Case Study

5

Summary-Response

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In the reading selection, ‘ Wealth secures health,’ Clay (2001) discusses the relationship between health and wealth from the perspective of healthcare disparity between the poor and rich. However, this disparity is not about unequal access to healthcare since it exists even within the upper class. However, the article shows a positive relationship between wealth and health by stating that Americans earning more than $500,000 a year experience fewer health problems and have longer life expectancies than their counterparts earning $100,000 a year. Accordingly, the article shows that as one’s wealth accumulates, health prospects improve, meaning low-status negative impacts are both economic and significant health risks. Also, the article links status and health to show that income, education, and occupation influence health status. The author reveals that the lower the socioeconomic status, the greater the health risks.

Furthermore, environmental and behavioural differences influence the health of people. People with lower socioeconomic status are prone to smoking and unhealthy eating habits compared to those at the upper end of the socioeconomic spectrum and who live in healthier environments (Clay, 2001). In general, this article discusses how social status makes the population vulnerable to diseases, with a major focus on social health determinants such as education, employment, and income.

In response, Clay's (2001) depiction of a positive correlation between good health and wealth reveals why rich people with high income and education levels and high occupation ranks tend to be healthier than those living in unhealthier environments such as slums. Thus, the article examines the influence of social health determinants among people and how the healthcare disparity builds up. From a broad perspective, it is evident that access to quality care is preserved for more privileged individuals in society. Less privileged cannot access high-quality care and always have unhealthy lifestyles, including poor dietary habits.

Accordingly, the article reflects the significance of wealth as a critical determinant of health. Therefore, wealthier people can afford healthy diets, clean drinking water, suitable housing, healthier environments, and frequent medical checkups. These benefits of wealth do not exist among people in the lower socioeconomic spectrum, hence becoming vulnerable to infections, primarily chronic diseases, and unable to pay for quality care services. As a result, life expectancy will be low among low-income populations compared to high-income groups. According to Officer et al. (2020), low-income adult Americans are almost five times as likely to report being in fair or poor health compared to their counterparts with family incomes above 400 percent of the federal poverty level. The general implication is that the government can mitigate the health disparity between the poor and rich by availing wealth-generation opportunities such as employment creation.

In the reading selection, ‘ Financial health is public health,’ Purnell (2015) discusses how public health heavily depends on financial health. The author states that financial-related psychological disorders such as stress or depression contribute to deteriorating public health. For instance, the article reveals that a lack of adequate money to cater to basic needs such as electricity can lead to high blood pressure. People struggling to become financially stable experience unhealthy lifestyles, and most skip medical visits due to a lack of financial resources. Likewise, lower-income populations struggle with financial stress; thus cope with the situation by engaging in unhealthy behavioural practices such as smoking, binge eating, drinking alcohol, and increased screen time. These practices make individual vulnerable to chronic conditions such as diabetes and heart disease.

Accordingly, the article childhood exposure to extreme poverty and financial stress has long-term impacts on health, development, and behaviour. Children from families struggling with financial stress tend to be more sensitive to stressful circumstances, less likely to learn new information, and remain at high risk for negative health outcomes. Despite America being the wealthiest nation worldwide, its health lags that of other wealthy countries. This challenge implies that uninsured Americans still struggle with financial stress since they cannot afford or access quality care. As a result, they engage in health-risk behaviours such as drug abuse or violence. Therefore, there is a positive correlation between financial health and physical and mental health.

In response to the article, Purnell’s (2015) discussion precisely captures the concept of financial stress within public health. The dynamic correlation of one's financial and economic resources as applied to physical, mental, and social well-being is evidenced by how a person's financial health can influence physical and mental health. Financial stress puts one health at risk. Purnell's (2015) article shows that the idea is not about making money to attain good health. It is working toward financial wellness so that one gains control over daily finances and can make healthy choices that assist a person enjoy life. This financial control and freedom imply that an individual cannot strain while meeting financial needs, hence immune against financial-related physical and mental stresses. Additionally, financial stress is toxic to one's mental health. Research by Carrera et al. (2018) supports Purnell's (2015) findings by showing that people experiencing significant financial stressors such as falling behind on bills, inability to afford necessities, or facing a worsening financial situation have higher levels of psychological distress and lower levels of psychological well-being.

References

Carrera, P. M., Kantarjian, H. M., & Blinder, V. S. (2018). The financial burden and distress of patients with cancer: understanding and stepping‐up action on the financial toxicity of cancer treatment. CA: a cancer journal for clinicians, 68(2), 153-165.

Clay, R. A. (2001, October). Wealth secures health. Monitor on Psychology, 32(9), p.78. http://www.apa.org/monitor/oct01/wealthhealth.aspx

Officer, A., Thiyagarajan, J. A., Schneiders, M. L., Nash, P., & De La Fuente-Nunez, V. (2020). Ageism, healthy life expectancy and population ageing: how are they related?. International journal of environmental research and public health, 17(9), 3159.

Purnell, J. Q. (2015). Financial health is public health. In L. Choi, D. Erickson, K. Griffin, A. Levere, & E.Seidman (Eds.), What It’s Worth: Strengthening the Financial Futures of Families, Communities, and the Nation (pp. 163-171). Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco. http://www.strongfinancialfuture.org/essays/financial-health-is-public-health/