1/23/2019 10 Comments Income and Healthcare AccessImage: https://www.thepatientfirst.org/charts-and-graphs.html
In the United States, health inequality is correlated with income inequality. Only America has a health care system reliant on private health insurance. This results in those with access to corporate-sponsored plans having better access to healthcare than those who don’t. Prior to the Affordable Care Act being passed, almost 25% of Americans had little to no healthcare. In an increasingly technologically advanced healthcare field, the care is resultantly becoming more expensive to receive. This resulted in a staggering amount of Americans, almost 101,000 people, dying each year because they couldn’t afford the high cost of health care. Some that can afford the treatment barely do so; half of all bankruptcies were caused by high medical costs. The United States health care inequality was among the third worst of among 32 rich and middle-income countries. Low-income families tend to be in poor health more often, with 38% of those in households making less than $22,500 a year reported being in poor or fair health. This is in contrast to the only 12% claiming the same from households making more than $47,700 a year. The most affluent 1% tend to live 15 years longer than the poorest 1%. There are several reasons for this disparities. Low-income neighborhoods may not have nearby access to the best hospitals or medical technology. With rising costs of healthcare, one in five low-income Americans said they went without care because they couldn’t afford it. Many of the working poor don’t qualify for Medicaid, under which they can receive a subsidy. However, even under this, only certain hospitals and doctors’ practices are covered, which may be insufficient in rural areas. Health insurance companies have been increasing patients’ medical costs by raising deductibles and co-payments. Due to a lack of resources to get better, many of the working poor get more and more sick, which makes it difficult to find and maintain a high-paying job. This continues the cycle of not being able to afford necessary medical treatment. Healthcare is something needed by all people, and it should fittingly be available easily to the populace if we are to stay healthy. Author: Navi Baskar, January 23, 2019
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