Inequality of Socioeconomics with Regards to Access to Health Care
This topic was selected because I am pursuing a degree in health care administration/nursing and I want to show how inequality of access to health care is determined by one’s socioeconomic status. In other words, the research shows that if one has a low socioeconomic status, access to quality care will be less likely than if one has a higher socioeconomic status (Nicks, 2012). As the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (ODPHP, 2017) has shown, access to quality health care services is critical for sustaining and promoting health in communities—especially in ones that suffer from a low socioeconomic status; by improving access to care in these communities, health care providers can work to prevent the spread of disease, eliminate unnecessary disabilities, and reduce the number of deaths of low socioeconomic status individuals. Though insurance coverage has been expanded in recent years under the Affordable Care Act (Somanader, 2016), access to health services is still an issue that prevents patients from obtaining the kind of quality care they need. This paper will use conflict theory to explain why access to care is still a problem for the people from low socioeconomic backgrounds and will provide two recommended solutions that can be implemented to help address this issue.
Conflict theory is based on Marxist principles that were developed in the 19th century, which focused on class issues and the inequalities viewed between the working class and the owners of the means of production. Then in the following century, these principles were elaborated upon and conflict theory emerged, mainly in response to another sociological theory that had come into being by that time, which was called structural functionalism (Ritzer, Stepnisky, 2017). The theory of structural functionalism was developed in order to describe the way that societies and institutions work to achieve a stable and functioning environment. It suggested that society will tend to work towards achieving a balance within communities so that communities function optimally. Conflict theory reversed this idea and after being promulgated by thinkers such as Ralf Dahrendorf, conflict theory began to emerge as a more explanatory take on why societies so often failed to achieve satisfactory objectives regarding functionality, equality and stability. In other words, Dahrendorf showed that societies often have “two faces” that represent two opposing aims within society—one that is meant to help the whole, and one that is meant to help those who are already in control and simply want to maintain their position of power (Ritzer, Stepnisky, 2017, p. 120).
The Frankfurt School...
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