Week 5-Narayan

Pryanka Narayan

ASA 189B

Week 5

            The article Sick Woman is a highly intriguing article as it discusses a salient concept within the United States, health care. Health impacts everyone,  but care is not equally accessible. According to Bendix (2018), in 1990 the United States ranked number six in universal health care, in 2018 the number has significantly declined to twenty-seven. Hedva (2016) captures the full essence of this concept  with a powerful statement, “ in other words, wellness as it is talked about in America today, is a white and wealthy idea.” The author states health care is commonly segregated by race, class, and gender. For instance, females are often  treated less than men in health care. Nationally, the estimated time period a man will wait to be seen for severe abdominal pain is 49 minutes, whereas a woman will have to wait 65 minutes for the same issue. Research has also shown that white people are more likely to listen to other white people when compared to someone of color. This was prevalent in the case of Brock, a thirty-two-year-old black woman who was illegally detained in New York City. Brock was wrongfully accused of driving under the influence, and without any evidence, she was arrested and thrown into a psychiatric ward. In the psychiatric ward, she was wrongfully diagnosed as being bipolar and having high emotions, as she stated Barack Obama followed her on twitter. No one bothered to look into her claims, and she was held against her will for eight days. Within those eight days she was stripped, injected with sedatives, given psychatric medication, and forced to attend group therapy. When she was released, she was fined $13,637.10, even after evidence was revealed of her telling the truth. The author states how this is  an example of  the severe impact that occurs when the medical community ignores the please of someone of color. The author continues to state that those who are impacted by severe illnesses, usually don’t have the financial means for care, and suffer due to no fault of their own. Many become consumed with bills that defy their right to live, and they become trapped in a never-ending cycle. The author pleads for others to understand that being trapped within the confines of chronic illness, is not a choice one makes but endures. They state that when those who ignore the pleas of the ill, are themselves in an unfortunate situation, only then will they understand the dire need of capitalism. Personally, I strongly agree with the author’s stance on health care, I feel like this concept should not be marketed by the wealthy, as it is a crucial component that is needed to survive. While I do understand, the U.S. is more of a indivualitc culture,  I strongly believe there are issues that are more important than just valuing ones oneself. If we come together as a society, we can eliminate this unnecessary stress and division.