by Samuel Gomes Rodrigues Jr.
American society often raises the elderly on a pedestal, often describing them to be bastions of knowledge and wisdom. Bourgeois politicians constantly use the lives and experiences of the elderly to attempt to pacify younger generations to stop resistance against inequalities and injustices. These politicians do this while simultaneously overlooking, ignoring, and disregarding the elderly and their struggles, especially those heavily connected to the basic human right of affordable and quality healthcare.
Across the United States, Americans are struggling to have access to quality healthcare. This is an unfortunate reality for the majority of the elderly population in the United States. One of the most expensive health services for the elderly is dental care, with many of them skipping needed checkups due to costs. Surveys have shown that 56% of elderly people struggle to cover health insurance costs, 56% struggle with paying for quality home care, assisted living, and nursing homes, and 54% struggle with paying for prescription medications. Oftentimes ageism plays a role in costs due to the fact that the older an elderly person is the more insurance companies charge for their services. This is exacerbated by racial discrimination where 50% of Black and 26% of Latino elderly patients were concerned about racial discrimination. 46% of Black and 37% of Latino elderly people feel as if they are not receiving equal medical care and 43% of Black and 36% of Latino patients struggle to receive quality mental health services. Gender also plays a role in the disparity to afford and receive quality healthcare, where 49% of elderly women felt less financially secure when it comes to paying for dental care, 44% struggle to pay for quality home care, assisted living, and nursing homes, 40% struggle to find quality healthcare services, and 33% feel as if they are not receiving equal medical care. Surveys and studies have shown that the United States has the highest out-of-pocket payments with significant coverage gaps.
There is vast evidence that shows even when the elderly are able to gain access to healthcare, the majority having Medicare, still face multiple struggles when trying to receive care. Studies have shown that elderly patients constantly report doctors and other medical personnel have a lack of responsiveness to their medical concerns. Many providers at hospitals are often not qualified to work with elderly patients due to medical schools prioritizing pediatric care opposed to geriatric care. Elderly patients also complain of seeing multiple physicians a year with their primary care physician (PCP) not coordinating their treatments with other health care providers. The majority of them struggle with paying medical bills even with the “assistance” of Medicare. Even if none of these factors existed, most elderly people cannot find reliable transportation to hospitals and appointments and many also complain of lack of street safety. Elderly people with low incomes, no supplemental insurance, of older age, and those who are women have the most significant disadvantages when it comes to healthcare for Medicare beneficiaries. Race is not a large issue due to the fact the recipients of Medicare are disproportionately White, specifically with 72.3% of recipients being White and only 27.6% being people of color.
Our government has forsaken the elderly. We cannot stand by as our elders, mentors, grandparents, and parents struggle to receive the most basic of human rights. After all they have done for the United States through the selling of their time, labor, bodies, and minds; after taking care of and raising this country, it is only right that we take care of them in return.
Bibliography
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