Health Care Inequalities

Post #1

Roomending Joseph

St Thomas University

NUR-415-AP1

Professor Rousseau Rosa

July 28th, 2022

 

Health Care Inequalities

         Emerging data has revealed that the American Indians, Hispanic, African American, and Alaska Natives have experienced disproportionate illness and death rates due to COVID-19 (Azar et al., 2020). Further analysis also showed that such communities had more than thrice the number of immature deaths in the US in 2020 alone (Azar et al., 2020). These rates were more than three times those of Asians and whites. The higher infection and death rates among people of color may reflect the increased vulnerability or the risk of exposure from the working, living, and transport situations. Moreover, such communities also have higher rates of underlying conditions. They may experience barriers to testing and treatment due to the existing health care disparities, which increases their risk of developing more severe signs and symptoms.

          Studies have also shown that the direct effects of the virus are far-reaching as they may also take a toll on the mental health, well-being, and financial security of people of color (Lee et al., 2021). Other groups likely to be affected are the low-income individuals, the members of LQBTQ, among other underserved communities and groups. The financial insecurity comes from spending most of the household income on hospital bills which causes even more distress and may be of danger to an individual's overall mental health. For instance, as of March 2021, a study was conducted among Hispanic and African American adults, specifically those directly affected by the virus or who had family members who had contracted the virus (Lee et al., 2021). The reports indicate that a significant proportion of them expressed their lack of confidence inability to meet the housing bills, rent, and some even reported to have experienced food insufficiency (Lee et al., 2021).

         The racial health care disparities have also manifested themselves in the vaccination process in the US. For instance, as of May 2021, Hispanic, Latinx, and African American communities were less likely than whites to have received the COVID-19 vaccine (Lee et al., 2021). Data across most states indicated a constant pattern of the Blacks, Latinx, and American Indian communities receiving an insignificant vaccine share compared to their overall populations, cases, and number of deaths. This implies that as of May 2021, the vaccination rates among people of color were lower compared to the whites (Lee et al., 2021). However, further research has revealed that people are more open-minded towards vaccination, and the rates have been increasing for almost all groups (Lee et al., 2021). Conversely, the vaccination rates gaps among Hispanic and Blacks are still persistent. The disparities are also a reflection of the long-standing racial inequalities that have been existing in the country for decades (Jackson & Gracia, 2014). Furthermore, the gaps leave the people of color at an increased risk of infection and re-infection, which hinders the government's initiatives to attain population-level equality.

        Addressing the health and health care disparities is imperative to eliminate the concept of social injustice, but it may also influence the country's health and economic prosperity. Studies suggest that people of color experience higher rates of illness and death from a wide array of health conditions, not just COVID-19 (Azar et al., 2020). This poses challenges and may be a limitation of the nation's health. Past research has indicated how costly health disparities maybe for the country, but they still manifest themselves in multiple forms, raising the need for continuing reform (Jackson & Gracia, 2014). The studies estimate that roughly $93 billion is lost yearly in excess in terms of medical care. More than $40billion is lost in economic productivity also on an annual basis due to the disparities (Lee et al., 2021). Therefore, as the American population becomes more diverse, with people of color projected to account for more than half of the total population by 2050, there is an increasing need for the country to address the racial disparities (Azar et al., 2020).

References

Azar, K. M., Shen, Z., Romanelli, R. J., Lockhart, S. H., Smits, K., Robinson, S., ... & Pressman, A. R. (2020). Disparities In Outcomes Among COVID-19 Patients In A Large Health Care System In California: Study estimates the COVID-19 infection fatality rate at the US county level. Health Affairs, 39(7), 1253-1262. https://www.healthaffairs.org/doi/full/10.1377/hlthaff.2020.00598

Jackson, C. S., & Gracia, J. N. (2014). Addressing health and health-care disparities: the role of a diverse workforce and the social determinants of health. Public Health Reports, 129(1_suppl2), 57-61. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/00333549141291S211

Lee, J. T., Althomsons, S. P., Wu, H., Budnitz, D. S., Kalayil, E. J., Lindley, M. C., ... & Patel, S. A. (2021). Disparities in COVID-19 vaccination coverage among health care personnel working in long-term care facilities, by job category, National Healthcare Safety Network—United States, March 2021. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 70(30), 1036. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8323555/

 

Post #2

Ermanie Liberiste

St. Thomas University

NUR-415_AP1: Health Issues Care

Prof: Rousseau

July 28, 2022

                                                                                                                              

Health Care Inequalities

Healthcare Inequality plays a significant role in healthcare and can impact the mortality rate in low-income communities and minorities. Health inequalities can be determined by economic stability, education, an individual's community, and social community (Singu et al., 2020). All humans are entitled to the necessities of life, including health care, health insurance, and adequate health literacy (Singu et al., 2020). Health inequalities and disparities exist for some individuals, especially in low-income communities (Singu et al., 2020). Economic instability can restrict access to healthcare for low-income individuals due to a lack of the ability to afford health insurance (Singu et al., 2020). Individuals without health insurance are at risk for high mortality rates because these individuals lack access to preventive care, like to seek healthcare, and are more likely to be diagnosed with chronic conditions and end-stage diseases (Singu et al., 2020). Health literacy is another aspect of healthcare inequalities; a lack of adequate education can prevent patient access to health information (Singu et al., 2020). With new technology, most healthcare organizations integrate—the new era of the electronic health system, where patients can access their health information. Patients can schedule an appointment online, and the invention of telehealth impacts patients in low-income communities. 

Covid-19 shed some highlights on Social Determinants of Health into the health inequalities facing the nation and affecting some communities in the United States (Jones, 2020). During the Covid-19 pandemic, the African American communities were affected by the most social determinants of health (Jones, 2020). Most African Americans are classified as essential workers because they are most likely to work in grocery stores, restaurants, and agriculture (Jones, 2020). For that reason, they were the most population to get infected by Covid-19 during the pandemic (Jones, 2020). The African American population is also at greater risk of being underinsured and having a pre-existing condition which can increase the mortality rate in this group when they affect by Covid-19. 

Limited health literacy can lead to inadequate knowledge of health information to make healthcare decisions (Jones, 2020). Lack of healthcare resources limited the African American community's access to testing, including long lines at the testing site that discouraged them from getting tested (Jones, 2020). With the closing of some healthcare facilities, telehealth was the norm during Covid-19. Access to telehealth was not accessible to this population because most health insurance companies subscribe to telehealth for their client; if an individual does not have health insurance may not have access to telehealth.

Conclusion

Health inequalities have been a crisis in the United States for decades and will continue to be an issue for some minority groups. With the Affordable Care Act, more minority groups have access to healthcare, decreasing the mortality rate for the African American community. As healthcare professionals, we must educate the population and reinforce teaching on preventive care to decrease the mortality rate for the population regardless of their ethnic group, social and economic class, education, and health status.

References

Jones, M. L. (2020). Social Determinants of Covid-19. ABNF Journal, 31(3), 97-101.

Mason, D. J., Dickson, E., McLemore, M. R., & Perez, A. G. (2021). Policy & Politics in Nursing and Health Care. St. Louis, Missouri, United States of America: Elsevier.

Singu, S., Acharya, A., Challagundla, K., & Byrareddy, S. N. (2020, July 21). Impact of Social Determinants of Health on the Emergine Covid-19 Pandemic in the United State. Frontiers in Public Health, 8(406), 10-10. Doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2020.00406