2. Health care organizations work to ensure that both: * Health care equality * Health care affordability eliminate disparities that threaten the quality of care throughout the country U.S. health care organizations

3. These particular achievements may NOT be met U.S. health care organizations

4.  What is a health care disparity?  What solutions reduce and / or eliminate health care disparities? Two major questions exist within the United States health care system.

5. The differences in health care associated with: * Economic status * Social status * Environmental disadvantages Health care disparities defined

6. The National Institutes of Health describes health care disparities in: * Burdens * Incidences * Prevalence * Mortality of ailments among certain ethnic groups or populations. Health care disparities defined

7. With different definitions describing health care disparities, how can a corrective plan of action be composed and implemented? Health care disparities defined

8. Health care disparities may range from an Individual’s: * Genetic makeup * Lack of health care insurance coverage * Socio – economic status * Lack of quality health care * Lack of access to quality health care * Lack of access to preventative care * Lack of follow up health care when an individual is diagnosed with an ailment. Health care disparities causes

9. Federal analysis has pin pointed several areas of concern regarding health care disparities.  Diabetes: Indians / Native American females are almost 2x more likely to perish from diabetes as Caucasian females  Cardiovascular: African Americans suffer from significantly elevated rates of mortality from the ailment  Hepatitis B: Pacific Islanders and Asians account for over half of the American population from Hepatitis B  Cancer: African American females are afflicted by triple negative breast cancer Health care disparities causes

10. The aforementioned ailments are just the TIP of the ice burg in where data analysis distinguish disparities in the health care of minority individuals / populations Health care disparities causes

11. The United States government has attempted to make an effort under the Leadership of President Obama (who was fought immensely) in an attempt to right the ship in regards to the health care disparities within the United States. The Affordable Care Act What can reduce and / or eliminate health care disparities?

12. The Affordable Health Care Act was supposed to: * Elevate health care coverage * Ensure coverage for those individuals between the ages of 19-25 * Ensure coverage for ailing individuals with pre – existing health care conditions * Ensure Medicaid coverage fro those who could not afford health insurance * Reduce Health care expenditures * Reduce the national budget deficit by 143 billion dollars by the year 2019 * Elevate taxes and lower deductibles What can reduce and / or eliminate health care disparities?

13. If the Affordable Care Act accomplished these goals, we would indeed reduce and/or eliminate the health care disparities that exist today. What can reduce and / or eliminate health care disparities?

14. In Conclusion Until then, I do not feel we can achieve health care equality within the United States.

15. References Affordable Care Act: The heath care law at two years. (n.d.). The White House. Retrieved from https://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/uploads/ careact.pdf Blakely, T. & Simmers, D. (2011). Fact and action sheets on health inequities. New Zealand Medical Association. Retrieved from http:// www.pha.org.nz/documents/fact-action-health-inequalities.pdf CDC health disparities and inequalities report: United States, 2011. (2011). CDC. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/pdf/other/ su6001.pdf Glied, S.A. (2008). Health care financing, efficiency, and equity. NBER. Retrieved from http://www.nber.org/papers/w13881.pdf LAVeist, T. Gaskin, D.J., & Richard, P. (2009). The economic burden of health inequalities in the United States. Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies. Retrieved from https://www.ndhealth.gov/ heo/publications/The%20Economic%20Burden%20of%20Health %20Inequalities%20in%20the%20United%20States.pdf The paper assignment can be found here: http://collins2collins.com/uploads/CAN_WE_ACHIEVE_HEALTH_EQUALITY.pd f