What Can Be Done About Inequalities In Medical Care In The United States?

The Affordable Care Act has made health coverage available to at least 7 million more Americans, and even Republican governors (in Utah and Pennsylvania) are now moving for Medicaid expansion, but early indications are that Obamacare didn't "fix" inequalities in American healthcare, at least not in its first year.

Others with large unserved populations, such as West Virginia, have received relatively little interest from insurance companies and relatively few signups for coverage.

Gender disparities also persist in healthcare. The Hobby Lobby decision, affirming the power of family-held corporations to deny their female employees coverage for healthcare they do not like (in this case, for birth control), has generated a number of religion-related challenges to the Affordable Care Act. And the United States as a whole still pays, Johns Hopkins University researchers estimate, $70 billion a year more for healthcare for African-Americans who do not receive the primary healthcare they need to prevent chronic problems such as kidney failure, prostate cancer, and heart disease.

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But what can individuals do to help the system deliver better care to everyone. Here are some suggestions.

1. Be patient with your healthcare providers as they switch to electronic record systems. Many doctor's offices struggle to make the transition from paper records to electronic records. Not just support staff but doctors themselves take extra time to use the new system, and many run late with their appointments. How can this help the system as a whole deliver better care to everyone?Built into the new medical records systems are reporting mechanisms that alert doctors to the needs of people as individuals, particularly the special needs of women and racial minorities.

2. If you have had a good experience with the Affordable Care Act, let your friends and neighbors know. Early on, many people complained about high premiums and lack of choice without ever actualy making any effort to get their own Obamacare policies. Now that the system has been in place for a while, it has become well know that a lot of the more shocking stories were simply made up. If you have new coverage and it's working for you, let other people know so they can find out what is available for them.

3. Seek preventive care rather than corrective care. See your doctor regularly, at least once a year for a checkup, even if you are currently in good health. And take care of problems like high blood pressure and diabetes carefully every day to prevent complications. You will have a happier and longer life, and the system will pay less for your care.