Equality is among the values that guides the United States in its delivery of medical services. The country has made commendable progress in ensuring that all its citizens receive quality and affordable care. Despite the investments that the US has made in healthcare, glaring disparities remain. There are millions of Americans who are still unable to access affordable medical services. In essence, there are disparities that have hindered the equitable distribution of health services. Among these disparities are racial differences. It has been established that racial minorities in the US encounter serious challenges in their quest for care. For the US to achieve success in healthcare equity, it needs to focus its efforts on meeting the needs of these minorities.
Background
For a full understanding of the racial disparity in healthcare to be gained, it is helpful to set the stage with background information. To understand the racial disparities, an examination of American history is needed. For years, minorities have suffered discrimination, both direct and indirect. The discrimination has made it difficult for them to access the same quality of care accorded to members of the white majority (Williams & Wyatt, 2015). Failure by successive governments to invest sufficient amounts in the wellbeing of the minorities is another issue that has led to the racial disparities. The governments have either enacted laws and policies that unfair impact the minorities or failed to institute measures to improve healthcare access and affordability. It is worth noting that there have been some government efforts aimed at addressing the disparities. For example, under the Obama administration, the Affordable Care Act was enacted. Among other things, this act required Americans to obtain health insurance. The act has received credit for enhancing insurance coverage among minorities (Chen et al., 2016). However, since millions of members of minority community remain uninsured and unable to access quality care, it is evident that the various government initiatives are inadequate and ineffective. In addition to access, other issues that constitute the racial health disparities are experiences of care, control of chronic diseases and preventive care (Fiscella & Sanders, 2016).
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Subjects of Disparity
As noted above, racial minorities have borne the brunt of health disparities in the US. In particular, members of the African American community do not enjoy the same level of access and quality as those of the white majority (Sohn, 2017). It is unfortunate that the African American community is not isolated in the challenges that its members face as they seek medical services. The Hispanic community is yet another whose members are the victims of disparities (Sohn, 2017). Asian Americans and Native Americans are other racial minorities who have suffered unfairly inadequate access to healthcare. Overall, all non-white communities in the US have encountered some challenge. As noted above, systemic discrimination coupled with poverty have condemned the minority communities to an experience of poor health and inadequate insurance coverage.
Determinants of Disparity
The discussion this far has explored the basics of racial disparities in the US. This discussion would benefit immensely from a look at some of the factors that are responsible for the disparities. Years of systemic discrimination are among the factors (Penner et al., 2014). Such communities as African Americans have suffered prejudice, bias and discrimination which have rendered them unable to obtain quality care. While all the racial minorities have endured discrimination, the African American community has particularly suffered. The segregationist policies that were in place for years are the primary force that has hampered the efforts of the black community to secure justice and equality for its people (Arnett et al., 2016). Apart from discrimination, bias among medical practitioners is another determinant of racial health disparities (Penner et al., 2014). It is true that a majority of medical professionals strive to be objective and to accord the same quality of care to all their patients, regardless of race. However, it is understood that despite their best efforts, there are many practitioners who allow bias and prejudice to creep into their interactions with patients. Consequently, they are unable to deliver quality care to all patients.
The cost of medical services in the United States is notoriously high. Compared to other developed nations, the US lags behind in keeping the cost of care affordable. As part of efforts to ensure that tis citizens are able to afford healthcare, the government has joined forces with such stakeholders as the private sector to provide insurance. However, it has been noted that the distribution of insurance coverage is uneven. Racial minorities such as African Americans have low levels of coverage (Bergmark & Sedaghat, 2017). Since they lack adequate coverage, the minorities are unable to access high quality and affordable medical services. Mistrust of medical practitioners is yet another issue that is to blame for the racial disparities. It has been observed that such minorities as African Americans tend to mistrust physicians and other medical practitioners (Gollust et al., 2018). For the effective delivery of care to occur, patients need to have faith and confidence in their practitioners. Since African Americans and other minorities have low levels of trust in the medical profession, it is little wonder that the US continues to grapple with the problem of health disparities.
Impact
The effects of racial health disparities are mostly adverse. Denying minorities access to care is one of these impacts (Xin, 2017). When they are unable to obtain quality and affordable medical services, racial minorities are exposed to various health hazards. The hazards lead to illnesses which if left untreated, could cause death. Increasing the cost of delivering care is another negative impact of the disparities. In 2009, the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies released a report which focused on the cost of care in the US. According to the report, as much as 30.6% of the costs that African Americans and other racial minorities incur when seeking care is the result of health inequalities (Xin, 2017). If the US were to eliminate these inequalities, it would undoubtedly witness an immediate and significant reduction in the cost of care. Another effect that disparities have had is that they have eroded trust among practitioners and patients from minority communities. The patients feel that the practitioners do not acknowledge their dignity and value. As a result, they are discouraged from seeking care. Ultimately, their health and their general quality of life suffer.
It is important to understand that the effects of racial disparities go beyond exposing minorities to health hazards. The disparities also weaken the country’s fabric and inflame racial tensions. For years, African Americans and other minorities have campaigned for equality and better treatment. The fact that these minorities are still unable to obtain quality care is clear evidence that the nation has not done enough to respond to their plight. If the US is serious about promoting equality, it needs to implement reforms that will transform the healthcare system into a vehicle for the equitable and effective delivery of quality and affordable healthcare.
Intersection of Concerns
This far, the discussion has highlighted the role that race plays in defining the experiences of Americans as they seek medical services. There are other factors which combine with race to further compound the problem of health disparities. Gender and sexuality are among these factors. Research shows that among minority communities, gender and sexual orientation play critical roles in determining an individual’s access to care. For example, in its report on the state of healthcare in the US, the Centers for Medicare Services (CMS) observed that whereas racial minorities lacked access to quality care, the women in these racial groups encountered more serious challenges. For instance, they were unable to secure appointments with practitioners in good time. The implication of the observation that the CMS made is that compared to men, women fare poorly. For the US to succeed in its initiative to promote equality, it should focus its efforts on both racial and gender disparities. No meaningful progress can be made if the country fails to empower women and enable them to access equal care. In addition to confirming that gender combines with race to deny minorities equal access to care, research has also highlighted the role of sexuality and its relationship with race. For example, Friedman et al. (2018) conducted a study through which they established that black bisexual and gay men suffer disparities. As a result of the disparities, they experience such issues as depression, physical assault and polydrug use.
Intervention
That racial disparities are among the factors that hamper efforts to promote equity and fairness in the US is not in question. What is encouraging is that there are various effective interventions that the US government, in collaboration with other actors, can implement to reduce and eventually eliminate the racial disparities. Investing in education and early childhood development is one of these initiatives (Thornton et al., 2016). As noted earlier, minorities encounter hardships because of poverty. Through increased investment in education, the minorities will receive the skills, insights and knowledge needed for economic empowerment and poverty eradication. Community development and urban planning are other interventions that have been shown to yield success (Thornton et al., 2016). It was stated in an earlier discussion that segregationist policies are partly to blame for racial disparities. To undo the damaging impacts of these policies, the US government needs to revamp its community development and urban planning initiatives. The initiatives should be aimed at establishing healthcare facilities within neighborhoods inhabited by minorities. Income enhancement and the creation of employment opportunities are other interventions that hold promise (Thornton et al., 2016). These interventions will work by enabling minorities to afford quality care. It is also important for the US government to implement policies that will enhance insurance coverage among the minority communities. With medical insurance, the minorities will be able to pay for care comfortably.
Impact on Health of Population
In a previous discussion, it was observed that the racial disparities have adverse impacts on the health of the minority communities. It should be noted that while they are the primary victims of the disparities, the minorities are not the only ones who endure suffering. The entire American nation also suffers. Making healthcare costly is one of the adverse effects of the disparities (Artiga et al., 2016). The whole of the American population bears the high cost of care resulting from the disparities. By continuing to invest in eliminating the disparities, the US will enable all its citizens to experience affordable care. The economic health of the American population is another victim of the racial disparities. It is understood that the disparities are responsible for poor health outcomes among minorities. Since they are in poor health, the minorities are unable to make optimal contributions to building the economy. As a result, the American economy develops at a sluggish pace.
Effect of Personal Status
This assignment has enabled me to understand that racial and ethnic minorities in the US endure untold suffering. Moreover, through the assignment, I am able to recognize the role that I can play to address the disparities and promote equality. I think that my race, gender and sexual orientation have little effect on my interactions with minority communities. In all my engagements with these communities, I strive to be sober and fair. I deliver care without any regard for the racial or ethnic background of the patient. While I endeavor to be professional, I have observed that there are some patients who display some signs of mistrust. I attribute their mistrust to the difference in our racial backgrounds. Whereas I understand that this difference could hamper the delivery of care, I remain convinced that professionalism, objectivity and justice transcend all bias, prejudice and hate.
In conclusion, the US continues to perform poorly in healthcare delivery. Millions of its citizens are unable to enjoy high quality services. Racial minorities are particularly disadvantaged because they face systemic bottlenecks. Poverty and unfair government policies also worsen the situation that the minorities face. As a result of the disparities, the minorities endure ill health. Moreover, the progress that the US has made in promoting cohesion and racial integration is eroded. There is no doubt that the country needs to re-evaluate how it treats minorities. It should invest in housing, insurance and employment creation. These interventions promise to reduce racial disparities in health.
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