Inequality in Health Care: A Sociological Analysis
As costs of health care increases faster than the U.S. economy can keep up, more and more low-income individuals are unable to afford necessary medical care. Consequently, numerous studies have been conducted to examine the relationship between income inequality and health care coverage. Many of these studies have found that those who are unable to afford suitable health care are more likely to delay care, to get less care, and to die when they get sick (Feder, 2009). Using the data provided by the Central Texas Sustainability Project (CTSIP), this paper seeks to identify and analyze patterns between socioeconomic status and health care coverage through the use of two different sociological …show more content…
Functionalists might argue that in disparity in health care coverage across income levels serves a societal function, as giving those with highly-specialized, higher-paying, highly-stressful jobs easier access to superior health coverage makes it easier for said individuals to do their job and subsequently serve their respective function in society. In contrast, conflict theorists could argue that this equality serves as a means for the wealthy and powerful to maintain their socioeconomic status by denying health care to the ‘have …show more content…
One reason is that those who can afford good medical insurance can choose better doctors and can afford treatment, while the poor cannot. To enumerate, those without insurance are less likely to see a doctor whenever they feel sick, and are more likely to exacerbate their illness by leaving it untreated, whereas a wealthy individual has the privilege of seeing a physician every time they have the sniffles (Feder, 2009). Secondly, poor people could have poor health simply because of lifestyle differences between social classes. Smoking and drinking, for example, and more prevalent in lower classes (Alder & Newman, 2002; Henslin, 2013). Finally, those with low incomes have stressful lives that can cause significant physical and mental health problems. These health problems—if they happen to be covered by the person’s insurance plan, which is often not the case—might very well go untreated or may be treated poorly, which leads to a further decline in a person’s health. To put in Henslin’s own words, “For the rich, life is so much better. They have fewer problems and vastly more resources to deal with the ones they have. This gives them a sense of control over their lives, a source of both physical and mental health” (Henslin,
As costs of health care increases faster than the U.S. economy can keep up, more and more low-income individuals are unable to afford necessary medical care. Consequently, numerous studies have been conducted to examine the relationship between income inequality and health care coverage. Many of these studies have found that those who are unable to afford suitable health care are more likely to delay care, to get less care, and to die when they get sick (Feder, 2009). Using the data provided by the Central Texas Sustainability Project (CTSIP), this paper seeks to identify and analyze patterns between socioeconomic status and health care coverage through the use of two different sociological …show more content…
Functionalists might argue that in disparity in health care coverage across income levels serves a societal function, as giving those with highly-specialized, higher-paying, highly-stressful jobs easier access to superior health coverage makes it easier for said individuals to do their job and subsequently serve their respective function in society. In contrast, conflict theorists could argue that this equality serves as a means for the wealthy and powerful to maintain their socioeconomic status by denying health care to the ‘have …show more content…
One reason is that those who can afford good medical insurance can choose better doctors and can afford treatment, while the poor cannot. To enumerate, those without insurance are less likely to see a doctor whenever they feel sick, and are more likely to exacerbate their illness by leaving it untreated, whereas a wealthy individual has the privilege of seeing a physician every time they have the sniffles (Feder, 2009). Secondly, poor people could have poor health simply because of lifestyle differences between social classes. Smoking and drinking, for example, and more prevalent in lower classes (Alder & Newman, 2002; Henslin, 2013). Finally, those with low incomes have stressful lives that can cause significant physical and mental health problems. These health problems—if they happen to be covered by the person’s insurance plan, which is often not the case—might very well go untreated or may be treated poorly, which leads to a further decline in a person’s health. To put in Henslin’s own words, “For the rich, life is so much better. They have fewer problems and vastly more resources to deal with the ones they have. This gives them a sense of control over their lives, a source of both physical and mental health” (Henslin,