Showing posts with label Sociology - Health. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sociology - Health. Show all posts

Thursday, March 4, 2010

Issues of Health and Health Care Reform � The Social Lens

Issues of Health and Health Care Reform � The Social Lens



The effort of passing health care reform has been a major source of national interest for several presidential election cycles. Until recently though, health care reform was an idea without much substance or potential of being realized in the United States.

Health care as a social problem is a very complicated issue. This is precisely why any effort of passing major health care reform has consistently been blocked. There are several dimensions of health that have rightfully generated a substantial amount of interest in the United States over the past decade. The issues surrounding health care are not limited to health care insurance. They include issues of lifestyle and nutrition (including the high incidence of overweight and obese citizens in the United States), the health care costs for the poor, senior citizens, and the health care costs enacted on the government due to a very unhealthy population.

Certainly a big factor influencing President Obama’s effort of enacting health care reform centers around the number of people not covered by some of health insurance in the United States.
Source:

http://www.census.gov/prod/2009pubs/p60-236.pdf

When we drill down into the uninsured data, the picture begins to take twists and turns. Below you’ll see how gender and race of children can be a deterrent for having no health care insurance coverage.

Source: http://www.census.gov/prod/2009pubs/p60-236.pdf

While this data is startling, it’s important to note that the uninsured rate and number for children are the lowest since 1987.

An interesting aspect of the health care reform efforts is the role that social media is playing in the debate. Go here to view viewer submitted video clips, questions, and politician’s replies regarding health care questions.

Should their be universal health care insurance coverage? Should there be a sliding scale? Is health care coverage a right or a privilege? Should everyone pay into a health care plan, and everyone be able to use that health care plan? Is the health care coverage problem tied to social class? Gender? Race?

Wednesday, May 6, 2009

Obesity and the Fastness of Food

Obesity and the Fastness of Food - Economix Blog - NYTimes.com

An interesting graph of time spent eating per day vs. the national obesity rate.

What factors might explain the vast discrepancy in time and obesity rate between the U.S. and say, France?

Tuesday, March 15, 2005

NPR : States Scramble to Solve High Medicaid Costs

Talk of the Nation, March 14, 2005 · Texas warns that Medicaid costs could leave the state broke. Florida is considering semi-privatization -- and in Kansas, the governor wants to extend coverage to more who need it.

Read and hear more about the national medicaid crisis from National Public Radio by clicking here.

Sunday, March 6, 2005

Globalization and Health

Mexico's Minister of Health talks about the role that disease, violence, and malnutrition play in the dialogue over global economic development.

Read this article in its entirety by clicking here.