Challenging students to think critically about the complex web of
social forces that leads to health disparities in the United States.
The health care system in the United States has been called the best in
the world. Yet wide disparities persist between social groups, and many
Americans suffer from poorer health than people in other developed
countries. In this revised edition of Health Disparities in the United
States, Donald A. Barr provides extensive new data about the ways low
socioeconomic status, race, and ethnicity interact to create and
perpetuate these health disparities. Examining the significance of this
gulf for the medical community and society at large, Barr offers
potential policy- and physician-based solutions for reducing health
inequity in the long term.
This thoroughly updated edition focuses on a new challenge the United
States last experienced more than half a century ago: successive years
of declining life expectancy. Barr addresses the causes of this decline,
including what are commonly referred to as "deaths of despair"--from
opiate overdose or suicide. Exploring the growing role geography plays
in health disparities, Barr asks why people living in rural areas suffer
the greatest increases in these deaths. He also analyzes recent changes
under the Affordable Care Act and considers the literature on how race
and ethnicity affect the way health care providers evaluate and treat
patients.
As both a physician and a sociologist, Barr is uniquely positioned to
offer rigorous medical explanations alongside sociological analysis. An
essential text for courses in public health, health policy, and
sociology, this compelling book is a vital teaching tool and a
comprehensive reference for social science and medical professionals.
