The movie In Sickness and in Wealth, gives an eye opening realization to the effect of our health based on our socioeconomic status. It appears to create a domino effect, the lower income you have the greater risk you have for health problems and a shortened life span. The health care system in the United States has many flaws. The United States spends two trillion a year on health care, almost half in the world, yet has one of the lowest life expectancy rates. Today, the top one percent of Americans owns more wealth than the bottom 90% combined (Staff, 2008). Economic inequality is greater than at any time since the 1920s. One out of every 5 children in the U.S. lives in poverty (21%) compared with approximately 4% of Sweden (Staff, 2008).
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Dr. Adewalle Troutman promotes the aspects of responsibility and social determinants linked together, because there is only so much that can be controlled within your social status. You can be very responsible and hardworking, yet if the job you have doesn’t give you the means to take proper care of yourself you may end up stuck. For instance, if you’re in a rough neighborhood you cannot control the potential dangers, in turn increasing your stress and ultimately negatively impacting your health. In some cases, the laws and policies that determine the wellness of an individual are designed to work against certain groups within a community. Lack of insurance combined with poverty often results in the shortened life span of those individuals (Borst, 2010). Therefore, if as a society we are solely focusing on individual responsibility we are missing a major role in how those less fortunate are in the situation they are in to begin with. All the same, determining the worth of who deserves help and who doesn’t plays a major role in the health care system. Poor laws, determining whether someone deserves help based on their willingness to work seems to be flawed. There could be countless reasons why a person could not find a job. This system can often result in people being deemed as unworthy, ultimately leaving them without any assistance (Borst, 2010). These circumstances can make it …show more content…
Simply caring for yourself seems to be a challenge, especially when others rely on you for support as well. Not only caring for your family members, but trying to give them the opportunities to better their life could seem almost impossible. Moreover, lack of funds can put extreme stress on all relationships in one’s life. Constantly comparing ones means to others, along with arguing constantly about how things will get payed is extremely destructive to relationships. Money is one of the leading causes for divorce, being unable to provide is often the breaking point for many marriages. This destructive cycle only adds to the stress of living in poverty. However, it is not that the jobs are necessarily more stressful in low paying jobs, but the power you have in controlling your job (Staff, 2008). Power is a public health issue in itself. The use of power is extremely impactful to our overall health. There is a fine gladiation in health care ladder, seen at all levels of income. This was seen by going from district to district in Louisville, Kentucky. The difference in lifespan from the most affluent district to the most un-affluent was a staggering ten years (Staff, 2008). All the same, stereotypes, racial profiling, and societal pressures are constant stress inducers. The stereotypes associated with being poor, such as being lazy, uneducated, rude, etc. can deter people from
Dr. Adewalle Troutman promotes the aspects of responsibility and social determinants linked together, because there is only so much that can be controlled within your social status. You can be very responsible and hardworking, yet if the job you have doesn’t give you the means to take proper care of yourself you may end up stuck. For instance, if you’re in a rough neighborhood you cannot control the potential dangers, in turn increasing your stress and ultimately negatively impacting your health. In some cases, the laws and policies that determine the wellness of an individual are designed to work against certain groups within a community. Lack of insurance combined with poverty often results in the shortened life span of those individuals (Borst, 2010). Therefore, if as a society we are solely focusing on individual responsibility we are missing a major role in how those less fortunate are in the situation they are in to begin with. All the same, determining the worth of who deserves help and who doesn’t plays a major role in the health care system. Poor laws, determining whether someone deserves help based on their willingness to work seems to be flawed. There could be countless reasons why a person could not find a job. This system can often result in people being deemed as unworthy, ultimately leaving them without any assistance (Borst, 2010). These circumstances can make it …show more content…
Simply caring for yourself seems to be a challenge, especially when others rely on you for support as well. Not only caring for your family members, but trying to give them the opportunities to better their life could seem almost impossible. Moreover, lack of funds can put extreme stress on all relationships in one’s life. Constantly comparing ones means to others, along with arguing constantly about how things will get payed is extremely destructive to relationships. Money is one of the leading causes for divorce, being unable to provide is often the breaking point for many marriages. This destructive cycle only adds to the stress of living in poverty. However, it is not that the jobs are necessarily more stressful in low paying jobs, but the power you have in controlling your job (Staff, 2008). Power is a public health issue in itself. The use of power is extremely impactful to our overall health. There is a fine gladiation in health care ladder, seen at all levels of income. This was seen by going from district to district in Louisville, Kentucky. The difference in lifespan from the most affluent district to the most un-affluent was a staggering ten years (Staff, 2008). All the same, stereotypes, racial profiling, and societal pressures are constant stress inducers. The stereotypes associated with being poor, such as being lazy, uneducated, rude, etc. can deter people from