Women's Health. Health Care Disparity - Essay Example

Health Care Disparity One of the goals of a government is to provide quality health care for its people. But because of some existing factors in thesociety, this goal may fail. In some countries like U.S., there is already high quality of health care delivery system but still there are many Americans who do not get all their needed health care (AHQR, 2005). There are factors that cause barriers for the people to get proper health care that they need. These factors are causing significant differences or gaps in the quality of health care received by the people.

This means that there exists a disparity when it comes to health care. Health care disparity led to the unequal provision or access to health care services. The areas where health care disparities are attributed are the gender, race/ethnicity and the socioeconomic status determined by the income and level of education attained. Gender-based health care disparity caused the significant differences that exist in the quality of health care received by women and men. And because women’s bodies are different from men’s, they may also have different health care needs.

But among women, there are also disparities in the quality of health care that they received. Some women may face barriers to health care. Their race/ethnicity, age and their socioeconomic status affect women’s access to health care. Women’s health care use and health outcomes rely on the adequacy of access that they have to the health care services. Women’s access to health care also depends on their health insurance (AHQR, 2005). And sad to say, not all women are insured. Lack of health insurance is making it more difficult for the uninsured women to avail even the basic health services.

Socioeconomic status reflected by their income and level of education attained is also related to women’s capacity to acquire health insurance. Poorer women are unlikely to have their health insurance and so are deprived of the proper medications once they are diagnosed with sickness. And because some women’s knowledge are limited to the level of education that they had, their communication and access to the health care providers also become limited. Race and age are also factors to consider in the disparity in health care received among women because quality of health care tends to vary for older women and women of different races.

The evidences can prove that ethnic disparities in health care among women really exist and are still growing despite the efforts to eliminate them. Quality of health care varies for older women and women of different races (Kosiak, Sangl, and Correade-Araujo, 2006). This is because the women in their progressive years may also need changing level of health care. And in addition, the difference in race/ethnicity will also require different kind of medical treatment as the body can react differently to the medications given.

This is the physical aspect attributed to the disparities in health care. On the social aspect, disparities exist because the physician communication style also varies or depend to the characteristics of patients that they have. They tend to build closer relationships to white patients than with minorities. Poor communications among the black or Hispanic patients may lead to poor access to effective treatment and quality health care. The goal to provide high quality women health care will not be achieved as long disparities caused by age, race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status exist and serve as the barrier for women to access quality, safe, efficient and effective health care.

BIBLIOGRAPHY AHQR. (2008, April). Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Retrieved January 31, 2011, from www.ahqr.gov: http:/www.ahqr.gov/research/womenix.htm#overview AHQR. (2009, April). Health Care for Minority Women: Recent Findings. Retrieved January 31, 2011, from www.ahqr.gov: http:/www.ahqr.gov/research/womenix.htm#overview AHQR.(2005,April .) It's Your Health: Use Your Medication Safely . Retrieved January 31, 2011, from www.ahqr.gov: http:/www.ahqr.gov/research/womenix.htm#overview Institute For Women's Policy Research.

(2006, December).The Best and Worst State Economies for Women.Retrieved January 31, 2011, from www.iwpr.org: http://www.iwpr.org/Health/Research_health.htm Kaiser Network. (2008, n.d.). Retrieved January 31, 2011, from www.kaisernetwork.org: http:/www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/rep_repro.cfm Parish, S. E.-M. (2007). Health- care Access of Women Medicaid Recipients:Evidence of Disability-Based Disparities. Journal of Disability Policy Studies , 109-116.