The US health care is regarded as rather effective but too expensive. One of the major concerns is people’s access to healthcare services. The articles under analysis address two important issues associated with health and the way it relates to political and individual domains. Carol J. Gill focuses on the rights of disabled women and the role they play in the feminist movement. Whereas, Margaret Lock concentrates on the political aspect of health and the part played by women in this area. This paper includes a summary of the two articles.
Carol J. Gill draws people’s attention to the problems women with special needs may encounter when trying to access healthcare services as well as trying to be a part of the feminist movement. The author sheds light on two primary issues. On the one hand, people including healthcare professionals, often focus on the disability and seem to forget that these patients have needs similar to all-female concerns. For instance, some physicians find it overwhelming to talk with a disabled woman about reproductive or mental health. As for the feminist movement, feminists tend to exclude women with disabilities from their sisterhood due to some social and individual barriers. On the other hand, when treating women with disabilities, people often neglect their needs as individuals with certain disabilities. When it comes to feminists, disabled women often have limited access to their meetings as the locations have no specific features (elevators) or materials are not usable (small font). The article contains a discussion of major areas of concern related to the issue such as access, service barriers, sexuality, and reproductive health, inequality, abuse, privacy, negligence, mental health, and policy.
Margaret Lock starts her discussion with the concept of health. The author argues that health has become depoliticized as it is regarded as a responsibility of an individual. North America is the region where this framework has become prevalent, which poses some threats. It is noted that the modern view of illness is associated with the assumption that the factors affecting people’s health are internal. Put another way, people mainly develop diseases due to their predisposition. The author uses females’ experiences to illustrate her major points. There is another view on the matter. It is believed that social factors are similarly influential. It is also stressed that the concept of health has been seen differently at different periods and across cultures. The interaction of different cultures and political movements resulted in the development of the triangle: state, profession, and individual. Another feature of the contemporary view of health is its medicalization. Although the focus is on prevention and wellness, medications play an important role in the maintenance of good health. Finally, the author states that the primary focus of the state and individuals is control.
In conclusion, it is necessary to note that the two articles address important issues existing in the contemporary healthcare system of the USA. Women’s needs are still unmet due to various peculiarities of American society. For instance, disabled women face double prejudice and bias as their voices are unheard due to their disability and gender. It is also clear that this situation is due to the peculiarities of the concept of health that is prevalent in the USA. The articles reveal certain gaps and outline some areas to focus on to improve the American healthcare system.