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.