Socioeconomic inequalities in health care access

Document Type:Research Paper

Subject Area:Psychology

Document 1

Similarly, their inability to be productive can be made worse or prolonged by lacking an insurance cover that can improve their health and wellness. These problems affect not only their families but also the communities in which they live (Awosogba, Betancourt, Conyers, Estapé, Francois, Gard & Yeung, 2013). Communities with a large number of uninsured individuals and families may see their shared social, political, and economic foundations undermined. One example of how the foundations mentioned above may be compromised would be higher health care costs or higher health insurance premiums charged to members of the community to cover the uncompensated care. Further, there could be higher local or state taxes levied in a bid to support health care facilities that provide uncompensated care (Awosogba, Betancourt, Conyers, Estapé, Francois, Gard & Yeung, 2013).

Sign up to view the full document!

The social economic conditions in the community are fair. One in ten adults in the community is unemployed while half of the members of the community spend over 30 percent of their income on rent. It is indicated that 16 percent of deaths in this community could have been averted. The significance of this study stems from the fact that 21 percent of residents in the Kew Gardens and Woodhaven community do not have medical insurance. Additionally, 8. The council member representative for Woodhaven is Robert Holden. The Assembly member for Woodhaven is Michael Miller representing Assembly district 38. The Queens Borough president is Melinda Katz, and the state senator for Woodhaven which is found in NY senate district 12 is Michael Gianaris. Political, Social, and Economic Implications of Unequal Access to Health Care Causes of Uninsurance and Underinsurance One of the most compelling issues in the United States that are as political as it is social and economic is access to health care.

Sign up to view the full document!

During the Bill Clinton administration, there was an attempt to provide publicly sponsored universal access to health care that bore no fruits. It can also lead to reduced confidence in the community’s institutions and services (Bambra, Gibson, Sowden, Wright, Whitehead & Petticrew, 2010). Declining economic stability implies that well-off members of the community or those who are insured will be less prepared to share scarce resources with the poor and uninsured by extending health benefits to them. As such, communities with a high number of uninsured people are bound to undergo economic hardships because such people place supplementary financial demands on health care providers (Bambra, 2011). This is because communities that most need tax subsidization of health care do not have the tax revenues needed or the ability to finance health care for the uninsured.

Sign up to view the full document!

Lack of insurance coverage among a community’s residents often leads them into medical debt as they pursue costly and uncompensated medical attention such as that offered in emergency rooms. The 21 percent of uninsured Woodhaven residents tap into the community’s store of economic resources, leading to a strain on it health care system. They may also lead to strained social relationships among members of the community and local institutions (Henize, Beck, Klein, Adams & Kahn, 2015). Lack of insurance may erode the social bonds that define and nurture the community’s functioning because of the tendency to continually remind the uninsured of their lesser claim on the community’s health care services and resources (Banerjee & Duflo, 2007). Thus, it may lead to increased isolation and reduced social cohesiveness.

Sign up to view the full document!

It may also lead to a reduced level of mutual trust within a community. Community residents subsidize care for uninsured members of the community through the taxes that they pay. Ostensibly, the 21 percent of uninsured Woodhaven citizens place additional demands on the community’s budgets. An increase in the number of uninsured citizens in Woodhaven would be met by pressures to either reallocate funds meant for activities not related to health care or raise taxes (Collins, McCartney & Garnham, 2016). As such, if the number of uninsured Woodhaven residents increases, it may result in stalled public projects and higher tax burdens for the residents. Those without health insurance covers are more likely to postpone or not receive needed medical care at all. Moderating income inequalities will not only close gaps in health care outcomes but also increase the number of insured residents (Danaher, 2011).

Sign up to view the full document!

Second, they should tackle prejudice, social exclusion, and discrimination. More than half of Woodhaven residents are non-white. New York State politicians need to have viable resource distribution policies that ensure that this community receives adequate resources to serve all residents. There is a need to ensure that the community does not receive fewer resources because it lacks a considerable population of Caucasians (Cuesta, 2013). G. , Estapé, E. S. , Francois, F. , Gard, S. Bambra, C. , Gibson, M. , Sowden, A. , Wright, K. , Whitehead, M. Hulme (eds. ), Social Protection for the Poor and the Poorest: Concepts, Policies and Politics. Palgrave Studies in Development. Basingstoke, UK: Palgrave Macmillan. Cauchi, R. Cuesta, J. Social Spending, Distribution, and Equality of Opportunities: The Opportunity Incidence Analysis, Working Paper. Washington, DC: The World Bank.

Sign up to view the full document!

From $10 to earn access

Only on Studyloop

Original template

Downloadable