Everyone needs a hero. Mine is Dr. Paul Farmer, a physician-anthropologist who has dedicated his life to serving the poor, primarily in rural Haiti.
In his book, “Infections and Inequalities: The Modern Plagues,” Farmer said although diseases are partly biological in origin, the source of their true power is us. Health outcomes differ drastically between the wealthy and the poor in a way that he terms “biological reflections of social fault lines.”
We realize that 47 million uninsured Americans is unacceptable. However, according to a recent Gallup Poll, only 39 percent of Americans are in favor of the current health care bill. This, when compared to the 64 percent of Americans who supported government-sponsored health coverage in 2007, according to CBS News, is striking.
These commitment issues are going to force us to resign ourselves to whatever maimed piece of legislation limps out of this political firefight — a fight that seems trivial when universal coverage isn’t the best solution.
We should address inequity before we pump more federal dollars into our already bloated health care system.
Firstly, both health and health care are problematic: The U.S. ranks 29th in the world for life expectancy but pays 1.5 times as many health care dollars as other industrialized nations, according to the UC Atlas of Global Inequality.
Both problems are treatable through policies that will narrow the income gap and by providing resources that will give the poor greater control over their health.
In a USA Today article, “Can wealth affect health?” by Kim Painter, she describes a study by psychologist Sheldon Cohen, who found that homeownership is a solid predictor for whether or not individuals would develop a cold when exposed to cold viruses.
Painter says, “Cohen’s findings…are consistent with a mountain of studies compiled over several decades that show socioeconomic status can have a profound influence on health.”
What does homeownership have to do with health?
In the 20th century, Americans’ life expectancy increased 30 years. This was primarily because of social reforms like civil rights and wage and labor laws, according to the PBS series, “Unnatural Causes.”
Since then, though, disparities have widened.
Specifically, the top 5 percent of incomes have increased by 81 percent, while the bottom 20 percent have declined 1 percent.
Consequently, the gap between white and African American infant mortality rates is greater today than it was in 1950.
While actually owning a home isn’t the same as eating all five servings of vegetables, it is a symbol of financial security and status that supplies the latitude to pursue health- enriching activities — like having health insurance.
Greater coverage may give greater access to care but it won’t solve the public transportation problems that prevent people from reaching doctors. It won’t increase the number of supermarkets and parks in poor neighborhoods, and it won’t decrease the risk for stress and infectious disease that goes with poor living conditions.
How can we expect our nation’s health to improve if we treat the symptom of the disease — lack of health insurance — rather than its causes?
Get in on the firefight at kckelle2@asu.edu.
