The Impact of Socioeconomic Status on Healthcare

Socioeconomic status (SES) is a big term that describes how much money people make and their overall social standing. It has a huge effect on healthcare. This means it can change how easily people can get medical help, the quality of that help, and how healthy they end up being.

Here are some important statistics to show this difference:

• Income and Health: People who earn less than $25,000 a year are 2.5 times more likely to have medical needs that go unmet. This means they might not get the care they need. In contrast, people who earn$100,000 or more have better access.

• Insurance Coverage: In 2020, about 8.6% of families making less than the poverty line did not have health insurance. This is way higher than the 3.1% of families that have higher incomes.

• Health Outcomes: Research published in a medical journal called The Lancet showed that people with lower socioeconomic status are more likely to get chronic illnesses. For example, heart disease affects low-income groups almost 50% more than others.

These numbers show that people with less money face unfair challenges in getting good healthcare. Because of this, we need to rethink our healthcare policies. It is essential to make sure everyone has fair access to medical care, especially for those who need it the most. Making these changes is important for creating a fair healthcare system that helps the most vulnerable people in our society.