Children’s Health
Multiple studies have established that in the United States a discrepancy exists between healthcare services provided to children of minorities and the rest of the population. The problem is so evident that the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality was directed by congress to report on disparities annually beginning in 2003 (AHRQ, 2014). The unequal distribution of healthcare to disadvantaged families has a direct measurable impact on children’s health. The causes of disparity are varied and difficult to quantify, but the most likely issues are insufficient income, geographic location and ethnicity or cultural background. These factors are especially harmful to children because they are largely reliant on their parents …show more content…
The parents may fear being legally disciplined, be unable to overcome language barriers or simply refuse treatment due to cultural beliefs. All are contributing factors that may explain why a parent would avoid seeking care for their children. A brief by Gusmano (2012) cites that childern whose parents are citizens are three times more likely to have health coverage than children born to illegal immigrants. This statistic holds true even though the child may qualify for state or federally funded insurance having been born in the U.S.
A families location in relation to capable health facilities is another barrier to care that causes disparity. When children fall ill outside of the normal scope of disease that is expected in childhood, they often require highly specialized care (Unite for Sight, 2013). The distance to a major medical facility can be a huge factor in children not receiving appropriate care. The dependency of a child plays a part here as well, it may not be possible for the family to relocate or travel to a specialized provider due to limitations on …show more content…
This concept is embraced by the ACA and is expanded to include recommendations from the American Academy of Pedatrics as primary guidelines for standards of care for preventive services (CCF, 2012). Vaccines, annual check-ups, vision and hearing screening are all required to be offered under new insurance policies. Receiving preventive care may not solve all childhood medical issues, but according to data from evidence based studies, the concept should help to ease the strain on the medical system in the
Multiple studies have established that in the United States a discrepancy exists between healthcare services provided to children of minorities and the rest of the population. The problem is so evident that the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality was directed by congress to report on disparities annually beginning in 2003 (AHRQ, 2014). The unequal distribution of healthcare to disadvantaged families has a direct measurable impact on children’s health. The causes of disparity are varied and difficult to quantify, but the most likely issues are insufficient income, geographic location and ethnicity or cultural background. These factors are especially harmful to children because they are largely reliant on their parents …show more content…
The parents may fear being legally disciplined, be unable to overcome language barriers or simply refuse treatment due to cultural beliefs. All are contributing factors that may explain why a parent would avoid seeking care for their children. A brief by Gusmano (2012) cites that childern whose parents are citizens are three times more likely to have health coverage than children born to illegal immigrants. This statistic holds true even though the child may qualify for state or federally funded insurance having been born in the U.S.
A families location in relation to capable health facilities is another barrier to care that causes disparity. When children fall ill outside of the normal scope of disease that is expected in childhood, they often require highly specialized care (Unite for Sight, 2013). The distance to a major medical facility can be a huge factor in children not receiving appropriate care. The dependency of a child plays a part here as well, it may not be possible for the family to relocate or travel to a specialized provider due to limitations on …show more content…
This concept is embraced by the ACA and is expanded to include recommendations from the American Academy of Pedatrics as primary guidelines for standards of care for preventive services (CCF, 2012). Vaccines, annual check-ups, vision and hearing screening are all required to be offered under new insurance policies. Receiving preventive care may not solve all childhood medical issues, but according to data from evidence based studies, the concept should help to ease the strain on the medical system in the