Economic Inequality and Good Healthcare

Question: Is economic inequality threatening to good healthcare? Answer: Introduction Economic inequality can be described as the difference found on various measures of economic well-being among people in a group in a population. Economic inequality causes a significant effect on the healthcare of a population. The most negatively affected are the poor, less educated, people of color other than the whites and people lower on the occupational ladder (Braverman, 2001, pp. 10-11). This is due to different social classes. Men with education below 12 years are twice more likely to pass on of chronic illnesses, more than 3 times die due to injury, twice of communicable disease, compared with individuals with more 13 years of education. Accessibility to health care differs among social classes in the Australia, UK and other parts of the world. The population who lacks health insurance is one-sixth of the population, which includes nearly 44% of the poor people. The probability of a poor adult with health problems to see a doctor is only half of the adults who earn highly. Individuals living in less income places cannot effectively get treatment on time unlike adults living in high-income states (Mooney, 2002, pp. 10-11). This shortage of health care access poses significant health problems on poor people, such as death and chronic diseases. Inequality in income levels through studies suggests that the more variance there is on income distribution from state, country or city, the worse the life expectancy for individuals at every income level. Research studies indicate that areas in US with little per capita income with inequality of low-income have low mortality rates compared to areas with high levels of income inequality and high median income (Mooney, 2003, pp. 10-11). Access to ancillary and dentistry healthcare service is inequitable; services of high quality are offered to individuals who are wealthy or privately insured (Mahal, 2001, pp.476). Infrastructures in the public hospitals are poor and old hence poor people find it difficult to reach the hospital. Accessibility to higher technology is low. Investigation and treatment of diseases like the heart disease are common in privately insured patients than public hospitals. Timely surgery access is uneven; public patients have to wait for a longer time when private patients access it quickly. Occupational and environmental hazards; alcohol consumption, smoking, firearm injuries and homicide, all these dangers tend to affect low-income individuals more than higher incomes, colored people and the educated. Children who are African-American are more hospitalized for asthma due to pollution of air. Men who are poor are almost six times more than those who earn more to have blood lead levels that are high and reflect working environments and residents (Mooney, 2001 pp. 10-11). The less education someone has, the more the drink and smoke heavily. In conclusion, the inequality in health care in a population is not only due to healthcare systems but also due to social, economic situation and medical condition. Poor health is linked with cultural, economic and educational as well as medical causes (Mooney 2001, pp. 475).Economic inequality has an impact on the good HealthCare. Individuals of high social class access good and quality medication than poor people. References Braverman P, Gruskin S .Poverty. (2003). Equity, Human Rights, and Health. Bulletin world Health Organization. 81:539-545. Mahal A, Yazbeeh A, Peters D. H, Ramana D.N.V. (2003). The Poor and Health Service Use in India 2001. World Bank Health, Nutrition and Population Discussion Paper. Available At: Www.Fiscalconf.Org/Apers/Mahal, Pdf Mooney G Economics. (2003). Medicine and Health Care (3ed). London: prentice Hall, 2003. Mooney G. (2002). Access and Service Delivery Issues: Productivity Commission and Melbourne Institute of Applied Economics and Social Research Health Policy Round Table Conference Proceedings. Canberra: Ausinio