Economic inequalities and social classes have been one of the major hindrances to universal healthcare and development in several parts of the world. On the one hand, access to primary care seems to be a challenge to many people with low or no income in the United States of America. On the other hand, people with regular and consistent revenue tend to have comprehensive medical insurance cover and get good quality services across states. While the stretch between the poor and the rich keeps widening, the need to change the situation presents a fundamental challenge to governments. The disparities exist at different levels and define the wellness of families and communities in myriad ways.
Income inequalities in the country are on the rise as families with low income cannot manage to have proper access to primary and covers. According to Dickman et al. (2017), the difference in life expectancy between the wealthiest and the poorest showcase discriminatory variances. Although the government has recently expanded the coverage of the population through health policies, such as Medicaid and ACA, there is still a need to engage the majority of the population on ways to improve wellness within the populace. Countless individuals still remain out of treatment programs and may suffer in silent. I think a large part of society does not have the ability to afford healthcare services because of poverty and unpredictable salaries.
Transportation barriers coupled with housing concerns remain a major challenge to eliminating inequality in many parts of the world. Some families would rather focus on providing the basic needs like food, shelter and clothing at the expense of travelling long distances to the facilities (Dickman et al., 2017).
Even though the community healthcare systems try to bring the units closer to the people, there is always a concern on whether these institutions can meet the daily needs of the residents alongside neighborhoods. Today, multiple centers have been established to tackle the need for inclusivity of all regions. Nonetheless, shortage of capacitation and resources within the various entities still hinder effectual equality in caregiving practices.
Moreover, racism and other social challenges have also contributed to healthcare discrepancies. The racial discrimination is the common issue in hospitals and clinics in primary care. In my view, there is a tendency of ethnic supremacy wars that continuously affect the way doctors serve communities under various capacities. Therefore, it is not appropriate to under-estimate the influence of social fragments in equity (Moscelli, et al., 2018).
Aspects of heritage and origin play a significant role as Hispanics and African Americans struggle to attain the right to proper medication chances. I think the government should comprehensively engage in public health education and initiate policies that would ensure everybody has fair opportunities in any part of the country regardless of their origin. Besides, Obamacare seems to have made a substantial milestone in achieving equity in the segment.
To conclude, there are numerous concerns that should be addressed in the civic health sector. Although it is impossible to streamline the financial differences among individuals, it is important to widen the indemnity cover schemes to ensure that everybody has a right to be treated in public hospitals. Government agencies and stakeholders should focus on promoting behavior change communication and awareness among communities to enhance reformation. All agencies should work together to ensure a collaborative and integrated approach in the system.
Reference
Dickman, S. L., Himmelstein, D. U., & Woolhandler, S. (2017). Inequality and the health-care system in the USA. The Lancet, 389(10077), 1431-1441. Web.
Moscelli, G., Siciliani, L., Gutacker, N., & Cookson, R. (2018). Socioeconomic inequality of access to healthcare: Does choice explain the gradient?Journal of Health Economics, 57, 290-314. Web.