Health Equity: Benefits & How To Achieve

Health Equity: Benefits & How To Achieve. According to the United States government, health equity is defined as the attainment of the highest level of health for all people. What this implies is that everyone – regardless of geography, social status, or race – is entitled to quality health. While this is a lofty goal, it is totally achievable even though there are so many changes that must occur in society.

Take, for instance, according to the National Cancer Institute, black people are more likely to die from cancer than other races. Also, individuals with low income are less likely to get health insurance. When they do, what they often get is a lower quality of healthcare. Health equity has been a hot topic for discussion over the years. For this reason, this comprehensive guide will look into the importance of health equity, and how to achieve it.

Why Does Health Equity Matter?

Health equity and health equality do not mean the same thing. Everyone must have opportunities that are tailored to their situation, rather than just having the same opportunities. Health Equity: Benefits & How To Achieve. In other words, the level of care should meet the demands of every individual.

Several factors determine how healthy a person can be. These include exercise habits, diets, whether or not the person smokes, and how quickly they can get serious medical attention. Everyone must make it a personal responsibility to maintain their health. However, the actions that we can take are restricted to the number of options we are presented with.

For people who live in congested areas, with broken sidewalks and no parks, it might prove difficult to exercise. Besides this, it is also hard to get good food in an area that offers low-quality, processed food. This will make it tough to eat a healthy diet.

For those suffering from obesity with no means for regular work out, the use of optimal max keto and other weight loss pills can prove to be effective. Yet, most people have no means to afford these pills and equipment, which can help in preventing several health issues.

Health equity will remove any barrier that obstructs people from being exposed to opportunities to improve their health. The disparity in the level of healthcare people receive can be very costly. Take, for instance, the prevalence of specific conditions among children – such as unintentional injuries and low birth weight – would reduce if all kids can be exposed to the same level of healthcare rich children get.

The consequence of this is that unhealthy children often grow up to become unhealthy adults. This leads to a cycle that affects the mental, financial, and physical health of their families as well. It is safe to suggest that when health equity is achieved in childhood, there would be a significant reduction in the amount that is spent on medical care.

How can we achieve health equity?

To achieve health equity, the government needs to place equal value on everyone’s health. Some important steps that can help to achieve this are discussed as follows:

Identify Major Health Disparities and Their Causes

Just like any health approach to medical issues, tackling health disparity is the first step that must be taken to achieve health equities. This step encourages a more comprehensive approach toward finding a permanent solution. Oftentimes, the issues regarding community health are complex.

Tackle Certain Uncomfortable Realities

While the prospect of diversity is interesting for every society owing to the benefits thereof, humanity has a long history of considering specific races and ethnic groups to be superior to others. Everyone is not treated equally and the number of opportunities everyone is exposed to is not the same.

Implement Laws, Policies, and Programs at All Levels of Society that provide equal chances of being healthy

When the affordable health care act was passed in the United States in 2010, the hope was to ensure that everyone has a shot at getting health insurance. This would reduce the gap in healthcare that everyone can access. Even though the act was criticized by many, it represented an effective means of achieving health equity. 

Final Verdict

The reality is that the standard of healthcare that everyone has access to is different. For everyone to get a shot at being healthy, the root cause of the issue and discrimination must be stopped while building harmony and partnership within a community.