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These inequalities may exist in the context of the health care system, or in broader social approaches. According to the WHO's Commission on Social Determinants of Health, access to health care is essential for equitable health, and it argued that health care should be a common good rather than a market commodity . [ 4 ]
The Institute of Medicine in the United States says fragmentation of the U.S. health care delivery and financing system is a barrier to accessing care. Racial and ethnic minorities are more likely to be enrolled in health insurance plans which place limits on covered services and offer a limited number of health care providers. [8]: 10
This systematic inequality is produced by social norms, policies, and practices that promote the unfair distribution of power, wealth, and other social resources, [1] such as healthcare. "The poor health of the poor, the social gradient in health within countries, and the marked health inequities between countries are caused by the unequal ...
Medical billing, a payment process in the United States healthcare system, is the process of reviewing a patient's medical records and using information about their diagnoses and procedures to determine which services are billable and to whom they are billed. [1] This bill is called a claim. [2]
Pay for performance systems link compensation to measures of work quality or goals. Current methods of healthcare payment may actually reward less-safe care, since some insurance companies will not pay for new practices to reduce errors, while physicians and hospitals can bill for additional services that are needed when patients are injured by mistakes. [1]
For example, cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the United States, [2] followed closely by cancer, with the fifth most deadly being diabetes. The general risk factors associated with these diseases include obesity and poor diet , tobacco and alcohol use, physical inactivity , and access to medical care and health ...
In fact, studies have shown that income-related inequality in healthcare expenditures favors the wealthy to a greater degree in the United States than most other Western nations. [18] The enormous costs of healthcare, coupled with the vast number of Americans lacking health insurance, indicate the severe inequality and serious problems that exist.
Meanwhile, lower socioeconomic status groups often have worse health outcomes due to poor access to quality healthcare and financial inability to pay for healthcare. [1] In 2020, South Africa's GINI coefficient was 62.73, the highest of any country, indicating a high-level of income inequality. [5]