Alan R. Weil, the Editor and Chief of Health Affairs journal, takes a look into the relation between income and health. The study was funded through the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Equity-Focused Policy Research program. The overall premise is that although the government provides care there are still inequalities depending on social determinants, income, and other disparities. This article focuses on three topics which include equitable social support, community health, and access to care.
Two programs that are being discussed are EITC( Earned Income Tax Credit) and TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families). Programs like TANF, can be met with confusion and an acceptance rate of only 1 out of 5 for families that are eligible. A key reason for this is surrounded by the confusion of requirements and sometimes a language barrier. The association between lower English proficiency and those who could receive the benefit are associated. They are seeing a correlation between restricted access to TANF and victims abuse in foster care and further neglect. Some policies require challenges to families already facing an unstable economic situation. Black and multiracial families were most likely to be sanctioned if their requirements like paying child support weren’t met. Tactics like this can be seen as outdated and upholding racial disparities. (Weil, 2022)
While these are just some of the findings of this study you can begin to see a correlation between accessibility, income disparities, racial disparities, and the outcomes that are presented. A solution for this would be to advance policies that actually make it easier for families to apply and maintain eligibility. This can happen by expanding employees that are bilingual, creating documents and instructions in other languages, and making sure the instructions are clear. The fact that EITC is only being provided to 1 in 5 families shows that there is room for improvement. Families should be able to access these services which would in turn improve the help of less wealthy communities.
Within community health and health reform as a whole there is a turning point in which providers and researchers are seeing the need for focusing on the root of the problem. Thinking of healthcare as the whole person’s existence can change the status quo according to Anthony Iton, a co author (Weil, 2022). By defining these areas that improve a person’s health there can be a potential to avoid a future issue. I think this trend is a smart one to follow and a more personal approach to health.
The last bit of information that was provided in the article were some positive outcomes of how access to care lead to other results. In 2009 the Colorado Family Planning Initiative was able to provide women with low cost contraceptives and they were able to see that this led to a 6-12% increase in college completion amongst these women. I think these are the kind of number that we are looking for. Whether it is access to EITC, TANF, or low cost medicine we need to see results like this. So often we are seeing ineligibility, disparities, and lack of resources but it is innovations like this that truly give people a winning chance in life.
Overall, he highlights some very real issues within the industry and how they could be improved. The small steps that are being taken are moving in the right directions and studies like this are the reason we can find this information. Taking this class, reading these results, and learning from my peers has showed me that funding in research is really important to show gaps and to show results so that we can better serve our world.
Weil, A. R. (2022). Equitable Social Supports And More. Health Affairs, 41(12), 1693–1693. https://doi.org/10.1377/hlthaff.2022.01480