Racism in Healthcare

Entitlements, as they are often referred to in rhetoric-based political circles, are often a foundational argument for the unfairness of social redistribution programs by the privileged against the non-privileged in our political domain.  This, some argue alternatively, is nothing more than racism and the undermining of minority health by the privileged.  So which is it?  The disadvantages of race in our society is identified in Richard Delgado and Jean Stefancic’s book entitled Critical Race Theory, in their discussion on the subject of minority health.  They say, “People of color lead shorter lives, receive worse medical care…” and goes on to express the inherent racism in the capitalist system of privilege.

The Affordable Care Act is, in a sense, an entitlement program since lower income persons receive subsidies from the government to buy into the private insurance system.  However, if this were true, minorities would at least benefit equally, right?  According to the Atlantic magazine article entitled, “Rich, White, Healthy People Are Most Likely to Hate Obamacare”, that is further subtitled, “And people who benefit from the law are more likely to view it negatively than positively”, suggests in part that those who benefit most from the medical insurance bill are those who are the privileged in our society, and less so for those of minority status.