Health Issues Of Health Care - 1694 Words

Health Issue: Access to Health Services The advancement of medical technology and knowledge has extended human lifetimes and increased the quality of life. Vaccinations, routine screenings, pharmaceuticals, and imaging technology have allowed mothers to have healthier babies, children to avoid missing school due to illness, and seniors to enjoy the company of their grandchildren. The advantages of health care are numerous, but there are those are not able to reap its benefits. All around the world, and in the United States, there are many that are unable to access health services and receive care. The Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured reports that there were 32 million uninsured Americans in 2014 (Henry J. Kaiser Family†¦show more content†¦Problems with accessing health care services affect populations in the United States disproportionately (Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, 2014). According to the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, 4.5% of the United States population on whole in 2011 experienced difficulty obtaining necessary medical care. Those who identified with two or more races had a higher rate of 4.5%. This rate is even higher when considering family income. Of persons whose family incomes were below the Poverty Threshold, 7.0% were unable to obtain or were delayed in obtaining necessary medical care. For comparison purposes, the prevalence was only 3.0% among those who have an income that is 600% of the Poverty Threshold. This health issue needs to be addressed because certain groups, like those mentioned previously, are disproportionately represented among those who have health access problems. According National Healthcare Quality and Disparity Reports (NHQR), this is a concern because access to health services is the most significant contributing factor to poor quality of care (NHQR, 2014). Limited access to health care and poor health impact individuals because it can be a barrier to achieving full potential and can negatively affect quality of life. Health insurance is an aspect of getting patients into the health care system. Uninsured patients may face a larger burden from medical bills, and they also place a