Deborah Stone
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780195170665
- eISBN:
- 9780199850204
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195170665.003.0022
- Subject:
- Political Science, American Politics
This chapter focuses on racial disparities in health care. It shows how certain principles of political organization in culture in the United States perpetuate racial disparities. The chapter ...
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This chapter focuses on racial disparities in health care. It shows how certain principles of political organization in culture in the United States perpetuate racial disparities. The chapter suggests that market ideology is the biggest obstacle to health-care equity. The U.S. health-care system is designed to produce disparities, since it allocates medical care primarily by market criteria rather than by medical need. Market principles generate racial and ethnic disparities, and allow racism to continue under cover of economic justifications. The chapter argues that the nation will not be able to ameliorate racial and ethnic disparities until political leaders are willing to face up to the consequences of their devotion to the pluralistic ideals in medicine.Less
This chapter focuses on racial disparities in health care. It shows how certain principles of political organization in culture in the United States perpetuate racial disparities. The chapter suggests that market ideology is the biggest obstacle to health-care equity. The U.S. health-care system is designed to produce disparities, since it allocates medical care primarily by market criteria rather than by medical need. Market principles generate racial and ethnic disparities, and allow racism to continue under cover of economic justifications. The chapter argues that the nation will not be able to ameliorate racial and ethnic disparities until political leaders are willing to face up to the consequences of their devotion to the pluralistic ideals in medicine.
