SOC 225 Chapter Notes - Chapter week 13 pt 1/2: Harvard Gazette, Health Equity

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Powell, Alvin. 2016. The Costs of Inequality: Money = Quality Health Care = Longer Life. Harvard Gazette
https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2016/02/money-quality-health-care-longer-life/
The cost of inequality
Money = quality health care = longer life
“Health inequality is part of of American life, so deeply
entangled with other social problems -- disparities in
income, education, housing, race, gender, and even
geography…”
Inequality in health is actually three related problems
Three problems require interlaced solutions (intersectional)
ACA has taken important steps to cover more people
Has tried to bridge the gap between the rich and the
poor when it comes to insurance
Disparities
Life expectancy
Varies on a resident’s race and ethnicity and
socioeconomic status
“... the deepest and most persistent divide surrounds income.
America’s poor -- of any race or ethnicity -- are sicker than well-
off Americans.”
They get substandard care, live in poor housing and
degraded environments, and have higher rates of suicide,
violence, drug overdose, accidents, and smoking
Unequal economic opportunities, unequal education, and
despair
Disparities due to poverty hurt racial and ethnic
minorities more than other groups because they
make up a large portion of the poor
How to solve these problems in health disparities?
Identifying poor-quality facilities provides an opportunity
for rapid improvement by bringing best practices to bear
Using targeted interventions
Why is it a problem in the first place?
Because it is not just the income that affects health
Social determinants
Quality food
Proper exercise
Wise behavior
Taking examples
There are other countries (for example, Canada) that offer
free health care
Possible solutions to health care inequality:
Earlier diagnosis of ailments
Focusing on prevention rather than
intervention
Universal health insurance
Better patient education
Fewer penalties on safety-net hospitals
→ 1. Disparities in health itself
2. Disparities in care
3. Inequality in health insurance
- “Health disparities are a major
reason why US life expectancy
trails many peer nations”
→ they often get worse compared to
what the poor have already been
receiving
- social determinants: e.g., being
perceived as a criminal constantly can
have detrimental effects on people’s
health
Quality of food can be affected by food
deserts
- Poverty is the root cause of
health disparities
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Document Summary

The costs of inequality: money = quality health care = longer life. Money = quality health care = longer life. Health inequality is part of of american life, so deeply entangled with other social problems -- disparities in income, education, housing, race, gender, and even geography . Inequality in health is actually three related problems. Aca has taken important steps to cover more people. Has tried to bridge the gap between the rich and the poor when it comes to insurance. Varies on a resident"s race and ethnicity and socioeconomic status. The deepest and most persistent divide surrounds income. America"s poor -- of any race or ethnicity -- are sicker than well- off americans. They get substandard care, live in poor housing and degraded environments, and have higher rates of suicide, violence, drug overdose, accidents, and smoking. Unequal economic opportunities, unequal education, and despair.

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