In their article, “Access to Health and Health Care: How Race and Ethnicity Matter,” authors Lynne D. Richardson and Marlaina Norris assert that there are many factors that contribute to the differences in health for race and ethnicity. The authors develop and support this assertion by describing the many factors that contribute to the variances such as differences in social resources as well as offer solutions for improvement. Their purpose is to explain and describe why these differences in health care are a problem and what can be done to improve the quality of life for different races and people of minority ethnicities. Their audience is the racial minority groups that are being affected by the differences in health care as well as health care providers and lawmakers, and this can be understood through subject matter.

Final 2 precies and summaries for MWP3

     In the article, “African Americans: Disparities in Health Care Access and Utilization,” author Valire Carr Copeland examines the differences in health care between African Americans and Caucasians. It is widely known that African Americans and especially African American males have poorer quality of health and the author seeks to examine the differences, the reasons for these differences, and what can be done to shorten the gap in health care between African Americas and Caucasians. Copeland begins the article with some of the differences in health and health, and how overrepresented African Americas are in poor health outcomes. For example she writes, “In I960, before Medicare and Medicaid, the infant mortality rate was 44.3 and 29.2 per 1,000 for African Americans and white Americans, respectively. Medicaid and Medicare have contributed to better health care and health status for many African Americans, yet the overall gap in mortality has not changed dramatically, and the infant mortality rate has worsened.” (Copeland 267). Thus, in general, white Americas who have better health care have lower rates of infant mortality. As the article continues the author discusses the perceptions African Americans hold toward the medical field and how these play a role in health care. She covers four major areas which are quality of care, health and illness, patient-provider relationship, and sociocultural context. In all of these areas Copeland claims that if the patient is more knowledgeable, feels respected and welcomed, and had easier access to health insurance then that would greatly improve their health. For example she writes, “An individual's perception regarding the seriousness and source of his or her health problems can be a barrier to treatment (Hines-Martin, Malone, Kim, & Brown-Piper, 2003; Macran et al., 1995). These perceptions are related to interpretations of symptoms of illness; values, knowledge, attitudes, and health beliefs; services received; and a sense of control over their treatment (Davis & Ford, 2004; Hines-Martin et al., 2003).” (Cpleland267). Thus the more they know the more they can protect themselves from poor quality of health. In the end of the article Copeland suggests how we as a nation can begin to close the gap in differences in health care between African Americans and Caucasians. She promotes universal health care coverage as well as medical examiners looking at their individual biases and trying to understand how they play into patient treatment. She also promotes the spread of knowledge about the differences in order to help the social roles in the medical field.     

In the article, “Racial Inequities In Morality and Access to Health Care The Untold Peril of Rationing Health Care in the United States,” author Ruqaiijah Yearby claims that African Americans and especially males are disproportionately denied access to health care. The author begins his article with the story of how one young African American boy lost his life because he did not have the eighty dollars it would have cost to fix the tooth ache that killed him. This shocking and sad story opens the readers eyes to the corruption in America’s health care systems. Because health care is so expensive it is becoming a scares resource and the government is trying to conserve and ration it. The author describes American policies of rationing where those who can afford to pay for health insurance get the health care and those who cannot have to wait until a condition gets so sever it requires an emergency room visit. Yearby describes how a mother passes away because she had to choose between the medication she needed or putting food into her children’s stomachs. He goes on to say that, “Unfortunately, those most affected by rationing are racial minorities, who are disproportionately uninsured, and already subject to racial inequities in accessing health care because of their race.” African Americans have an unfair disadvantage in obtaining health care. The author goes on to illuminate how the rationing of health care affects the minority groups in two ways which are low access to health care and increased mortality rates. He writes, “ According to Professor Dietrich Jehle, the first author of the study, “uninsured adult patients in general have a 25% greater mortality rate than insured adults for all medical conditions.” (Yearby 8). The author goes on to discuss how the party in power exerts a lot of influence on the health care systems making sure the wealthy and powerful are covered were minorities are often charged more for health care services. He concludes with suggesting that the cost of helping those who cannot pay for health care would benefit the structure, and by providing those who cannot pay for insurance with the necessary health care where we as a nation value need over money. It is necessary and just to provide basic care to all, even those who cannot afford it.

In the article, “African Americans: Disparities in Health Care Access and Utilization,” author Valire Carr Copeland examines the differences in health care between African Americans and Caucasians. She develops and supports this thesis by providing statistics like that show the differences in health care between the two races as well as describing the perceptions of the minority group such as health and illness, quality of care, and patient provider relationship. Her purposes are to prove and show how racism, discrimination, and poverty negatively influence the health and quality of life of African Americans, as well as promote changes in the system in order to improve their lives. The intended audience is the general public, and this is understood through the subject matter of trying to make people aware of the situation.     

In the article, “Racial Inequities In Morality and Access to Health Care The Untold Peril of Rationing Health Care in the United States,” author Ruqaiijah Yearby claims that African Americans and especially males are disproportionately denied access to health care. The author develops and supports his thesis by telling the story of one boy who died as well as discussing the rationing policies in the United States, and the racial inequalities in accessing health care and morality. Yearby’s purpose is to examine and expose the corruption in the American Medical system in order to urge individuals to take action against the biased and unfair policies that are being practiced. His intended audience America’s government officials as well as the voting public, and this is understood through the detail in information and sophistication of writing.

Precies for 3rd article for MWP3

In her article “Disparities in the provision of medical care: an outcome in search of an explanation,” author Elizabeth A. Klonoff explores the reasons for the differences in health care among different ethnic groups. The authors develop and support this assertion by providing many statistics and examples of differences in areas such as pain regulation, and cancer treatment. Her purpose is to open the reader’s eyes to the segregation and discrimination among African Americans in health care in order to encourage a change in the systems, and help doctors treat all patients better and equally to improve the quality of life of this minority group. The intended audience is African Americans as well as doctors and lawmakers, and the intended audience is understood based on subject matter. 

Summary of aritcle 3 for MWP3

In her article “Disparities in the provision of medical care: an outcome in search of an explanation,” author Elizabeth A. Klonoff explores the reasons for the differences in health care among different ethnic groups as well as providing many examples that prove the differences in health care. Klonoff reviews pieces of literature and breaks down some of the differences in the treatments of some care problems like cardiovascular disease, pain, surgery and cancer treatment. She provides a plethora of statistics and likeliness of a group to react to a situation. For example the author writes, “Several studies are consistent in finding that African–American patients are less likely to be judged as appropriate for transplantation, are less likely to appear on transplantation waiting lists, and are less likely to undergo transplantation procedures, even after patients’ insurance status and other factors are considered.’’ This fact shows that an African American is denied more health care than a Caucasian person. Their chances of getting the necessary surgery are less likely and hence they are more likely to sufferer the consequences. The author continues her article by describing studies conducted where doctors prescribed different treatments for African Americans and Caucasians with the same ailments. This shows that though a doctor may not admit to discriminating, that discrimination still exists. The article also discusses how if a patient does not feel comfortable and welcomed by the health care provider they are less likely to follow through on treatments and go back for other ailments. One of the final big problems addressed is health insurance. The author claims that though lack of health insurance plays a big role in amount of health care a person gets, there is still levels of segregation. For example the author writes, “Access to inferior health care is obviously a factor in most health disparities. However, in this instance the problem may be more complicated. First, most of the more recent articles have controlled for socioeconomic status, hospital population, or some other measure of health care quality, and have identified healthcare disparities even after controlling for these variables.” This shows that the lack of health insurance may be rooted in discriminatory policies as opposed to amount of money someone can pay for health insurance. This article clearly outlines and details the problems and factors of the problems in the health care regarding discrimination based on race. After reading this one can come to better understand how sever and deep rooted the discrimination is. 

Working Thesis for MWP3

African Americans and especially African American males are discriminated against in health care and do not receive as good health care as other races, and this in turn decreases the quality of life for those individuals. The discrimination can be seen through the many differences in health care among races.           

Summary of two articles

In the article “Barriers to health care and health-seeking behaviors faced by

Black men” authors Cessaly T. Cheatham, Debra J. Barksdale, and Shielda G. Rodgers discuss the barriers that African American males face in health care. They discuss some influences that decrease the health care of these men as socioeconomic status where many cannot afford to pay for healthcare like health care insurance or their jobs do not come with health benefits. Another factor that influences this lack of health care is masculinity where the man does not think he needs that kind of care and that he is strong enough without it. Often African American men do not know how important health care is to the quality of life and therefore do not seek it out for themselves. A study found that many African American males felt discriminated against by medical professionals and that hindered them from seeking care. For example the study found that, “54% of Black and23% of White participants perceived that race/ethnicity was often a barrier to receiving appropriate health care.” (557). If an African American male does not have the support of his family to seek out health care he is less likely to and some may not believe in modern medicine. This article also describes how to improve patient doctor/health care provider relationship. Some ways of improving the relationship is through nonverbal body language such as eye contact and taking time with the patient. Also being more available like providing a personal phone number or putting out public service announcements can improve how the patient feels and increase the likely hood of seeking medical help in the future. The government provides a lot of extra help to other minority groups, but they are not the only ones who face oppressed medical care. For example the authors state this plight when they write, “Most government subsidized programs are tailored toward infants, children, pregnant women, the disabled, and the elderly on the premise that these groups are those most in need of care and the least likely to be able to afford care. However, this list should be reexamined for the possibility of inclusion of Black men.” This minority group is lacking the medical care they need and through public awareness their quality of life can be raised.

In the article “Access to Health and Health Care: How Race and Ethnicity Matter,” authors Lynne D. Richardson and Marlaina Norris explain how race and ethnicity create differences in quality of health care for individuals. They claim that though there are differences in not only health care that affect a person’s quality of health such as health education and income of an individual. Because there are race problems inhibits the education and hence income of African Americans there healthy quality of life is reduced. The authors discuss the factors that contribute to the poor health care minorities such as African Americas receive such as the physical environment they grow up in. “There are data relating the level of segregation to rates of morbidity and mortality; specifically, residential segregation is related to elevated risks of cause-specific and overall adult mortality, infant mortality, and tuberculosis.” This quote shows that certain physical areas where minorities reside are more likely to have poor health care. The article also covers factors such as the social environment and how this plays a role in quality of health care as well as actual health insurance. Studies found that, “The uninsured are more likely to die early and to have poor health status; they are diagnosed at later stages of disease and get less treatment than those with insurance.” All of these probabilities point to the fact that the minorities such as African Americas have poorer quality of life as far as health care is concerned because they cannot afford the benefits that health insurance provides people with. Their mortality rate is overrepresented in many areas and linked to the lack of insurance. This is not only racists but it is unfair and unjust to the African American minority group as a whole.

Second Article for MWP3

In their article, “Access to Health and Health Care: How Race and Ethnicity Matter,” authors Lynne D. Richardson and Marlaina Norris assert that there are many factors that contribute to the differences in health for race and ethnicity. The authors develop and support this assertion by describing the many factors that contribute to the variances such as differences in social resources as well as offer solutions for improvement. Their purpose is to explain and describe why these differences in health care are a problem and what can be done to improve the quality of life for different races and people of minority ethnicities. Their audience is the racial minority groups that are being affected by the differences in health care as well as health care providers and lawmakers, and this can be understood through subject matter.

First precies for MWP3

In their article, “Barriers to health care and health-seeking behaviors faced by

Black men” authors Cessaly T. Cheatham, Debra J. Barksdale, and Shielda G. Rodgers claim that there are certain barriers to health care for African American males. The authors develop and support this claim by breaking down the causes for poor health care such as socioeconomic status, racism and mistrust of the medical establishment, and lack of awareness of the need for care. Their purpose is to describe the health care barriers as well as suggest ways for improvements in the health care in order to inform the readers of this growing and crucial problem and inspire some to take action. Their audience is African American males as well as the general American public concerned with health care issues.

Brainstorming for MWP3: 15 possible topics

1.      Women have a more difficult time getting into advanced medical educational jobs than men.

2.      Native Americans get lower health care benefits than other Americans.

3.      Individuals of Middle Eastern descent have a more difficult time finding work in the health care profession than other nationalities.

4.      Poor people have lower and bad health care if any at all in comparison with affluent people. (quality of life as the larger picture)

5.      African Americans have a more difficult time finding work in the health care profession.

6.      Patients treat workers of (Native American, African American, or Middle Eastern descent) as not as credible and trustworthy as other nationalities.

7.      Medical Professionals do not provide as good of care to (those of Native American, African American, or Middle Eastern descent).

8.      Those of Caucasian nationalities are allowed the better positions in the medical work place and provided with the better job opportunities.

9.      The elderly are not considered to have any ethos nor are respected as much in the eyes of the medical professionals.

10.  African Americans have lower health care benefits than other nationalities do.

11.  Those form affluent backgrounds are more likely to be accepted into the medical community.

12.  Nurses and doctors respect and respond more positively to individuals of affluent Caucasian backgrounds.

13.  Patients who are of Spanish descent are treated with less respect in the medical community.

14.  Individuals of Spanish descent are less likely to get a job in the medical community.

Women doctors and male nurses are treated with less respect than those playing the accepted gender roles.