Essay - Sociological Analysis of Health Care Access Inequality in 'Health Isn't...

Sociological Analysis of Health Care Access Inequality in "***** Isn't Color-Bl*****d" by Jennifer Ozols

In the article entitled "Health ***** Color-Blind," Jennifer Ozols brought into fore ***** issue of inequality in health care access among African-Americans and other minorities in the American society. The issue of health care, the article (conducted through an ********** with Thomas LaVeist, director of the Center for Health Disparities Solutions at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health) posited, was primarily motiv*****ed not so much about racial differences, but instead, income disparities—***** dichotomy between the rich and ***** poor.

Subsisting to this thesis, the interview with LaVeist led to the discussion of social inequalities that were considered as directly linked with ***** to health *****. The ***** cited ***** differentials, ***** living conditions/environment, misperceptions about health care access, ***** personal inferiority as fac*****rs ***** contribute to the continued stratification against minorities, specifically African-Americans. Cumulative effects of ********** factors led to various social problems that marginalize African-Americans, and access to health ***** is just one facet of these social problems.

Indeed, analysis of the salient points discussed in ***** ***** showed that lack of access ***** health care leads to the creation ***** the stratification termed as structural poverty, a functionalist view ***** reflects society as ***** determinant of social stratifications ***** marginalization that prevail among its members. This paper posits, then, ***** as illustrated in the article "Health Isn't Color-Blind," social cl*****s in terms of race had ***** to the development of a structure of poverty ***** African-Americans, influencing and affecting the worldviews among them and other ***** ***** the society about who should and should not deserve social service privileges available in the society.

In Renzetti ***** Curran's (2000) ***** of social class in the United States, they delved in***** the process of the ***** of a structured poverty ***** ***** country in terms ***** cultural ***** and personal inferiority (218-9). Cultural ***** emerges from the persistence of income disparities in the American *****, most especially across races. From ***** inferiority, the "culture of poverty" is perpetuated, wherein specific classes ***** ***** society consider basic ***** services as inaccessible and unavailable to *****. Personal inferiority, meanwhile, looks in***** the individual, wherein prejudice ***** perceived inferiority by the *****'s cl*****s leads also to prejudice against himself/ herself.

Income differentials have been the primary basis of most sociological researches on issues of inequality and stratification. As was explicated ***** LaVeist, "access to care is largely a function ***** he*****lth-insurance status, which ***** largely a function of employment *****," *****n assertion that ***** how one's ability ***** financially support himself/***** as well ***** his/her family ultimately determines ***** have or do not ***** access to quality health care. Income disparities, in effect, become the most basic ***** important measure ***** inequality in ***** societies today.

Of course, links between income disparities and race differences prevail in the study of social inequality. In Fahey and Smith's (2004) research on the study social ***** among European countries, it emerged