Social Problem Analysis

Fatuma Ibrahim

San Jose State University

SCWK-121

Dr. Emily Bruce

February 27, 2022

1.

Healthcare is a social problem that exists existent to the majority of the population in the United States. The rich, who make up the minority, are not usually affected because healthcare’s biggest problem is cost (Hohman, 2021). On the other hand, middle and low-income citizens are heavily affected by the exorbitant cost of healthcare. The problem is not made easy by other factors like poor nutrition that causes lifestyles diseases which have been on the rise in the past years. With fast food becoming popular and affordable while organic food is expensive and ‘not cool,’ many people are getting diseases like obesity, hypertension, and diabetes.

To curb the high cost of healthcare, the government introduced several healthcare programs, like Medicaid, which would be beneficial to eligible citizens who initially could not afford it. Medicaid is a healthcare program funded by the state and federal governments whose main aim is to subsidize healthcare costs for low-income Americans, the elderly, children, pregnant women, and people with disabilities (Medicaid, 2021). Since most of the families under Medicaid require financial assistance, ridding them off the burden of paying for private healthcare allows them to divert their money into other areas of their lives that they need.

Most of the people affected by the high cost of healthcare are low-income citizens. Apart from them not being able to afford healthcare, they are more susceptible to contracting diseases. Most people within this social class work low minimum jobs and are from marginalized communities like African Americans and Mexicans. First, they cannot afford routine check-ups, which in some instances may be beneficial when a disease is diagnosed before it is too late. It is also difficult for them to adopt healthy lifestyles not just because organic foods are expensive, but they have no time to rest, and over time, their bodies tend to give up on them.

The high cost of healthcare in the United States is because many healthcare institutions are ‘profit-based.’ This means that their sole purpose is not to treat patients but to gain profit. There also exists little to no regulation in the healthcare sector, and therefore, private entities have the liberty to set their prices as high as they want. This is because the country lacks a national healthcare system. A nationalized system would have set price and quality precedents even if it allowed private entities in the market. The fragmentation of the healthcare system in the United States makes it very expensive for regular Americans to afford. Here, patients are required to pay for individual processes, including administrative costs, treatment, and medication (Hohman, 2021).

The high cost of healthcare has economic and social consequences in society. When healthcare becomes unaffordable, it forces people to dip into their savings that they would have injected back into the economy but instead have to use it on healthcare. It also promotes a ‘hand-to-mouth’ system because the little they earn would directly go into healthcare. Additionally, with an ailing population, life expectancy would be reduced, and this would leave few people to help build the economy. When people cannot afford healthcare, there may be constant social unrest because they are discontent with the system. Governments are supposed to take care of their citizens regardless of their social class. Therefore, it would be right for them to stand up against a system that has failed them. Similarly, many people with financial problems indulge in coping mechanisms that may not be ideal, including drinking and other forms of drug abuse. These harmful practices are bound to make them susceptible to diseases that are expensive to treat.

2.

Medicaid is a federal and state program that has helped reduce mortality rates by providing healthcare insurance to eligible low-income Americans. Medicaid has insured over 76.7 million Americans (Medicaid, 2021). While eligibility varies from state to state, the federal government sets the minimum criteria for eligibility, and the states have the right to alter those standards in accordance with their population’s demographics. Medicaid has been proven to help Americans stay at work while healthy, making them able to provide for their families. Medicaid has helped ensure that at least 2.3 million cancer patients who required financial support (American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, 2020). With the program gaining popularity, there has been a downward spiral in mortality rates among infants and adults. Sometimes, people fall sick because they do not have extensive information on healthcare practices like washing hands with soap and water often and even nutritional advice. However, with Medicaid, they have access to a professional who would educate them on such practices and therefore help in preventing some diseases.

People who could not afford healthcare but are under Medicaid have access to consultations and routine check-ups, which allows them to keep their health on track and helps in early diagnosis. Communities scared of seeking healthcare because of the cost can now confidently walk to facilities that accept Medicaid and get the help they need. When people are able to get quality healthcare, it allows them to become productive members of society both economically and socially. Instead of people staying at home because they cannot afford healthcare, Medicaid allows them to get treatment and head back to work as soon as possible. It also discourages the use of other coping mechanisms or people who cannot afford treatment. Parents who would have sunk into depression because they could not raise money for their children’s treatment or turn into thieves in order to afford treatment do not need to do that because Medicaid has provided an avenue for them to take care of their families.

References

American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network. (2020, January). Why Medicaid is Important. https://www.fightcancer.org/sites/default/files/FINAL

Hohman, M. (2021, July 26). Why is healthcare so expensive in the United States? TODAY.Com. https://www.today.com/tmrw/why-healthcare-so-expensive-united-states-t192119

Medicaid. (2021, July). Medicaid. Medicid.Gov. https://www.medicaid.gov/medicaid/index.html