The Physician s Lack Of Certification - 1504 Words

Physicians in medical settings that treat mostly Black patients are less likely to be board certified and thus less competent than those in settings for Whites. The physician s lack of certification manifests itself in lower knowledge about cancer prevention and screening, poorer management of chronic diseases, and a smaller likelihood to advise modifying one s diet or smoking behavior. These factors of geographic proximity and health care personnel and facility all contribute to the disparity in quality of care. Sometimes, racial segregation is more important of a structural factor than geographic proximity to high-quality care and services. Despite living closer than whites to average or high-quality hospitals, black patients were†¦show more content†¦The quality of care varies widely across states for low-income populations too. In summary, inequality in care is caused by geography, differentials in resources and skilled physicians, racial segregation in neighborhoods, and income inequality. The disparity in quality care indirectly relates to poverty. States that performed poorest in quality indicators in comparison to other states were located in the South and South Central regions (Schoen et al., 2013). Poverty is additionally known to be concentrated in the South, which is the location where 55% of the African-American population in the U.S. and 41% of America s poor people live (Census Bureau, 2011; Pew Research Center, 2014). The poverty rate of African-Americans remains high at 27.2%. Having a low income of under 200% of the federal poverty line or earning only a high school education describes about half of the population in the Southern states. Schoen et al. (2013) argued that a higher income and better educated individual experiences positive health outcomes as opposed to the person in poverty who is generally sicker. Therefore, the locations with the highest disparities in quality of care are the same locations where the highest poverty rates exist. The Affordable Care Act constituted one step taken to resolve health inequalities. Part of the law expanded the Medicaid program to cover