Re:Topic 4 DQ 1

Although the U.S. health care system is advance in comparison to many other countries. The effectiveness of the system falls short when it comes to the delivery, finance, and management of care. The health care delivery system have shown to be bias when it comes to lower socioeconomic status and minority ethnic groups. Frequently these groups tends to receive substandard care or instructions of care for multiple reasons. Attributing to suboptimal care are education level, language and financial barriers. For example, studies showed according to Agency for Health Care Research and Quality (2014) blacks and American Indians received worse care than whites for about 40% of core measures, Asians received worse care than whites for about 20% of core measures, Hispanics received worse care than non-Hispanic whites for about 60% of core measures, and poor people received worse care than high-income people for about 80% of core measures. The cost of health care has grown astronomical, affecting mostly the people who cannot afford the cost of health care. Most lower socioeconomic and minority ethnic groups are without health insurance due to the outrageous cost. In spite of the cost of health insurance, many insured have to pay out of pocket expenses in order to seek medical care and cover the cost of care or treatments. Many people are electing to be uninsured in order to keep food on their family’s dinner table and roof over their heads. The cost of health care is also affecting the management of care. If the patient is able to gather the finances for a doctor’s visit, the cost of prescription and continued treatment are unaffordable. In some areas, the access to health care is limited making it very difficult to seek or continue with. As a result of these factors the management of care on both the provider and patient part is very difficult. Issues prompting the need for health care reform are the disparities in quality, access and cost of care. Chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and stroke can create financial burden to the patients and ultimately society. Typically, patients with chronic diseases require long term, high quality care that is affordable. The American Heart Association (2016) reported People who lack health insurance experience up to 56% higher risk of death from stroke than those who are insured and 46% of those who had difficulty paying their medical expenses delayed getting the needed care. The rising cost of care have not only proven to be problematic to people of lower socioeconomic status and minority ethnic groups but to society as a whole. It is imperative that all patients regardless of status and finances receive the best care in order to keep the country healthy.

con quest 1 stacy