Health Disparities in the United States

Health Disparities in the United States

Introduction

The term health disparities are related to the population specific differences due to the presence of health outcomes, diseases, access to health care services and quality of health care that exists across the ethnic and racial groups. Therefore health disparities mean the lack of efficiency or effectiveness within the system of health care. This is the main reason that the health care sector is managing unnecessary costs. In a study that was conducted in 2009 by the joint center for economic and political studies for planning on how to eliminate the health care disparities for minorities and what will be its effects on overall healthcare expenditures.

In United States of America the health disparities are documented in a well organized way such as Native American, Hispanics, Asian- American, African American and some other minorities. All these minorities are found having greater incidence of poor health results, higher mortality and chronic diseases like HIV/AIDS, prostate cancer etc. These two chronic diseases are found 10% higher in African Americans than whites. There are many factors that contribute to socioeconomic, ethnic and racial health disparities; it also includes insufficient access to health care facilities, personal behaviors and community features. These are the factors that are often associated with the ethnic minority and underserved racial groups so these have to be controlled in order to overcome the health care disparities. Individuals living in both rural and urban areas can experience health disparities, which is due to the lack of facilities and healthcare professionals.

Discussion

Due to the presence of health outcomes and disease difference between populations can be well documented in many areas. In United States of America the cancer incidence rate among African Americans is almost 10% higher than whites. The adult Latinos and African Americans have approximately double the risk as Whites in development of diabetes. The main difference in health among all these is due to the socioeconomic status. The common health disparities that are found in United States of America include diabetes, hypertension and obesity and these are mainly due to the difference among the populations in terms of socioeconomic status (Starfield, 2001).

The main thing that can be viewed as the weakness of the healthcare system is the health care equity. If health care services are made common for all the people regardless of their gender, ethnic group or socioeconomic status than the health care disparities can be minimized to major extent. Most of the health care disparities are found in minority groups. Some of the healthcare disparities that are faced by the minorities are as follows:

Black women, who give birth to child, are 1.5 to 3 times more likely to die than the white women of other races and Alaska Native and American Indian infants are almost 2.5 times more vulnerable to death than the white infants.

American Indians, Alaska Natives and African Americans are more vulnerable to diabetes than whites.

The deaths due to cancer are mostly observed in ethnic and ...