An individual’s ability to achieve good health is affected by age, race, ethnicity, social class, occupation, marital status, health literacy etc. There is a correlation between poverty and education and the most educated are the least impoverished . The number of adults without high school diploma or equivalent die before 65 are 3 times greater than that of those with a college degree. (AMA) In fact health statues is dictated by the three essential factors such as education, wealth and occupation. Higher education leads to better occupations, which in turn leads to greater wealth, social status, and better health care seeking behaviors.
Unemployment, loosing job and reduction in the working hours prevent people from seeking healthcare services. When people loose employer sponsored health insurance they are less likely to go for routine follow up and continue treatment as needed. Even though they seek medical care they may not be able to pay their medical bills. They postpone medical care and go without prescription medications for months and years. As they need to make decision between daily living and purchasing medication, they choose the former one. Lack of follow up visits and inaccessibility of medications lead to deterioration in health.
Lack of transportation is another financial barrier among low income people to keep physician appointment and seeking healthcare in time. This leads to a huge number of people seeking medical care through emergency room hospital services and can impact health care services negatively. Poor people usually lives in downgraded communities that are deficient in health resources and have an atmosphere that is not favorable to better health. Those living in neighborhoods viewed as unsafe are less likely to engage in preventive physical activity . Children raised in such unsafe and toxic neighborhood adversely affect their overall health.
Those children are most likely to engage in risky health behaviors resulting in life-threatening disorders. Their parents are unable to provide sufficient time and resources and unable to engage them in extracurricular activities. People from low socioeconomic status are usually engaged in low wage and high risk jobs and are susceptible to various kinds of illness. The mental health of those living in poor and hyper segregated community (including feelings of powerlessness, anxiety, and depression) lead to unhealthy risk-taking behaviors and poor coping mechanisms that may contribute to illness.
Those that have mental illness are more likely to be untreated and they suffer a greater loss to their overall health and productivity. Limited health literacy extremely effects individuals from minority groups and lower socioeconomic status. The cost of limited health literacy to the nation’s economy is huge, and the indirect cost includes more chronic illness and disability, lost wages and a poorer quality of life.
Overall low socioeconomic status people with lower level of education, lower wage job or unemployed do not seek preventive care, have no access to health care and are noncompliant in taking medications and following strict medication regimen. These risky behaviors impose a greater financial burden on health care system and raise in health insurance and increase in health care costs. Persons in lower socioeconomic groups suffer even more frustration, as they seem to fall further behind the mainstream of society (Smith & Maurer, 2009, p, 260)