American Healthcare Reforms - Term Paper Example

Running head: AMERICAN HEALTHCARE REFORMS American Healthcare Reforms Insert Name Insert Grade Course Insert Tutor’s Name July 29, 2011 American Healthcare Reforms Introduction A typical society has values and norms that define the conditions under which the members of the society live together. Peaceful coexistence and stability within the society are some of the significant values in the societies. However, this desirable state is not always achieved in the societies. Individuals in the societies develop attitudes, act, or behave in a manner that does not conform to the moral values of the society. Adverse conditions can also exist that affects the stability of the societies. Such individual attitudes, behaviors, actions and the undesirable conditions are termed as social problems. A social problem may affect or be initiated by an individual or a small group of individuals in the society. It then spreads out and becomes not an individual problem but a collective issue affecting the whole society. Some of the social problems emerge and decline at certain points whereas others may be persistent continuously (Hilgartner & Bosk, 1998, p.57). Some of the social problems that are common in different societies include domestic violence, drug abuse, sexism, racism, abortion, alongside many others. These problems differ from other common problems in the way they are perceived in the society and the legal procedures that are needed to handle he issues. Another issue that has become a serious social problem is HIV/AIDS. This is not only a medical problem but also becomes a social issue that attracts the attention of different social analysts. The mode of transmission of the disease, its impacts on the lives of the orphaned children, and the cost of nursing the infected individuals make the disease an unavoidable social issue. Media plays a key role in modeling a society as they can reach many people within a short period. By providing individuals with information pertaining to different aspects of the society, media can influence the opinions and ultimate course of actions of individuals in the society. Depending on the issues addressed in the media and the theme of the information delivered, media can be used to educate members of society or it can be used to influence negatively the behaviors of the members of the society. How media addresses social problems in the society will affect the people’s understanding of the problem and the steps that the individuals might take to solve the issue. HIV/AIDS as a social problem HIV/AIDS has been a medical problem since its emergence in the early 1980s. The disease has since emerged to be a social problem due to its effects on the infected and affected individuals in the society. More than 33 million people are currently living with the disease in the world. The figure has grown from 8 million that was recorded in 1990. Several cases of new infection are reported each year (Avert, 2010, para.2). Millions of deaths are also reported each year. The rate of new infection and the number of deaths following the infection have declined in the recent pats following the increasing number of people receiving. Different aspects of the disease make it a social as well as a medical problem. the disease is associated with a lot of stigma following its mode of transmission. The disease is mainly transmitted through sexual intercourse. As such, it is viewed by many individuals as being a result of immoral and irresponsible behavior by the infected person (Singh & Banerjee, 2004, p.107). Similarly, the number of deaths that occur worldwide due to the infection is alarming thereby creating stigma related to the disease. It is characterized by continued deterioration in the physical health of the individual. Even though treatments are available to prolong the lives of infected individuals, there is still a widespread fear that a HIV positive individual is more likely to die. Due to the deteriorating health conditions, the individuals living with the disease are not able to provide for themselves and the dependent family members. Their productivity even at the work places also decreases with an increased burden of medical expenses on the employers. They thus become burdens to the family member and the society (Singh & Banerjee, 2004, p.107). The costs of providing proper health care services to such victims are high exerting more pressure on the relatives of the individuals as well as the government agencies concerned with developing health care systems. The victims then face different forms of discrimination following their status. They may be rejected by the family members, they may be barred from engaging in an employment, or they may be relieved of an employment they already engaged in. This gives further psychological and emotional problems to the individuals and the allies like friends and families. Stigma related to the disease also arises due to wrong perception that individuals have about the disease’s transmission. Different individuals avoid associating or coming into close contact with HIV positive individuals for fear of contracting the disease. Role of media in the society Media houses play key role in shaping the society as they have large audiences. Different news media are available that can serve various groups of people. Print media like newspaper and magazines have been in use for a long time across the world and continue to be used. Similarly, electronic media like television and radio are also common in the societies. Internet is also gaining its popularity as an information medium in the contemporary society. The influence that these media houses have on the society stems from the fact that several people often believe on the reports that they produce. It will be a positive influence if the media houses execute their roles positively. On the other hand, the influence will be negative if the media houses provide false information to the public. Essentially, the role of the media in the society is to inform, enlighten, and educate the members of the public in order to understand the surrounding world. The news media inform the public on the emerging stories that might be of interest to the public. In providing news briefs of such stories, the media need to consider the social impacts that they will have on the society. They should emphasize on the stories of political, social, and economic developments that have been realized in a given area. Information on the newest technological inventions is of utmost importance. Besides, several individuals suffer the societal problems due to lack of information. Most victims of discrimination and social oppression in the society do not know their rights and neither do they know of the steps to be taken these rights are violated. It is the role of the media to provide proper guidelines to such individuals. They should inform the public of the legislative procedures that can be applied in such cases. There are cases whereby the public have a wrong perception about a given issue. The media should provide clarity on all the controversial political, social, or economic issues affecting the society. Unfortunately, these roles and the supposed consequences are not achieved always. In providing news briefs, media tend to focus more on scenes that create negative impressions as opposed to scenes showing some kind of development. It is ironical that such are the kinds of stories that attract the attention of many users of the media sources, and the results are devastating. For instance, in a war-torn region, media coverage on the scenes of violent crimes worsens the situation and hinders any mediation efforts that would be applied. Similarly, much focus on the number of deaths resulting from some chronic disease is informative but could increase the stigma related to the disease. Media coverage on HIV/AIDS The media coverage of AIDS epidemic was high in the 1980s when the first cases of the disease were observed. The overall media coverage then took different trends in different parts of the world. The issues being addressed by the media houses have also shown changing patterns as the disease become a global issue. According to researches that were conducted on the media coverage on AIDS epidemic in the United States and in the UK, it was evident that the media coverage on AIDS showed a generally decreasing trend since the late 1980s (Kaiser Family Foundation, 2004, para.1). The researches involved an analysis of the stories related to AIDS that were published in the newspapers and those covered by television channels in the US since 1981. It also examined similar stories in the print media of the UK during this period. The researches targeted areas that were seriously hit by the epidemic. From the researches, it was observed that media coverage on AIDS in these regions increased steadily from the early 1980s and reached a maximum in 1987 (Kaiser Family Foundation, 2004, para.2). The peak of the coverage corresponds to the period in which the first drugs were obtained to manage the disease. In the subsequent years, the media coverage showed a generally decreasing trend with occasional increase at certain points. An occasion that attracted the media attention occurred in 1991 when Magic Johnson made a public announcement that he was positive of the disease (Kaiser Family Foundation, 2004, para.2). The announcement was a milestone in the fight against the infection as it appealed to individuals to check their status and live positively if infected. Five years later, a better drug was developed that could manage the disease and ensure longer life for the infected individuals. The development highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAAT) in 1996 attracted the media attention resulting to the increased coverage witnessed in the period. It was another appeal to the public that the disease was manageable. Similar media coverage was observed in 2001 when the disease took onto an international scene and the fight against it became a global issue (Kaiser Family Foundation, 2004, para.2). The media coverage changed significantly from the local to the local scenes between 1997 and 2002 (Kaiser Family Foundation, 2004, para.2). There was also a difference in the AIDS stories in relation to different groups of individuals especially the minority in the society. The issues that are addressed in relation to the disease have also changed during this period. In the earlier, the domestic issues pertaining to the disease like the mode of transmission and its social impacts were the major themes in AIDS-related stories covered by the media. As the epidemic became a global issue, the stories shifted to the management of the disease in a larger context. More focus is put on efforts like the financial supports from governments and other donor agencies that could be used to help the infected and affected victims. Little attention is given to the domestic issues surrounding the disease. Effects of decreasing media coverage on HIV/AIDS The earlier media coverage on AIDS had positive impacts on the management of the disease. Several people could turn out to check their HIV status and take the available medication. It would create an increased awareness on living positively with the disease to avoid its spread. These efforts were threatened is the epidemic received a global attention. Even though it may be perceived that the reduced media coverage by the media, especially in the United States, is due to the reduced number of new infection, the reduced media coverage could highly be attributed to a customary practice by the news media (Kaiser Family Foundation, 2004, para.3). It is a customary practice by the news media to focus on a burning issue on the local scene and give little attention as the issue climbs onto a global scene. The negative effects of such shifts have been evident. It was observed that there was an increase in the number of new infections recorded in 2002. This was significant since there had been a generally decreasing trend since 1993 (Kaiser Family Foundation, 2004, para.3). This reflected a reduction on the education provided by the media houses on the modes of transmission of the disease. The increased infection is also likely to be associated with the stigma related to the disease. Conclusion It is thus evident that the media plays a significant role in the management of the social problems in the society. In as much they need to focus on the social issues at the global scenes, attention should also be given to the domestic issues. The social problems like stigma related to HIV/AIDS change constantly with the developments made in managing the disease. The media need to be alert and inform the public on the latest developments recorded. They are also in a better position to manage the stigma. References Avert. (2010). Worldwide HIV & AIDS statistics. Retrieved from http://www.avert.org/worldstats.htm. Hilgartner, S. and Bosk, C. (1998). The rise and fall of social problems: A public arenas model, The American Journal of Sociology, 94(1); 53-78. Retrieved from http://www.unc.edu/~fbaum/teaching/PLSC541_Fall06/Hilgartner%20and%20Bosk%20AJS%201988.pdf. Kaiser Family Foundation. (2004). Overall Media Coverage of AIDS Epidemic Decreasing, Shifting From Domestic to Global AIDS Issues, Study Says. Retrieved from http://www.thebody.com/content/art10228.html. Singh, Z and Banerjee, A. (2004). HIV / AIDS: Social and Ethical Issues. MJAFI, 60; 107-108. Retrieved from http://medind.nic.in/maa/t04/i2/maat04i2p107.pdf. 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