While many argue that minorities and ethnicities face health care disparities due to racial backgrounds, other argue that these disparities instead occur because of a large range of dimensions. The populations most vulnerable to health and health care disparities are often referred to as priority or vulnerable populations. Vulnerable populations include groups that are not well integrated into the health care system across a variety of characteristics, including race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, age, geographic location, language, gender, disability status, citizenship status, and sexual identity and orientation. Disparities also occur within subgroups of populations. For example, among Hispanics, there are differences in health and health
As a low-income, first-generation Mexican American/college graduate, my personal identities and experiences uniquely position me to contribute to RFU’s diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts (DEI). Through my journey, I have encountered various challenges and triumphs that have shaped my perspective and deepened my commitment to promoting DEI in healthcare and beyond. My lived experience growing up in an economically disadvantaged and medically underserved community has heightened my awareness of the healthcare disparities and inequities that exist, especially being raised in a traditional Hispanic household. It has fueled my passion to address these issues and advocate for accessible, culturally sensitive, and equitable healthcare.
There is a large gap between the people with coverage and the people without. In one article, the author states, “Minority groups have a harder time obtaining health insurance” (“Overview of the American Healthcare System”). This may be greatly due to the fact that minorities usually live in lower income areas. The same author also brought something to light: “Health disparities adversely affect groups of people who have systematically experienced greater social and/or economic obstacles...based on their racial or ethnic group; religion; socioeconomic status; gender; age; mental health; cognitive, sensory, or physical disability; sexual orientation; geographic location; or other characteristics historically linked to discrimination or exclusion” (Overview of the American Healthcare System).
According to Chin (2005), populations at risk are the individuals that are mostly susceptible to disease such as underprivileged, weak, incapacitated, economically disadvantaged, homeless, racial and ethnic minorities, individuals with low knowledge or education, victims of abuse or maltreatment, and individuals with social risk elements such as isolation . While vulnerable population is a group or groups that are more possible to develop health-related problems, have more trouble gaining access to health care to address those health difficulties, and are more likely to experience a poor consequence or shorter life span because of those health conditions. That is, there are provoking factors that place individuals at greater risk for persistent poor health status than other at-risk individuals (Maurer, 2013). Risk and vulnerability are interrelated to each other.
Which racial/ethnic groups are more likely to be affected by health disparities? Why? Certain racial and ethnical groups that heath disparities will affect include minorities, gender, gender identity, social classes and geography. Minorities and disabled are often more likely to be in health disparities rather than others. Also those in lower economic classes are also more affected than the wealthier class.
Occupational health disparities exit on many jobs. Health disparities may be defined as differences in disease incidence, mental illness, or morbidity and mortality that exist among specific populations (CDC, 2012). The classification of vulnerability is determined by age, race, income, employment, etc. Immigrants fits the definition of being vulnerable because they are a racial minority, temporary workers and has cultural and language barriers. Their economical and political resource may put them at a disadvantage.
Kaiser Family Foundation (2012), health and health care despairs refer to differences in the health and health care between population groups. The health disparity generally refers to a higher burden of illness, injury, disability, or mortality experienced by one population group relative to another. A health care disparity typically refers to the differences between groups in health coverage, access to care, and quality of care. While disparities are commonly viewed through the lens of race and ethnicity, they occur across many dimensions, including socioeconomic status, age, location, gender, disability status, and sexual orientation (HKFF,
The lack of financial resources can be a big problem to access to health care. The lack of available finance is a barrier to health care for many Americans but access to health care is reduced most among minority populations. The irregular source of care is another reason why access to health is a disparity. Compared to white individuals ethnic or racial minorities are less likely to be able to visit the same doctor on a regular basis and tend to rely more on clinics and emergency rooms (News Medical Life Sciences). 5.
As time continues to march forward, the trend in the growing gap between the haves and the have-nots continues to widen. We now know that these trends have real consequences for the health of patients and society as a whole. As a nation, we have conventionally thought it was acceptable if the rich got richer, so long as the poor were modestly provided for. As the healthcare industry evolves due to the growing socioeconomic gap between rich and poor, the health of the nation as a whole deteriorates and the cost of maintaining an economically operational healthcare system becomes impossible. For nurses who live and work in this environment, it is their duty and moral obligation to advocate for every single patient, regardless of patient characteristics like; immigration status, race, gender, location and income level.
Achieving and maintaining good health can help a person lead a longer, more productive life. People who have the capability of seeing their primary doctor for annual health assessments, and when they are ill, also have a higher chance at a longer life. People who live in an area of high poverty do not have the same access to health care as people in middle or upper class areas. People who live in areas that are predominantly minorities or areas of lower social class may not have doctors in private practice, they may have "free clinics", walk in centers and county run hospitals. Doctors unfortunately want to be in an area where they can make money.
These two barriers make them experience hardships to see a healthcare provider or to explain their medical issues (Angel and Angel, 2006). How might these factors be overcome? Discrimination is no longer institutional in the U.S. like in the past decades. Therefore, racial and social disparities that create health disparities have diminished. However, there is still a long way to resolving definitively these issues because of prejudices, ongoing social discriminations.
Vulnerable populations are those with a greater risk of developing health conditions. These groups may have difficulty accessing healthcare because of sociocultural status, limited economic resources, geographic, or characteristics such as age, gender (****). This separation puts members of these groups at risk for not obtaining necessary medical care and thus creates a possible threat to their health. Vulnerable populations include some group like chronically ill, people with HIV/AIDS, mentally ill and disabilities, substance abusers and homeless groups population. For example, disadvantaged and poor working individuals who are unable to obtain health care due to their immigrant status also ethnic minority groups, typically discriminated against even though they have successful careers, higher education and
The Fraser Institute’s World Index of Economic Freedom (Area 5B) provides a measure of how regulated a country labor market is. It takes into account minimum wage, hiring and firing regulations, existence of centralized collective bargaining, hours regulations, mandated cost of worker dismissal or even conscription. D.1.7 Health inequality (health_inequality) Part of income inequality may also be driven by inequality in access to the healthcare system.
In lecture, Dr. Calman mentioned how the need for medical care and the prescription of drugs were delayed for those that were people of color and for those that did not have health insurance (Calman, 2018). In 2011, there were more people in minority groups that were uninsured compared to their white counterparts. The white population had 13% of people uninsured while each minority group had a range from 15% to 32% of their population uninsured (Calman, 2018). Without health insurance, minorities cannot afford medical attention and receive medical attention in a timely manner. Those with private insurance receive special care such as having access to a private doctor, or having an experienced physician to check on them.
There is a common phenomenon in the China that many people treated with inequality and injustice in health care. As as Martin Luther King, Jr.’s saying goes “Of all the forms of inequality, injustice in health care is the most shocking and inhumane”. From my point of view, i firmly agree with this point in that each individual has equal right to enjoy the suitable health care. It is intolerable for the whole society to make the health care injustice as a seriously public health problem. In this essay, some facts about the injustice will be given.
the health care workforce. E. Funding should be continued and increased for programs and initiatives that work to increase the number of physicians and other health care professionals in minority communities. 7: Social determinants of health are a significant source of health disparities among racial and ethnic minorities. Inequities in education, housing, job security, and environmental health must be erased if health disparities are to be effectively addressed. 8: Efforts must be made to reduce the effect of environmental stressors that disproportionately threaten to harm the health and well-being of racial and ethnic communities.