Inequities and disparities in health care

            Despite being a nation associated with wealth and access to a lot of resources, the health care condition in the United States still remains unsatisfactory as there is a significant number of people in the country with limited access to adequate medical care. To begin with, the health care system has become so expensive that finding good medical care is difficult without a proper medical care. For those who live in poverty or do not have adequate incomes, it becomes difficult to pay for medical covers and serious illnesses make life difficult as those affected do not have the money to take care of the medical bills on their own. Even the people who afford medical care still lack proper covers as issues related to eyesight, dental and audiology among other medical issues are not covered by the medical insurance that the citizens can afford. While some of these issues may not necessarily be life threatening, they are issues of concern due to the effect that they have on an individual’s health as well as their life. While a lot of emphasis has been placed on the topic of equality in the field of medicine, there still exists medical inequities and disparities which are greatly as a result of lack of better understanding of what inequities and disparities are.

            The ambiguous nature of the definition for inequities and disparities makes it difficult to resolve the issue as policy makers find a hard time identifying the disparities and what needs to be done in order to overcome them. in general terms, a disparity is a measure of quality that is used to differentiate people and place them in groups in relation to a specific measure of health (Hill, 2016). Inequities on the other hand are defined as differences in the way in which resources are distributed and allocated among groups with different backgrounds and status. Inequities and disparities in the medical field can therefore refer to the different rate and ease in which people access quality health care depending on their social, economic and environmental factors.

            Although a lot of effort has been put in eradicating inequities and disparities in the health care industry, there has been a great deal of ambiguity in defining the inequities which makes it difficult to determine what issue needs to be resolved so as to ensure that everyone has equal access to the same medical services regardless of their social or economic background (Matthew, 2018). The ambiguous nature makes it difficult to allocate resources to the appropriate cause and this makes it difficult to eradicate the disparities. Since the inequities and disparities are not accurately defined, social groups could end up collecting funds aimed at helping those affected by disparities but end up misappropriating them since they may be used to help the wrong group or those that may not necessarily need them.

            The ambiguities make it difficult to identify areas that need attention due to the inequities they create in the health care industry. An example of an ambiguity is the case where the elderly have poorer health compared to the young or the likelihood that a specific disease affects the poor more than the rich (Hill, 2016).  While such differences are not necessarily disparities, they are issues that could be addressed but since they often go unresolved, they are a good example of how other disparities that need attention can also go unnoticed; and therefore unresolved. An ideal solution for the inequities and disparities that exist in the medical field would therefore to clearly define them and then develop solutions directly aimed at resolving the disparities.

            In order to do away with inequities and disparities in the health care industry, it is important to start with clearly defining what these disparities and iniquities are so as to identify what needs to be resolved. A good description can be similar to what was suggested by Braveman (2014) who defined it as a specific type of health difference associated with the social, economic and environmental disadvantage that affects people differently depending on their race, religious beliefs, gender, ethnicity and other factors that are used to discriminate against people. Economic disadvantages refers to issues such as low income, inadequate capital and other financial challenges that make it difficult to pay for medical services. Social disadvantages on the other hand refer to the position that people hold in society’s pecking order. The position that one holds in society is influenced by issues such as race, disabilities and capital to mention a few; and these factors affect the individual’s access to medical services (Hill, 2016). In the case for environmental implications, access to medical care can be affected if an individual lives in a region associated with poverty or is racially profiled. The type of medical services offered may therefore be poor since the neighborhood has been alienated due to the population of people prominent in the region.

            If a clear definition for inequities and disparities exists, policy makers will be in a better position to identify the main problem and come up with an appropriate solution. there is also the need to create awareness on the importance of health and why everyone should be treated as equal regardless of what background or any other differences. All citizens need better access to high quality medical care and for this to occur inequalities and disparities must be done away with and offer equal opportunities and access to medical care for everyone alike.     

 

 

 

 

References

Braveman P, (2014) “What are health disparities and health equity? We need to be clear” Public Health Reports, retrieved from,          https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3863701/

Hill, S. A. (2016). Inequality and African-American health: How racial disparities create             sickness. Bristol: IL.

Matthew, D. B. (2018). Just medicine: A cure for racial inequality in American health care.