Breaking the Silence
Inequalities in Preventative Healthcare
As the needle pierced my skin, extracting a small sample for genetic testing, I couldn’t help but notice the irony lingering in the air of the medical lab. I sat gown-clad and vulnerable, at her workplace for my yearly mammogram. The woman wielding the syringe, a skilled phlebotomist celebrating her 45th birthday, expertly drew my blood. Yet, despite her skill, a disconcerting truth surfaced — she couldn’t qualify for a mammogram at the very place where she practiced her craft.
A woman with a family history shadowed by breast cancer, denied a basic screening by the company that provided me, mine. As I thought about this injury of inequality, I realized that it was a potent metaphor for a healthcare system riddled with disparities.
I have no family history of breast cancer, yet I receive yearly screenings, and today was offered genetic testing.
How can we accept a reality where those responsible for our well-being struggle to access preventive care crucial for their own health? In a society where the gatekeepers of our health find themselves navigating a maze of hurdles just to secure basic healthcare, we unearth a profound crisis.
The skilled phlebotomist at the women’s health center recently started a second job as an in-home care provider. She couldn’t access a mammogram, not due to lack of skills, education, or training, but due to the barriers imposed by inadequate insurance coverage. And if I’m being honest, it’s also due to wage stagnation and rising costs of living. It’s unsustainable, emblematic of a larger issue affecting the well-being of skilled workers across various professions.
In a nation where basic healthcare is tied to employment, the absence of company-provided insurance for full-time skilled workers raises a fundamental question about the structure of our healthcare system.
How can we reconcile a system where those entrusted with our health are denied the coverage necessary for their own? This systemic paradox not only affects individual struggles but contributes to broader health disparities.
Additionally, we see poorer health outcomes when preventative care is delayed or denied. Limited access to preventative care and screenings can lead to late-stage diagnosis and more severe health issues, compounded by the absence of routine check-ups. The mass delay in preventative care during the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the impact on public health.
Moreover, in systems where healthcare is tied to employment, individuals without jobs or those in part-time or temporary positions may lack consistent access to healthcare coverage.
Following my experience in the laboratory with the phlebotomist and other individuals in similar positions, the sociological landscape paints a stark picture of healthcare disparities.
Research confirms the disconcerting reality: discrimination based on race, gender, or socioeconomic status is not only pervasive but deeply ingrained in the healthcare system. It compromises the quality of care individuals receive and acts as a discouraging barrier, deterring them from seeking essential healthcare services.
This discrimination manifests in various ways, illustrated by a study discussing the barriers to mammography access for Black women. Structural and personal factors create formidable obstacles, including accessibility, affordability, availability, accommodation, and acceptability. Another study from the National Institutes of Health underscores the critical role of poverty in driving health disparities.
For Black women, this translates to lower rates of breast cancer screening, a higher likelihood of late-stage diagnosis, inadequate treatment, and ultimately, higher mortality rates.
The research unequivocally supports the assertion that individuals, particularly Black women, experience poorer outcomes when they access care.
These findings emphasize the pressing need to dismantle the barriers and disparities deeply rooted in the healthcare system. It’s not merely a matter of individual experiences or isolated incidents but indicative of a larger systemic failure that demands our collective attention and advocacy.
Jennifer Crow, patient advocate, writer, and resilience researcher. Fueled by her own experiences with a rare neuromuscular autoimmune disease, myasthenia gravis, Jennifer is dedicated to the transformative power of writing. Jennifer is a champion of resistance and storytelling, empowering those living with chronic conditions to understand themselves better through writing.
