Dr. Chin’s (2017) article presents salient issues, especially in regard to the inequality of the healthcare system in the United States. Many people wrongly believe that the United States has reached a ‘post racial’ age, where all people are treated equally regardless of their skin color. According to the article, health disparities still exist and are injustices. The article proposes the use of movement advocacy, which is the mobilization of people to raise awareness of an injustice and agitate for reforms.
Healthcare inequality in the United States is presented as an injustice in the article. Approximately 3.1 million low-million Americans do not have medical insurance coverage because 20 states rejected the Affordable Care Act’s Medicaid expansion (Chin, 2017). The widening gaps in regard to healthcare access make the wealthy, and especially those in charge of crucial aspects of the healthcare sector to be oblivious of suffering Americans. Many people are dying because of the lack of quality medical care. Therefore, it is important for people to speak out and register their grievances against the present healthcare system. The movement advocacy is seen as a mouthpiece through which people need to compel the relevant authorities to attend to their concerns as a matter of agency.
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Movement Advocacy to Change Systems
The movement advocacy combines both passion and protest to agitate for reforms in healthcare. Dr. Chin quotes Hillary Clinton who stated that it is not always easy to change hearts, but the best thing to start with, is to try and change the laws, structures and systems. In other words, the movement for advocacy aims at compelling the legislators or law makers to change the laws to address the healthcare disparities. Afterwards, healthcare providers will understand the concerns of the movement and try to address them. Therefore, there must be some form of compulsion from authorities to initiate change in the healthcare industry. All this can be done through the combination of passion and protest. Besides, to do that, it requires having an agenda, which Dr. Chin refers to as constructive tension. In this case, the movement advocacy uses constructive tension to compel the government to address healthcare disparities.
Interpersonal Relationships, Trust, and Achieving Health Equity
For healthcare inequality to be addressed there is need to trust interpersonal relationships. Dr. Chin notes that it is a challenge to achieve that especially on matters that deal with racism, class differences and sexuality. These differences shape people’s perceptions and sometimes people with particular racial backgrounds may think that by addressing certain issues, they make themselves vulnerable. Some individuals see themselves as being superior to others; hence see no need of being concerned. Secondly, some individuals may jeopardize movement advocacy because of malice. Due to these differences, Dr. Chin recognizes that challenges may emerge. Consequently, Dr. Chin posits that people use their conscious to realize the urgent need to address the healthcare disparities; people need to be genuine to build trust among members of the movement. The racial, class and sexual differences need not to be used to sabotage the agenda of movement advocacy.
Reconciling Movement Advocacy and Trusting Relationships
Dr. Chin believes that movement advocacy can address the health disparities by bringing all parties together. People usually have differences in their perceptions towards each other in the beginning. However, when they express themselves and listen to one another, they can compromise. The movement can start with constructive tension to make the relevant authorities aware of their grievances, after which they can convene and discuss. At the end, solutions can be achieved after each side expressing some compromise.
Reference
Chin, M. H. (2017). Movement advocacy, personal relationships, and ending health care disparities. Journal of the National Medical Association , 109 (1), 33-35.
