Disparities in health care delivery
HCA 545 Module 5 DQ 1
Consider the neighborhood/community that your health care organization (HCO) serves. What are examples of disparities in health care delivery that exist? What processes/policies does your HCO have in place to address these disparities? Where these processes/policies implemented by the HCO’s own initiative or some sort of government mandate? How effective have they been?
ADDITIONAL DETAILS
Examples of disparities in health care delivery
Introduction
The United States is a country built on the backs of its people. It’s a place where anyone can make it if they work hard and are willing to take risks. But there are still disparities in health care delivery, which can lead to worse outcomes for some people and better ones for others. In this article we’ll explore some examples of disparities in health care delivery and how you can help close them by learning more about them yourself!
Disparities in Health Insurance
Disparities in Health Insurance
Disparities in health insurance coverage for mental health services. Mental health coverage is one of the most important aspects of people’s lives, but it often depends on where you live and how much money you make. In 2015, about 60 percent of Americans reported that they had a mental illness at some point in their lives (National Institute for Mental Health). People who are uninsured or underinsured are more likely to suffer from depression and other forms of mental illness than those with private insurance coverage or public programs like Medicare or Medicaid (UCLA Health Policy Research Institute). For these reasons, disparities in access to primary care physicians are also seen as contributing factors to poor outcomes for individuals suffering from depression or anxiety disorders (Health Behavior News Service).
Disparities in access to telemedicine services: Telemedicine has been shown as an effective tool for treating substance use disorder patients who have limited capacity due to their disabilities; however only 15%–25% receive treatment through telemedicine compared with 70%–90% received by traditional methods such as face-to-face visits at drug rehab centers or psychiatrists offices (American Journal Of Public Health).
Disparities in Coverage for Mental Health Services
Mental health services are not always covered by insurance, and they can be very expensive. In some cases, mental health care is not even covered by Medicare or Medicaid.
Some people with severe mental illness may not be able to find any kind of treatment at all. For example, according to a study published in JAMA Internal Medicine (2018), about one-third of people with severe mental illness did not receive any treatment for their condition between 2012 and 2015—a rate that’s higher than it was 20 years ago.
There are also many gaps in rural areas: only half of states mandate coverage for behavioral health services such as counseling and therapy; just 10% require some sort of insurance plan to cover substance abuse treatments; only 8% require insurers pay for medications used during therapy sessions; only 2% require insurance plans cover outpatient hospitalization costs related specifically with substance abuse issues (such as detox).
Disparities in Coverage for Substance Use Disorder Treatment
As you can see, there are several areas where health care delivery is disparate. One of these is substance use disorder treatment coverage.
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People with substance use disorders are more likely to be uninsured and without insurance coverage for treatment.
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Substance use disorder treatment is expensive and not always covered by insurance plans—and if it is covered, rates vary widely from plan to plan, making it difficult for patients to find affordable options that meet their needs.
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People with substance abuse issues may also be unemployed; therefore they’re unable to pay for treatment out-of-pocket or through private insurance plans that don’t cover mental health services such as counseling sessions or medication management programs (that monitor your dose).
Disparities in Access to Primary Care Physicians
If you’re an adult living in the United States, it’s likely that you are aware of disparities in access to primary care physicians. You may know that there are severe shortages of primary care doctors across our nation, or perhaps have heard about how difficult it can be for some people to find a doctor who is willing to provide them with routine medical care.
You may also have heard about efforts by health care leaders over the last several years—including President Obama’s 2016 budget proposal and Congress’ recent passage of bipartisan bills known as MACRA (Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act)—to address these issues by increasing funding for training programs that prepare new physicians and aligning reimbursement rates with how much time patients spend seeing their doctors (as opposed to other caregivers).
In addition to these measures, there are other steps we can take individually as individuals or groups:
Disparities in Access to Telemedicine Services
Telemedicine is a form of medicine that uses the internet to provide patient care. It can be used to treat patients in rural areas, urban areas and remote locations.
Telemedicine has been shown to reduce travel time for patients and decrease costs associated with transportation. In addition, it allows providers to monitor the health status of their current population without having access to medical records or lab results directly from other providers or facilities.
Disparities in Access to Prescription Medications
You may have heard of the term “disparities in access to prescription medications”. It means that some people are able to get a certain medication or treatment, while others cannot. For example, you might have heard about the fact that many Americans do not have health insurance and therefore cannot afford their prescriptions. This can lead to them having more serious conditions than those who do have health insurance—and having an even harder time finding affordable treatment options.
There are several examples of this kind of disparity:
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Some prescription drugs aren’t covered by insurance companies because they’re considered “experimental” or ” investigational”. These drugs still work well enough at reducing symptoms (for example: depression), but they haven’t been proven effective enough yet for FDA approval as standard treatments. So if your doctor prescribes one of these types of drugs for you (or even recommends one), then it’s likely that your insurer won’t pay for it unless there’s evidence showing its effectiveness in treating your condition(s).
Takeaway:
Your takeaway from this lesson is that disparities in health care delivery are a problem. They can be a problem for patients and providers alike, just as much as they can be a problem for the entire community. Disparities also have many causes, including socioeconomic status and access to care, but these factors do not account for all of them. Thankfully, most disparities can be addressed by addressing underlying issues such as income inequality and socioeconomic status (SES), which are often rooted in racism or sexism respectively. By addressing these root causes on an individual level, you’ll help eliminate some of this country’s most pervasive problems!
Conclusion
The takeaway should be that if you don’t have access to the health care you need, it can lead to worsening health outcomes. We hope this series has given you some ideas on how to close the gaps in your community and help all people get the treatment they need.
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