United States UniversityNURSING FN 590Week 6 Assignment - Barriers to Health Care

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According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Service’s (DHS) website Healthy People 2020 (HP2020), a health disparity is “a type of health difference that is closely linked with social, ... economic, and/or environmental disadvantage” (DHS, 2019). Even though the meaning of disparities is often regarded as social disproportions along ethnic and racial lines, several dimensions of disparity occur in the United States, especially when it comes to healthcare. HP2020 lists several areas where disparities may occur in healthcare beyond race and ethnicity, including: sex and sexual identity, age, disability, socioeconomic status, and geographic location (DHS, 2019). In this paper, I will be exploring some of the healthcare disparities identified by the DHS in their HP2020 report. I will also review some of the current tools used to help identify potential and actual gaps in care, as well as explore other the importance of accurate tool development in order to accurately address healthcare disparities. HP2020 has identified 42 topic areas of healthcare focus. As well as providing a topic overview and clear goals for improvement, each topic also presents barriers to care that have been identified which need to be addressed and overcome in order to improve deficiencies. For example, in the topic Access to Health Services it lists for its goal “Improve access to comprehensive, quality health care services” stating that “access to health care impacts one's overall physical, social, and mental health status and quality of life” (DHS, 2019). In the topic overview, it lists 3 components of focus: 1. Insurance Coverage 2. Health Services 3. Timeliness of Care The identified barriers to meeting the goals of this topic are: 1. High Cost of Care 2. Inadequate or No Insurance Coverage 3. Lack of Availability of Services 4. Lack of Culturally Competent Care One could effectively argue, I believe, that these barriers to Health Care Access fall along a patient’s socioeconomic status and geographic location [Show More]

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