Abstract
The disparities in the American healthcare systems have been depicted in the form of discrimination, which takes place when people from different socioeconomic, cultural, and racial groups try to access the healthcare being provided. In most cases, the disparities in providing health services emerge when different or particular groups try to access health care, the results of health-care services, or when diseases emerge. Several policy strategies should be implemented to eliminate inequality.
Introduction
In the US, the inequalities in the healthcare scheme have emerged as a common challenge amongst racial factions namely Latin speakers, Innate American speakers, Asians, and Africans. Such people have been denied the right to access or get appropriate healthcare services when the need arises. For instance, researches reveal that racial groups that encounter such healthcare inequalities become prone to poor health results, high death rates, and chronic diseases.
Purpose Statement
The paper discusses the disparities in the US healthcare systems. The paper finally offers the recommended plan to address the disparities in the US healthcare system.
Research Questions/ hypotheses
- What are health care and health disparity?
- Does the provision of proper health care really matter?
- What are recommended plans meant to eliminate the inequalities in the healthcare system?
Research Plan
Disparities in the healthcare system emerge when people from different ethnic groups have unequal chances of accessing the available health services. Such disparities result in high death rates, disabilities, injuries, and increased levels of infection being experienced in different proportions by different groups. The inequality also arises when different groups have an unequal level of access to quality health care and healthcare coverage (Andrulis, 2010). Whereas such inequalities appear only in terms of ethnic and cultural variations, the disparities take place athwart various scopes namely sexual orientation, the status of inabilities, sexual category, locality, age, and socioeconomic status.
Any disparity in the provision of health services tends to increase the costs incurred to offer such services while reducing the chances of continuously improving the health of the population as well as the general value of health care (Singh & Siahpush, 2006). Research shows that 30.0% of the overall direct expenses incurred by Asian Americans, Hispanics, and Blacks emerge to be the additional expenses incurred as a result of inequalities reported in the provision of health care (Peck & Denney, 2012). Thus, disparities in the healthcare system result in $309.0 billion loss reported annually as a result of the indirect and direct disparity expenses.
Currently, various people are extremely in danger of getting the worst healthcare results, being uninsured, lacking access to adequate health care, and being uninsured. The majority of such people include the low-income earners and colored individuals. In fact, colored individuals and those with low wages are expected to lack health insurance covers (Smith, 2012). The racially discriminated groups encounter poor healthcare results, receive low-quality health care, and various obstacles when they want to access health care.
Action plan
Challenges associated with healthcare inequalities are reportedly increasing. To address the issue, it is prudent to recognize and reduce the apparent tribal and cultural healthcare inequalities. The government should ensure that any law intended to reduce inequalities is enacted and implemented. The law should ensure that the minority groups could access and get quality health care. The public and governments should start awareness campaigns to reduce the disparity gaps.
Health-care providers, private institutions, local societies, and the country government should be part of the teams involved in reducing healthcare inequalities. The team should provide funds directed towards reducing certain community-founded inequalities. The interventions implemented should be focusing on educating, teaching groups on ethnic competency and outreach in order to abridge the level of disparities and ensure that the deprived groups access adequate healthcare services.
Conclusion
Health-care inequality is a trending problem reported in the US. The vice makes the unprivileged and minority groups to be exposed to poor healthcare results, restricted access to appropriate healthcare services, prone to getting diseases, and the risks associated with being uninsured. To eliminate inequalities in the US healthcare system, the government should be focusing on helping societies experience more risks.
References
Andrulis, D. (2010). Patient protection and affordable care act of 2010: Advancing health equity for racially and ethnically diverse populations. Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, 2(3), 1-21.
Peck, B. & Denney, M. (2012). Disparities in the conduct of the medical encounter: The effect of physician and patient race and gender. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE.
Singh, G. & Siahpush, M. (2006). Widened socioeconomic inequalities in US life expectancy 1980-2000. International Journal of Epidemiology, 35(5), 969-979.
Smith, D. (2012). Health care disparities for person with limited English proficiency: Relationships from the 2006 medical expenditure panel survey. Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice, 3(3), 57-67.