BARRIERS TO HEALTH CARE ACCESS
Access to healthcare barriers plays a pivotal role in advancing and supporting health, preventing, and controlling diseases. Access to healthcare encompasses three components that facilitate appropriate admission to health services for attaining the best health results (Jolly, 2019). The components include getting admission into the healthcare system, gaining physical access to the location where healthcare services are provided, and being attended to by a trustworthy and professional healthcare service provider. Although access to healthcare is a determinant of health, there are various barriers to healthcare services (Jolly, 2019). The main barriers include the high cost of healthcare services, unavailability of sufficient healthcare services, and inadequate insurance service coverage.
Health insurance cover is of great significance in healthcare access as it helps patients to gain admission into the healthcare system. Unaffordable and inadequate insurance cover prevents patients from getting appropriate and sufficient healthcare services due to large medical bills (Martin, Miller, Quesnel-Vallée, Caron, Vissandjée & Marchildon, 2018). Lack of insurance coverage exposes patients to poor health status and prevents patients from accessing health care services leading to delay in diagnosis and premature deaths.
Access to healthcare services relies on the availability of a sufficient healthcare system. Lack of primary healthcare providers leads to poor health outcomes, more disparities, and the high cost of healthcare access (Jolly, 2019). Additionally, the lack of primary care providers puts pressure on the health care delivery system because of unsustainable patients’ relationships and unavailability of integrated services. This barrier is responsible for an increase in mortality rates… Don't use plagiarised sources.Get your custom essay just from $11/page
Universal healthcare coverage and availability of healthcare services facilitate access to healthcare services for the poor and the less privileged in society. Healthcare services like WellCare in America improve access to healthcare through the provision of transportation, touchpoints, and telehealth (Martin, Miller, Quesnel-Vallée, Caron, Vissandjée & Marchildon, 2018). The healthcare coverage brings the facility directly to locations where patients can access it. Telehealth is an important facility that facilitates urgent access to healthcare services through Medicaid.
References
Jolly, L. E. (2019). Healthcare Access Barriers in Rural America. Kentucky Journal of Undergraduate Scholarship, 3(1), 8.
Martin, D., Miller, A. P., Quesnel-Vallée, A., Caron, N. R., Vissandjée, B., & Marchildon, G. P. (2018). Canada’s universal healthcare system: achieving its potential. The Lancet, 391(10131), 1718-1735.