Introduction
The low-income population remains vulnerable since the variety of accessible medical services remains limited. This group is mostly subjected to restrictions in accessing care because they can barely afford to pay for the drugs and procedures. This group normally includes racial and ethnic minorities, immigrants, and sexual minorities that are deprived of social goods (Lazar & Davenport, 2018). Even though this group has been provided with benefits, the inequalities still matter because they affect the public health outcomes and the quality of medicine in general. Hence, it creates disparities because they cannot receive full-fledged treatment.
People with low income are less likely to access healthcare services because their monthly wages do not allow them to resort to even state hospitals, let alone the private ones. In addition, sometimes, they work illegally, which presumes they are not eligible for employment insurance (Lazar & Davenport, 2018). In general, they cannot pay for health coverage plan because it is expensive. What is more, poverty is associated with adverse health outcomes, high death rates, short life expectancy, miscarriages, and other hazards (“World bank and WHO,” 2017). Therefore, the selected group is at a higher risk of experiencing adverse health outcomes. The chosen group intersects with several social stratifications, including class and income. The problem may also have roots in socioeconomic status since people who are considered minority groups receive less privileges than others. In addition, the selected sample interferes with race and ethnicity because immigrants typically work low-paid jobs and can barely access healthcare.
Healthcare for low-income population
Affordable Care Act (ACA) was created to address the issues of public health, including the well-being of low-income groups. Under ACAMedicaid expanded, which presumed new eligibility criteria for the exposed minorities. (Lazar & Davenport, 2018). Meanwhile, the marketplaces allowed the vulnerable group to purchase insurance using the subsides. Healthy People program has also contributed to the reduction of prices for healthcare services for the economically-disadvantaged. Hence, these initiatives could help reduce out-of-pocket expenses on medical services, cover the bills, and remove the financial burden on the low-income population.
Regardless of the changes introduced to fight the healthcare-associated issues within the chosen population group, there are still some threats. Especially the likelihood of risks may increase if there are no alterations in the healthcare system. The primary menace that low-income individuals face is the development of chronic illnesses (Price et al., 2018). These are normally obesity and diabetes since these people consume high-calorie fast food that negatively impacts their bodies. Since this layer does not have much access to the majority of healthcare services and has no insurance, they are likely to develop chronic conditions. A low level of interaction with the medical system poses significant damage to their well-being.
The other threat is co-occurring disorders; these are normally mental problems or substance abuse. These disorders may worsen the main condition and cause major health complications. What is more, there is a chance that health coverage will become inaccessible to the economically disadvantaged population because of the economic changes. If this layer of the population is deprived of any insurance eligibility, it would lead to another risk – shortened life expectancy (Price et al., 2018). This potential risk will contribute to heightened mortality rates in the country and impact the public health system. Ultimately, if there are no policies accepted, there is a chance of an epidemic or spread of any contagious disease on a state level because economically disadvantaged people reside in poor conditions.
To address the problem, it is vital that nurses take part in the public policy process. The process has five major steps: problem identification, policy formulation, implementation, adoption, and appraisal. Since the problem is already identified, a nurse should participate in the rest of the stages. For instance, at the formulation step, a healthcare professional may propose specific issues to be addressed, the insurance eligibility criteria for the economically disadvantaged. Next, the alliance of nurses may contact the public health sector that can view the policy formulation and start its implementation. However, nurses barely take part at the adoption stage because the policy is normally adopted by the authorities. Finally, the nurse researchers can evaluate the policy’s impact on a chosen population. It is an indispensable process since it will help establish further directions for development.
There may be some practice-associated risks when providing care for the low-income population. For instance, when a nurse plans treatment for an economically disadvantaged patient, she needs to consider their status to prescribe drugs and procedures aligning with their budget (“Standards of professional nursing practice,” n. d.). Additionally, as per the sixth standard of nursing practice, “evaluation,” a nurse should appraise the potential outcomes of treatment because it may take longer than expected due to the patient’s financial status (“Standards of professional nursing practice,” n. d.). What is more, a nurse must practice ethically, which means they have to dismiss any judgment toward the vulnerable groups. In general, nurses must consider a patient’s socioeconomic status to establish suitable treatment.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the economically-disadvantaged group is still exposed to unequal distribution of healthcare services. This layer of the population can barely access medical services, purchase an insurance plan, and sustain their well-being. Even though the Affordable Care Act made some alterations to the existing situation, it did not drastically change the health level of the economically disadvantaged. Therefore, these people face risks of increased mortality rates, co-occurring conditions, and other adverse complications. Hence, nurses may take part in the policy-making process to implement changes.
References
Lazar, M., & Davenport, L. (2018). Barriers to health care access for low income families: A review of literature. Journal of Community Health Nursing, 35(1), 28-37.
Price, J. H., Khubchandani, J., & Webb, F. J. (2018). Poverty and health disparities: What can public health professionals do?Health Promotion Practice, 19(2), 170-174.
Standards of professional nursing practice. (n. d.). Ferris State University.