Health Equity - Healthcare Inequality and Socioeconomic Status

Healthcare Inequality and Socioeconomic Status

While gender and race play significant factors in explaining healthcare inequality in the United States, socioeconomic status is the greatest determining factor in an individual's level of access to healthcare.

Socioeconomic differences vary between racial groups and its effects on health status. African Americans and Hispanics have a poverty rate of thirty three percent and twenty nine percent, which is significantly higher than the eleven percent in whites. Unfortunately, these socioeconomic disparities translate into three times higher death rates from heart disease in low-income blacks and whites when compared to their middle-income counterparts. In general, black women and men have higher rates of death from coronary heart disease among every income level when compared to whites, therefore, demonstrating that blacks tend to be in poorer health. In addition, cancer mortality is higher in blacks when compared to whites due inadequate preventative health screenings, or delays in diagnostics and treatment.

Actions such as smoking also affect health. Even when black individuals obtain the same educational attainment as their white counterparts, research has demonstrated that an inequality in health, income, and employment remains. In addition, when studying inequalities it is important to note that the association between health and education is minimize when compared to the large inequality associated with health and income.