healthcare disparities and socioeconomiic status in america
By Mohammed Alam

Mohammed Alam
Professor Hall
Health Care Organization and Delivery
November 25, 2014 Healthcare disparities are defined by the National Institute on Minority Health and Disparities as the difference in access to or availability of facilities and services(1). Socio economic status according to the APA is conceptualized as the social standing or class of and individual measured by the combination of education, income, and occupation. Minorities are more likely to be poor and have lower education levels which lead to poor health and hence lead to health care disparities, this shows that health is distributed the wrong way in the United States between socioeconomic statuses. These difference stay consistent throughout a person’s life stating from birth to death. In this paper I will discuss the ever longing battle in an Americans life between an individual’s socioeconomic status and the direct correlation to healthcare disparities and also explain ways that we can improve the way of life in America to avoid these disparities. Socioeconomic status has a clear link to health care disparities and we can see this if we examine the minorities of United States. The major minorities in America are the African Americans and also the Hispanics. Studies done in the United States are largely done by using race as a basis and not socioeconomic status, which leads us to examine the two major minority groups. Minorities tend to have less access to information because of their low income level and also there lower level of education (2). Data shows that African Americans and Hispanics have a higher mortality rate due to cardiovascular problems, HIV, diabetes, cancer, and pregnancy. You would think that genetics were the cause of these deaths but it is actually the racial differences that lead to these health disparities. These disparities are just handed to minorities from childhood, you would be able to recognize that without doing research and just watching the television, you can see that minorities have more of an exposure to crime, they also have employment disadvantage, and are surrounded by environmental hazards. This has a direct effect on how the minorities go through their daily lives. All these disadvantages lead to lower income and less access to information which in turns leads to all those health disparities. These disparities occur starting from birth for these minorities. But even if you look at it before birth when the baby is in the mother’s fetus, you see that the socioeconomic status has a great effect on the child. The mother’s health is directly linked to the baby so if the mother has a low socioeconomic status then it can lead to unplanned and unwanted pregnancy, or a mother being a single parent. Which already shows the link between the health disparities and the minorities in the United States. Also minorities are known for being heavy smokers, and are at a higher risk of having a urogenital tract infection which can impact the baby greatly even before birth. Then you have birth of the baby where data shows that children of low socioeconomic status have a bigger risk of death from infectious diseases, child abuse, and infant deaths (3). The child is exposed to a lot of environmental hazards such as smoke, and pollution which leads to a higher risk of having asthma and also can lead to development delays and learning disabilities. They also have a big issue of catching other diseases because of the children living in overcrowded apartments and also living in household where there are domestic disputes and also community violence. Then when the person becomes an adolescent data shows that they have a higher rate of pregnancy, obesity, and also suicides. Minority adolescents are more likely to drop out of school, be abused, or even be killed (4). This occurs to these adolescents because of the parents socioeconomic