The document discusses healthcare in the US. It covers how healthcare is a profession, bureaucracy and big business. It examines factors that affect health like social epidemiology, demographic factors and lifestyle factors. It discusses perspectives on healthcare like functionalism, conflict theory and symbolic interactionism. It outlines problems with the US healthcare system like inadequate insurance coverage, high costs and its ranking compared to other countries.

1. Healthcare
Chapter 19
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Health Care in the US
Medicine refers to a society’s organized ways of dealing with
illness and injury
In the U.S. medicine is a profession, a bureaucracy and a big
business.
Sociologists also examine how illness and health are related to
cultural beliefs, lifestyle and social class
Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-
being.
Health care is any activity intended to improve health

2. 2
The Social Construction of Health
Cultural meaning
Which illnesses are stigmatized?
Which illnesses are disabilities?
Which illnesses are contested?
Social Construction of Illness Experience
Definition of illness is linked to social construction of reality
Social Construction of Medial Knowledge
Medical knowledge reflects and reproduces inequalities
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Factors Affecting Health
Social epidemiology
Disease agents (biological, nutrient, chemical)
The environment (physical, biological, social)
Human host
Demographic Factors
Age, Sex, Race and Ethnicity, Social Class
Lifestyle Factors Affecting Health
Alcohol / tobacco
Illegal drugs
Sexually Transmitted Diseases

3. 4
Functionalism – Talcott Parsons
Functionalism: the positive functions of the health care system
are the prevention and treatment of disease.
The Sick Role (Talcott Parsons)
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Functionalism – Eliot Freidson
Eliot Freidson
Variations in the sick role to exist
Social treatment depends on seriousness of disease
Stigmatization impacts treatment
Illness label is not objectiveAssigned SeriousnessIllegitimate
(Stigmatized)Conditional LegitimateUnconditional
LegitimacyMinor deviation“Stammer”“A
cold”“Pockmarks”Serious
deviation“Epilepsy”“Pneumonia”“Cancer”

4. 6
Conflict Perspective
Conflict perspective: the inequality inherent in our society is
responsible for the unequal access to medical care.
Minorities, the lower classes, and the elderly, particularly
elderly women, have less access to the health care system than
Whites, middle & upper classes, and middle-aged.
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Symbolic Interaction
Symbolic interactionists hold that illness is partly socially
constructed.
The definitions of illness and wellness are culturally relative—
sickness in one culture may be wellness in another.
Medicalization and demedicalization

5. 8
Problems in U.S. Health Care
The World Health Organization ranks the U.S. 37th out of 191
countries according to its health care performance.
When comparing health care systems we examine
Universal coverage
Portability
Geographic accessibility
Comprehensive benefits
Affordability
Financial efficiency
Consumer choice
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Problems in U.S. Health Care
Traditional Medicine
Private Insurance
Government Insurance
Medicaid

6. Medicare
Managed Care
Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM)
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Problems in U.S. Health Care
Inadequate Health Insurance Coverage
Universal Health Care – a system of health care, typically
financed by the government that ensures health care coverage
for all citizens.
In 2012, 15.4% of Americans did not have health care coverage
just prior to ACA implementation
Around 10% of Americans were uninsured as of Q2 2015
That number has risen to 12.2% in 2017
U.S. Census Bureau reports 8.8% uninsured in 2018
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The High Cost of Health Care
Health spending in the US is far greater that in other

7. industrialized countries.
Several factors have contributed to escalating medical costs:
Increased longevity
Cost of hospital services and medical technology
Cost of prescription drugs
Cost of health insurance
Expensive medical technologies
.
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