Health Issue Analysis: Racial and ethnic disparities in the healthcare system

Health Issue Analysis
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Health Issue Analysis
In the United States, there is enough evidence showing that there are racial and ethnic disparities in the healthcare system. According to Armstrong et al. (2013), a healthy disparity is "A chain of events resulting from a difference in: i) the environment; ii) access to, utilization of, and quality of care; iii) health status; or iv) a particular outcome." Addressing these healthcare disparities has become the main agenda of the USA government. Many agencies have been developed to provide solutions to the things that they feel are of priority to the residents. They have focused on eliminating the racial and ethnic health disparities especially in HIV/AIDS, cancer screening, and diabetes (Cook, McGuire, & Zaslavsky, 2012). However, despite all their efforts, still there are disparities when it comes to providing healthcare services to some people.
Many people have argued that the disparities are present due to personal choices of people, environmental and social discrimination such as insurance covers, genetics, and differences in treatment of diseases. The principles of ethics those are available to the patients may be the primary cause. The patients have the ability to make their decisions regarding when and the kind of care they want. This is similar to the principle of autonomy (patient's self-rule). Due to these principles, some people may decide not to seek medical attention until they are very sick. HIV/AIDS needs continuous care and does not need one to be ill to see the doctor. Others misuse free will to endanger their lives. This causes the disparities in the treatment of HIV patients (Stone, Ed.).
The differences in healthcare treatment may deter people from accessing health care services. Despite the ethnic and racial diffe...