Assignment 1 NUR4636
Introduction
Health care is an essential aspect of everyday living. Health care ensures the longevity of life through access to health care services. It, therefore, means that a country has to have a sound health care system in place to realize high life expectancy rates. Health care is a diverse system as it encompasses individuals in different populations. Some populations have better access to health care, while others do not. People in the high-income bracket have better access to health care than people in the low-income bracket. Various factors contribute to access or lack thereof to health care services. Economic ability, health condition and insurance, for example, contribute to the health access issue. The affordable care act is a policy incepted to give more people access to health care services by making it more accessible. Before the Act, over 10% of the population in the non-elderly bracket did not have insurance (Sohn, 2016, p182). The Act in this regard has ensured that a substantial number of individuals without insurance are insured. It is, however, essential to note that the increased number of insured individuals does not necessarily mean that the health access problem was sorted. Some individuals are still not able to access health care services due to one reason or another.
Population Identified
Health access disparities exist for various reasons as inferred. One of these reasons is inequality due to racial and ethnic backgrounds. Minority groups have strained access to health care in the U.S. The minority groups, in this case, refer to African Americans and Hispanics. Non-Hispanic whites have better access to health care than Hispanic whites (Sohn, 2016, p182). African Americans and Hispanics have higher uninsured rates than non-Hispanic whites. It is important to note that Hispanics have the highest uninsured rate more than any other race in the U.S. (Sohn, 2016, p183). A good health care strategic plan would thus have to incorporate the African Americans and Hispanic populations. For a program to adequately factor in the two minority groups, there has to be an understanding of the underlying issue. Various issues come into play as concerns the lack of health care access.
The Issue
Immigration
The Hispanic population, in particular, has difficulties accessing health care services due to lack of insurance. For an individual to be insured, certain conditions have to met. As an immigrant, some of these conditions may not be met. An individual has to be documented to access insurance. Undocumented immigrants, in this case, cannot apply for health insurance. Working without proper documentation translates to employers not insuring the Hispanic workers.
Language Barrier
Most immigrants may have a language barrier challenge. The challenge affects job application which means that these individuals have difficulties finding jobs. Lack of employment automatically translates to a lack of insurance. The lack of insurance consequently translates to lack of health care access.
Low Paying Jobs
African Americans and Hispanics are predominantly in the low paying jobs bracket. Most of these jobs have no insurance cover. It thus means that a considerable population of minorities working low paying jobs lack access to health care services. However, certain requirements have to be met for an individual to access a better paying job. Education, documentation, crime history, and language are some of the barriers to high paying jobs. It means that for the population to access better jobs, there has to a shift in the aspects mentioned above.
Education
Education plays a significant role in job placement. People with a higher education level are likely to get better-paying jobs hence better insurance cover. African Americans and Hispanics do not have high education levels, thus limited access to high paying jobs. The lack of education can be attributed to low economic status.
Health Plan
Strategies to Promote Health and Lifelong Learning
A good health plan would have to factor in the issues mentioned. The plan would incorporate education as regards to minority group school-going children. A healthy diet is significant concerning health promotion. A balanced and healthy diet in schools would go a long way in promoting health in minority schools. Health education and activities in minority schools would ultimately result in a new generation of a health-conscious minority population.
Encouraging schooling for the minority population would also ultimately translate to a generation of minorities with better chances of access to better job opportunities. Access to better job opportunities would convert to better pay and health care insurance. Insurance would result in increased access to health care services. It is important to note that learning does not only take place in schools (Hahn & Truman, 2015, p2). As such learning about health should be done in informal settings such as workplaces and the community level in general. Lifelong learning happens throughout life. Incorporating health learning at school and community levels would ensure better health among these two groups. It is important to note that better health awareness necessitates better knowledge as regards health care access. Issues such as immigrant documentation can thus be dealt with through health awareness. Most of the immigrants are only focused on better job opportunities. Such education efforts would assist them in making better choices for the sake of other factors such as health care access.
It would be necessary to work with partners involved in minority health issues. The National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities is tasked with reaching on minority health issues (National Institutes of Health, 2019). A good strategic plan would involve collaboration with such an institute. Data collected by the Institution would be of importance in identifying minority issues. Identification of existing issues would ultimately lead to better problem-solving strategies. It is in this aspect that collaboration is essential in planning.
Conclusion
The ACA seeks to offer health care services an affordable rate, thus increasing the number of people with health care access. Despite the noble mandate, a significant amount of people in the minority category are without health care coverage. The lack of coverage hinders the realization of the health care system goal. Access to health care is, in this case, the primary mandate of the minority population health plan. Lifelong learning, as well as health care access for children and adults in the population, would increase life expectancy and overall health. Focusing on education and employment is the most critical aspect as far as the African American minority population is concerned. The economic issue plays a significant role in the limited access to health care. Employment and education are directly associated with economic disparities. It is in this regard that the two aspects are essential in the plan.
References
Hahn, R., & Truman, B. (2015). Education Improves Public Health and Promotes Health
Equity. International Journal Of Health Services, 45(4), 657-678. https://doi.org/10.1177/0020731415585986
National Institutes of Health. (2019). National Institute on Minority Health and Health
Disparities (NIMHD). National Institutes of Health (NIH). Retrieved 15 May 2020, from https://www.nih.gov/about-nih/what-we-do/nih-almanac/national-institute-minority-health-health-disparities-nimhd.
Sohn, H. (2016). Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Health Insurance Coverage: Dynamics of
Gaining and Losing Coverage Over the Life-Course. Population Research And Policy Review, 36(2), 181-201. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11113-016-9416-y