failed to deliver positive results (Fiscella and Sanders 384). Experts should consider the nature of these issues if they are to support the delivery of high-quality medical services to every citizen in this country.
Recommendations
The above discussion has revealed that the issue of health disparity in the US is a reality that continues to affect many underserved populations, including women, the disabled, and the elderly, and minorities. The questions of race, gender, and demographics emerge when analyzing this question since individuals from minority groups are affected the most. The government needs to appreciate these realities and consider new ways of providing timely solutions (Bailey et al. 1458). First, the relevant agencies should begin by examining most of the socioeconomic factors that are directly linked to this problem (Yearby 1125). For example, the level of education attainment in this country has been imbalanced, thereby affecting the financial position of minorities, women, and disabled individuals. The empowerment of the victims and the elderly using proper programs will change the situation and deliver positive results.
The identified solution will guide and ensure that more people are in a position to get competitive jobs and be in a position to afford health insurance. Second, the government can implement evidence-based changes to ensure that care delivery processes are personalized, non-discriminative, and capable of combining traditional medical practices (Fiscella and Sanders 382). Such measures will minimize such gaps and eventually ensure that all citizens in the US have access to high-quality and reliable medical services. This achievement will make it possible for the government to focus on other challenges most of the citizens might be going through.
Conclusion
Many American citizens are currently grappling with the existing disparities in health care. Such differences are attributable to a wide range of racially-oriented factors, such as past socioeconomic factors, absence of proper legislation and policies, and past injustices. A paradigm shift is needed whereby more elderly, disabled, and underprivileged women will have access to high-quality services. The government needs to address gender, demographic, and racial disparities, provide equal opportunities to all, and implement reasonable changes to streamline the existing medical practices.
Works Cited
“10 Facts on Health Inequities and their Causes.” WHO, 2017, Web.
“About Us.” Closing the Gap program, 2020. Web.
Assari, Shervin. “Unequal Gain of Equal Resources across Racial Groups.” International Journal of Health Policy Management, vol. 7, no. 1, 2018, pp. 1-9.
Bailey, Zinzi D., et al. “Structural Racism and Health Inequities in the USA: Evidence and Interventions.” The Lancet, vol. 389, no. 1, 2017, pp. 1453-1463.
“CDC Health Disparities & Inequalities Report (CHDIR).” CDC, Web.
del Pino, Sandra, et al. “Health Inequalities amongst People of African Descent in the Americas, 2005–2017: A Systematic Review of the Literature.” International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, vol. 16, no. 18, 2019, pp. 3302-3325.
Fiscella, Kevin, and Michelle R. Sanders. “Racial and Ethnic Disparities in the Quality of Health Care.” Annual Review of Public Health, 37, no. 1, 2016, pp. 375-394.
Rose, Patti. Health Disparities, Diversity and Inclusion: Context, Controversies, and Solutions. Jones & Bartlett Learning, 2017.
Yearby, Ruqaiijah. “Racial Disparities in Health Status and Access to Healthcare: The Continuation of Inequality in the United States Due to Structural Racism.” The American Journal of Economics and Sociology, vol. 77, no. 3-4, 2018, pp. 1113-1152.