Decreasing the Disparity Gap

By Paige Henderson
In a large population like the United
States of America, health care disparities are

death rates in cancer (Cancer Rates, 2016),

and minorities have lower accessibility,

an inevitable entity. However, what can

explain the large disparities that certain
groups of the U.S population continue to
face? Disparities can be described as the
differences in health care treatment for groups
of a certain race, age, gender, socioeconomic
status and more (Artiga, 2016); Cancer is a
common disease struggling with a fluctuation
of disparities. With this knowledge, questions
have always been raised as to why large
amounts of disparities continue to be steady
in minority and low income populations of
the United States. In a closer look, the United
States population accounts for 61% white
and 12% African American (Population
Distribution, 2015), however, African
American men and women have a higher

Photo: sph.umd.edu

quality and affordability when it comes to

treatment, Artiga states. While many argue
about the cost, the United States Government
should continue to provide a beneficial health
care system as well as impose new techniques
to decrease disparities minorities encounter.
Understanding Obamacare
Higher death rates in the African
American community versus whites when it
comes to

Henderson 2
Data: www.CDC.gov

cancer is prevalent in the United States.

proper treatment. Health care is meant to be

According to the Fred Hutchinson Cancer

an option for anyone, but why is it that the

Research Center, African Americans have a

wealthy to middle class individuals always

33 percent higher death rate for all cancers

have the best access? However, this is not to

combined compared to their white

say that all minorities are poor; Only 8.6% of

counterparts. Minorities are also faced with

Americans are uninsured (What is

higher poverty rates as KFF.Orgs 2016

Obamacare, 2016) but the disparities

poverty rate by race/ethnicity data shows that

including improper treatment and lack of

African americans are at a 24% poverty rate

access continue to be high in the minority

and Hispanics 21% versus the 9% whites

population with little to no solutions. One

have. With this knowledge its easy to

solution most Americans have heard of is

conclude that disparities and economics status

Obamacare, and despite knowing the name,

go hand in hand; the lower your income the

most do not know its intentions. The Obama

lower your chances for overall health care and

Care Facts website article titled What is

Henderson 3
Obamacare? describes Obamacare, also

benefits to everyone including the wealthy,

know as the Affordable Care Act proposed in

The Obama Care Facts website states.

2010 by President Obama, as a system that

However the treatment of the act and the need

provides affordable health insurance,

by the Congress to delete it overall does not

regulates health care spending and introduces

go unnoticed.

new tax breaks. While the Affordable Care

Act seems like the perfect program to

Medications and Proposition 61

Health care insurance is intended to

decrease disparities in the minority

make health care affordable for the people.

community, it continues to have a negative

This includes the price of doctor visits and the

reputation. One of the downsides to this act is

price of medication. The price of medication

the tax breaks; Individuals making over

varies among insurances and which is the

$200,000 a year and large business making

most expensive causes a mass confusion. This

over $250,000 are the ones who will be

discourages those with low income and as

directly affected by it. (What is Obamacare,

stated earlier, economic status, poverty rate

2016). In fact, there was the Repeal of

and disparities go hand in hand. In California,

Affordable Health Care Act upheld in the

Proposition 61 in the upcoming election

Supreme Court in 2012 and 2015, as well as

would prohibit the state from buying

50 other attempts, to stop this Act indefinitely

prescription drugs from a drug manufacturer

(What is Obamacare, 2016). Despite this,

at a price over lowest price paid for by United

The Affordable Care Act is still in effect, has

States Department of Veterans Affairs

decreased the uninsured health care rate from

(California Choices, 2016). Those who

a 15.7% down to 8.6% and has brought

oppose this proposition believe that passing it

Henderson 4
would result in costly bureaucracy that would

more problems still are evident leaving the

delay a patients access to the medications

gap at a slate mate. One major problem would

nedded, while those who agree believe that

be the quality of treatment. Any doctor would

the prop will decrease the price of

argue that they do not discriminate, but the

medications that consumers pay (Proposition

2015 study conducted by Meng-Yun Lin and

61, 2016). While many opinions are raised

Nancy R. Kressin on minority patients

on propositions, it is unknown which

experience with decision making and

outcome will arise. When making this

treatment states otherwise. They concluded

decision, Californians should take disparities

that the minorities receive less information

in the Unites States into consideration.

Minorities have low affordability when it
comes to treatment (Artiga, 2016) and this
proposition could potentially eradicate that
disparity over time. While Proposition 61 is

Photo: http://www.ncchc.org

only for California voters, other states could

from their doctors on treatment

follow admits positive results, like the

recommendations and also fewer explanations

legalization of marijuana in California has

on the treatment used (Kressin, Lin, 2015). In

done (Wynter, 2016).

the study they provide options to change this

Quality of Treatment
While access to Health insurance and

result including evaluating doctor

communication techniques with minority

affordable medications are a few steps to

races to make sure they're providing equal

decreasing the disparity gap for minorities,

treatment. Even with this option, this study

Henderson 5
still coincides with discouraged trust between

disease while being withheld their health

doctors and minority patients. Michele

status; some thought they were just

Bergen Penn explains in her article titled

experiencing fatigue. Overall, better

Minorities are less likely to trust their

communication and practice between patients

doctors that minorities do not have faith that

and doctors could decrease the disparities

their doctors are providing enough care to

minorities face and ensured trust will make it

their best ability, and instead are just

easier for them to seek an overall treatment.

following the doctor standards and protocol.

While in the article it states that doctors are

Is a Need for a Change Necessary?

The United States Government is

trained to follow a set of behaviors when it

working towards fixing the health care system

comes to their technique, it may come off to

in the United States of America as well as the

minorities as a doctor ignoring their medical

disparities that are constantly plagued in the

problems (Bergen-Penn, 2015). America has

minority population. Although large in size, it

also had a history of ruining the trust between

is proven that disparities can be lowered in

doctors and minorities in the case of the

the population, as the Affordable Care Act

Tuskegee Syphilis Study from 1932 to 1972.

proves. Yet, the overall cost of it and who will

This study was intended to evaluate African

be paying the most taxes is a common

American men who had syphilis as well as

argument (What is Obamacare, 2016). A

provide penicillin vaccines for survival

steady health care system is ideal, but it still

(About USPHS, 2016). Instead the article

has many more subgroups that need to be put

states, they were withheld the treatment of

into perspective including affordability,

penicillin and left to suffer through the

proper care and communication techniques.

Henderson 6
Those in poverty cannot afford the proper
medications which accounts for most of the
disparities they faee. Minorities do not feel
their doctors are doing the best they can when
providing treatment due to personal opinions
as well as the history of the country regarding
some practices (Bergen-Penn, 2015). Studies
also show that doctors treat minority patients
different compared to the white patients in
terms of treatment and proving information
(Kressin, Lin, 2015). With the next president
now elected, there is a possibility of erasing
the health care system that is working.
Overall, a complete Republican Congress and
President (CNN.org, 2016) could widen the
gap of disparities for minorities, so it is
important to take these thoughts into
consideration.

Henderson 7
Works Cited
Artiga, S. (2016, August 12). Disparities in Health and Health Care: Five Key Questions
and Answers. Retrieved from http://kff.org/disparities-policy/issue-brief/disparities-inhealth-and-health-care-five-key-questions-and-answers/
Berger-Penn, M. (2015, December 28). Minorities are less likely to trust their doctors.
Retrieved from http://www.futurity.org/physicians-race-trust-1079492-2/
N. Kressin, M.Y. Lin. (2015, December). Race/ethnicity and Americans experiences with
treatment decision making. Retrieved from http://www.pec-journal.com/article/
S0738-3991(15)30025-2/pdf
(2016). About the USPHS Syphilis Study. Retrieved from http://www.tuskegee.edu/about_us/
centers_of_excellence/bioethics_center/about_the_usphs_syphilis_study.aspx
(2016). African Americans and Cancer. Retrieved from https://www.fredhutch.org/en/events/
cancer-in-our-communities/african-americans-and-cancer.html
(2016, June 21). Cancer Rates by Race/Ethnicity and Sex. Retrieved from http://
www.cdc.gov/cancer/dcpc/data/race.htm
(2015).Population Distribution by Race/Ethnicity. Retrieved from http://kff.org/other/stateindicator/distribution-by-raceethnicity/?currentTimeframe=0&sortModel={%22colId
%22:%22Location%22,%22sort%22:%22asc%22}
2015). Poverty Rate byRace/Ethnicity. Retrieved from http://kff.org/other/state-indicator/
poverty-rate-by-raceethnicity/?currentTimeframe=0&sortModel=%7B%22colId
%22:%22Location%22,%22sort%22:%22asc%22%7D
(2016). Proposition 61. Retrieved from https://www.californiachoices.org/proposition-61?
gclid=CLa0p8-UldACFUhffgodbjgDRQ
(2016). What is The Affordable Care Act? Retrieved from http://obamacarefacts.com

!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!