Socioeconomic Status and Health - Essay Example

Socioeconomic Status and HealthSocioeconomic Status (SES) refers to an individual’s or group’s position within a hierarchical social structure. It is dependent on a combination of variables, of which the most significant are occupation, education, income, wealth and place of residence (The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition, 2002). Various studies have shown that a persons’ health is not determined only by his genetic make-up, personal habits and exposure to disease, but is also the result of his SES (Phelan and Link).

Low SES has been shown to increase the prevalence of premature deaths, hospitalization, cardiovascular and respiratory disease, cancer of the lungs, cervix and stomach and Type 2 diabetes. It also increases the risk of mental illness. Of all the socioeconomic variables, it is poverty which is the underlying cause for the others. The high cost of education and technology put them beyond the reach of the poor. Consequently, the poor are ignorant about the health benefits of nutritious diets and physical activity and lack information about available medical treatments.

Their place of residence tends to be crowded, polluted and lacking in hygiene and clean water. Their low income occupations are usually more likely to cause exposure to toxins and pollutants. They have less access to quality health care and supportive social networks.Therefore, health disparities cannot be reduced without first reducing social inequalities and improving the SES of the disadvantaged.National Health Insurance. Universal health care ensures that all citizens of a country pay for, and are assured access to, health care.

Health care can be provided directly by the Government, as in the United Kingdom, or through the provision of health insurance. The United States spends more than twice as much as other industrialized nations on health care, but, unlike them, does not have National Health Insurance. While federal laws mandate free access to emergency services for all and the elderly, war veterans and the poor have Medicare, about 16% of the population lacks health insurance. The uninsured receive less preventive and therapeutic care, are subjected to delayed diagnosis and have high mortality rates.

They are compelled to pay medical costs ‘up front’ or are denied services and are pushed into debt and bankruptcy. Uninsured children are less likely to receive a well-child checkup. The high costs of health insurance premiums are the major cause for the rising number of uninsured (NCHC Web site). I think that access to health care is the right of every citizen, for which the Government is responsible. The health care system in the U.S. fails to do this because it is founded on a corporate style structure of profit making.

At present, a person has access to health care based on his paying capacity. This must change into a National Health Insurance which gives all citizens equal access to quality health services. This can be achieved by the expansion of Medicare. The Single Payer health insurance system must be adopted, by which the Federal Government will pay for all health care costs from tax revenue. Payment through a single, non-profit payer will eliminate the high overhead costs of private insurance companies, bureaucracy and costly paperwork (all geared towards rejecting claims!). Only then will health care be based on need and not on wealth and universal health care will become a reality.

Works Cited.Phelan, Jo C. and Link, Bruce G. When Income Affects Outcome: Socioeconomic Status and Health. 25 July 2007.http://www.investigatorawards.org/downloads/research_in_profiles_iss06_feb2003.pdfNational Coalition on Health Care. Web site. Health Insurance Coverage. 25 July 2007.http://www.nchc.org