Conflict Theory and Health Care Access Term Paper

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Inequality of Socioeconomics with Regards to Access to Health Care

This topic was selected because I am pursuing a degree in health care administration/nursing and I want to show how inequality of access to health care is determined by one’s socioeconomic status. In other words, the research shows that if one has a low socioeconomic status, access to quality care will be less likely than if one has a higher socioeconomic status (Nicks, 2012). As the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (ODPHP, 2017) has shown, access to quality health care services is critical for sustaining and promoting health in communities—especially in ones that suffer from a low socioeconomic status; by improving access to care in these communities, health care providers can work to prevent the spread of disease, eliminate unnecessary disabilities, and reduce the number of deaths of low socioeconomic status individuals. Though insurance coverage has been expanded in recent years under the Affordable Care Act (Somanader, 2016), access to health services is still an issue that prevents patients from obtaining the kind of quality care they need. This paper will use conflict theory to explain why access to care is still a problem for the people from low socioeconomic backgrounds and will provide two recommended solutions that can be implemented to help address this issue.

Conflict theory is based on Marxist principles that were developed in the 19th century, which focused on class issues and the inequalities viewed between the working class and the owners of the means of production. Then in the following century, these principles were elaborated upon and conflict theory emerged, mainly in response to another sociological theory that had come into being by that time, which was called structural functionalism (Ritzer, Stepnisky, 2017). The theory of structural functionalism was developed in order to describe the way that societies and institutions work to achieve a stable and functioning environment. It suggested that society will tend to work towards achieving a balance within communities so that communities function optimally. Conflict theory reversed this idea and after being promulgated by thinkers such as Ralf Dahrendorf, conflict theory began to emerge as a more explanatory take on why societies so often failed to achieve satisfactory objectives regarding functionality, equality and stability. In other words, Dahrendorf showed that societies often have “two faces” that represent two opposing aims within society—one that is meant to help the whole, and one that is meant to help those who are already in control and simply want to maintain their position of power (Ritzer, Stepnisky, 2017, p. 120).

The Frankfurt School of philosophers, including Max Horkheimer and Theodore Adorno reckoned that society had failed to initiate a class uprising that would allow the lower working class to assume more power in the means of production and obtain equality with the upper class because of a cultural war that was being waged against the lower class.

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The cultural way, they posited, was waged via popular media—the mainstream media—through songs, movies, and books, all of which had a pacifying effect on the lower classes and caused them to be content with their menial jobs, low income, and low socioeconomic status (Horkheimer & Adorno, 1944).

The main tenet of conflict theory, therefore, is that all the parts and classes of society are battling for control but that those who own the means of production inevitably win the battle because they have the most power. That is why government, schools, corporations, and lobbyists are all tools of the ruling class and those of a low socioeconomic background will never be able to obtain equality. In terms of health care access, this theory shows that the limited access to health care for people of a low socioeconomic background is deliberate on the parts of the ruling class. Some examples of this can be seen in the fact that in spite of legislation like the Affordable Care Act, people of a low socioeconomic status still have limited access to health care. The ruling parties hailed the ACA as a breakthrough yet the results have not helped these people. The CDC (2016) shows that from 2014-2015, 17.3% of people between the ages of 18 and 64 were without a usual source of care. This percentage increased as the age of the population decreased, showing that children of low socioeconomic backgrounds are the most likely to suffer: more than 10% of them had no health care visits to an office or clinic for an entire year from 2014-2015 (CDC, 2016). Another example is that in some parts of the nation, there are simply not enough doctors to see all the patients and those from low socioeconomic backgrounds simply try to treat themselves as a result and many become addicted to drugs that they purchase on the black market, which only worsens the problem (Szabo, 2014).

One solution as the IOM (2012) has stated is for advanced practice nurses (APRNs) to begin to assume more of a leadership position in health care and operated independently of physicians. So as to improve access to health care, APRNs need to be able to practice to the full extent of their abilities and knowledge so that more patients can be seen over a wider area. By opening up more doors to treatment, APRNs who operate independently provide communities with more alternatives and opportunities to obtain health care. If states….....

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