Health Care Policies and the Poor

1)      Who do you think is poor, both in the United States and globally?

Based on the lecture from this week it is hard to answer this question because the entire thing was about poverty and poor people, but instead the focus was on health care. I did notice however that one of the slides mentioned that the majority of the people who are uninsured were poor or in poverty and of those uninsured the highest region with 18.2% was the south. Therefor I can say that I believe that the majority of poor people in the United States are located in the Southern areas or regions. Unfortunately this means that the majority of those in poverty are young children and people under the age of 24 because they have some of the highest rates out of those that are uninsured.

2)      Why do you believe people are poor in the United States and globally?

When trying to tie in the weeks lecture to this question I thought of the slides and the lessons and came to the following conclusion. Perhaps the people who are uninsured and are not covered with a good health care plan are the ones that are poor in the United States, this could perhaps be because they are trying to worry about making other ends meet and this is not a priority. Also I learned that the highest rates of those that are uninsured are Hispanics and Non Natives. Maybe these people are too busy having to find jobs and making a living in a new country and therefor have to worry about education and a house and food rather then worrying about health care and a medical bill. They are maybe having to sacrifice one thing for another and at the time food and a roof over their heads was the priority. People may also be poor in this country and around the world because without the proper health care and regular doctor visits one minor illness can become something much worse and could in the end interfere with their ability to work. If this gets too out of hand maybe they lose their jobs and can't afford to get another one, or afford the medication to get better and return to work, therefor adding to the cycle of poverty.

3)      What do you think is being done about poverty (e.g., specific policies and programs in the United States and globally) and how well do you think poverty is being addressed?

Right now to help those who are in poverty and in need of health insurance there are different policies that are out that are raising public awareness of ethnic and racial disparities in health care as well as expanding health insurance coverage, and improving the capacity of providers in under served communities. Medicare and Medicaid have also been around for some time to help those who need the extra hand in paying for hospital,doctor,and medical bill costs.