Race, Ethnicity, and Healthcare

1. Race, Ethnicity, and Healthcare

After viewing the online presentation, Race, Ethnicity, and Healthcare. (Kaiser Family Foundation, 2007), answer the following question: What role does medical insurance coverage play in healthcare disparities experienced by minority populations? Your initial post should be 250-300 words and utilize a minimum of one scholarly source, cited in APA format. Respond to at least two of your classmates’ postings.

The medical insurance coverage plays a fundamental role in the redistribution of wealth through medical services. Those who benefit the most from the economic system (large corporations and billionaires) are requested to pay higher taxes, these taxes are then redistributed through medical programs that present affordable prices. Those with minimal resources or from a minority population can request social assistance by subscribing to an insurance policy (Miller et. al., 2009). The present Obama administration has gone a step ahead and is requesting that every citizen in the USA has an insurance policy. This is an attempt to put into place an alternative to universal health care, that has been strongly demanded. The current administration has stated that there is not enough money and there is no need for universal health care programs and that instead, it is better to stimulate the economy by generating competition among the private industry. The administration suggests that to increase the budget for public health care will not be efficient and would create a loss of resources, so the administration has decided that the services will be given by the private sector, not the public, and that different companies can compete to get most of the customers, who would be the entire population, even the ones below the poverty line (Selimovic & Kenjic, 2011). According to the Obama administration every single citizen must be subscribed (and by this it means to be bought) to a private insurance company, that will provide the health care services. The industry will offer a variety of insurance plans, some of them will be directly or indirectly subsidized in order to be able to reach those in need and with difficulties for paying. In that way the citizens with resources to pay for the most comprehensive insurance policies will help to finance the most basic insurance policies for the ones who don’t have money.

References

Miller, R. H., D’Amato, K., Oliva, N., West, C. E., & Adelson, J. W. (2009). California’s Digital Divide: Clinical Information Systems For The Haves And Have-Nots. Health Affairs, 28(2), 505-516.

Selimovic, J., & Kenjic, V. (2011). Quantification and modeling of the illness and survival risks in health insurance. Healthmed, 5(5), 1312-1321