Prompt 1

Prompt 1
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Introduction
People of low socioeconomic status are likely to have higher mortality rates than others because they face more barriers to health care and therefore, utilize fewer care services. There are several social factors that determine the health of a population such as employment, medical bills, housing, literacy, support systems and health coverage (Orgera & Artiga, 2018). These factors are used as indicators of health and health care for a given population and hence the resulting mortality rates. For example, a person with poor housing is unlikely to seek quality health services if they do and might end up suffering more than a person who seeks medical attention as required.
Statistics show that colored people encounter more barriers to health care than whites. According to Orgera & Artiga, (2018) nonelderly adults of Hispanic, Black, Alaska and American Indian origin have more likelihood than whites to delay in seeking medical care when needed. Besides their health-seeking behavior, they also receive poor quality services which might not address their problems adequately. Therefore, there are societal and environmental factors that influence populations towards certain behaviors leading to disparities in health care disparities. Additionally, disparities can arise from provider factors like language barrier and provider bias. The health systems also contribute to the disparities and lastly individual factors such as adhering to medical advice.

Low socioeconomic populations do not realize the differences between healthcare “needs” and “wants” since a gap exists between what they should be receiving and what they actually consume. Healthcare is a need for them until when they have fully exploited the services available to a point they have more choices or preferences.
Addressing ethnical differences is important in minimizing the gap in healthcare. The public can be educated on the importance of cultural integration and racial equality. This will see more of the people within the lower social classes rise to employment, housing status and other areas which will enable them to access quality healthcare.
Reference
Orgera, K., & Artiga, S. (2018). Disparities in Health and Health Care: Five Key Questions and Answers. Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation.