Disparities In Healthcare

According to Baldwin (2003) health care disparities are the differences in health and health care between population groups including race, socioeconomic status, age, location, gender, disability, and sexual orientation. Disparities limits the improvements of quality health care which could result in unnecessary health care expenses. Factors that are contributing to disparities within today’s society are lack of access to quality health care and the number of individuals who are uninsured. As the population continue to grow and become more diverse health care disparities will continue to increase. Patient centered care efforts will improve health care and will assist with eliminating disparities. Patient centered care will promote patient

Those who work in the health care field can create and promote a plan for decreasing disparities in health care. Interventions can also be held based upon one 's race, social status, age, or any of the other factor contributing to health disparities. Providing health care equally to all people will also assist in ending disparities. If everyone is given equal opportunities and treatment, then everyone will be at a fair advantage for good health despite their race, geographic location, age, or socioeconomic structure.

Many Americans were led to believe that the introduction of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act in 2009 would put an end to disparities in health care access. While it did improve the situation for a small percentage of the population there are still many Americans who lack access to good quality health care. Health care access in America is determined by money and those in lower socioeconomic groups frequently tend to miss out on adequate care. In a recent health care report by the national health research foundation Kaiser Family Foundation, it was noted “health care disparities remain a persistent problem in the United States, leading to certain groups being at higher risk of being uninsured, having limited access to care, and experiencing poorer quality of care” (Kaiser Family Foundation). The current health care

Health Care in the US is arguably available to all who seek it but not everybody has had the same experience and treatment when walking through the doors of a healthcare facility. In many cases, people are discriminated against due to their gender, race/ethnicity, age, and income and are often provided with minimal service. Differences between groups in health coverage, access to care, and quality of care is majorly affected through these disparities. Income is a major factor and can cause groups of people to experience higher burden of illness, injury, disability, or mortality relative to another group.

Healthcare differences or disparities refer to the condition or state of unequal, unlikeness, and disproportion that is observed between people within a society with regard to access to healthcare services (Williams & Torrens, 2011). Such differences are caused by different demographics such as economic status, age, gender, color, and ethnicity. In the United States, such disparities have been witnessed since time immemorial. These differences mean that some people within the country do not have access to quality healthcare services whereas others have full access at all times. Some of these differences in access to healthcare in the country are discussed below.

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,

Some areas in the United States face higher rates of crime and drug abuse. This contributes to the prevalence of health disparities within different communities. In order to eliminate or decrease the distinct difference between areas that are at higher health risks than others one must begin to understand why they exist.

Health disparities are the different kinds of illness that occur among different population groups. Over the years, technology has advanced as well as education but they have only helped out certain groups dealing with health disparities as there still are problems involving health disparities. One reason health disparities still exist is due to race and ethnicity. Depending on your racial and ethnical background plays a huge factor in health disparities. Certain racial groups are lacking the eduction about health disparities. They are lacking the education because they don't have access to health care and limited education. So they are unable to get the education about what exactly health disparities is. Another reason we still have health

Health disparities have been an issue all over the world. In the United States, individual and community activism have been seen in an attempt to address the health inequalities of the underrepresented groups tracing back to 1781 (Mitchell, 2015). With the passing of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), the hope for social equality and justice through insurance for all remains complex. The legislation will certainly provide better health outcomes, but health advocacy remains an important aspect in changing the landscape of our health system. A study indicated that the overall rate of insurance coverage increased and a decreased in “coverage disparities related to race and ethnicity” was noted a few years after the ACA was passed (Buchmueller,

The author also highlighted that addressing issues concerning unequal availability to healthcare is in imperative in order to reducing health disparities (McHenry, 2012). I think as APNs one thing we can do is make patient aware of what their insurance will cover and what types of services they are eligible for. For many patient, suggested interventions and treatments may be disregarded due to a lack of financial means. In addition to this many people have simply decided not to take advantage of health insurance coverage that is available to

Integrated healthcare is key to eliminating mental and physical health disparities by addressing the needs of people based on their differences in their race, socio-economic status, and culture. An integrated healthcare organization is competent of responding to a community with challenges of long standing health disparities. Healthcare professionals in an integrated system are cross-trained in both physical and behavioral health to handle the challenges of mental and physical health disparities. It improves the quality of care of the population by lowering costs, enhancing patient access, and improving the life of both individuals and families. The con of addressing the long standing health disparity is managing the care of patients and

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

Health care disparities are unfortunate and being culturally competent is an essential step toward eliminating these inequalities. In this discussion, I will review what disparities are associated with the Appalachian culture and how they affect health status, employment, and education. I will also identify two nursing interventions that could be taken to help decrease the affect that health disparities have on the Appalachians and review what the biggest challenge would be when implementing the interventions.

In a Health care and Research Quality report focusing on national trends in the equality of health care, it was found that major disparities still exist in America (Casale, 2010). Casale (2010), found that blacks received worse care than Whites for about 40% of measures, Asian Americans received worse care than Whites for about 20% of measures, and Hispanics received worse care than non- Hispanic Whites for about 60% of core measures. These statistics reflected the disparities and show an alarming gap in the quality of care being received. According to the Agency for Health care Research and Quality (AHRQ), very few disparities in quality of care for minorities are

There is evidence that suggests individuals of lower economic status and certain minority populations receive lower quality healthcare. Furthermore, it has been documented that disparity exists between treatment received by minorities with HIV, heart disease, and cancer which can ultimately lead to reduced patient outcomes (McCorry and Mason, 2011). How infuriating! It is my belief that humans are all created equally in the eyes of God and should receive equal treatment. Gallatians 3:28 teaches us, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (English Standard Version).