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Hadia Haider

Dr. Hudson

PS 1010 – 511

20 February 2017

Memo #2

Health Equity in the Government of the United States

The United States’ health care system is unique among Western countries because the

national insurance is in favor of a private, employer-based system, while the government

programs cover only certain vulnerable groups. Nevertheless, the government’s involvement

with healthcare has increased in the past few decades, with 43% of government expenditures

represented by healthcare spending in 2013 (Liburd, Giles, Jack Jr. 2). However, it is not all

three branches of government that have greatly involved themselves in the proposition of a

change in health care policy; historically the United States has seen the executive branch propose

a policy, which then follows the standard “checks and balances” in the government. Such can be

seen recently with the Affordable Care Act of 2010 (Embrett, Randall 2). While the judicial and

the legislative branches certainly have the Constitutional power to alter health care policy, the

executive branch will be focused on because of its greater involvement with the issue in the past

few decades. Thus, the executive branch of the federal government of the United States can use

its power under the Constitution to propose policies in order to ameliorate the problem of

inequity in health care, but have not done so completely not only because of varying federal

priorities, but also because of the economic weight that comes with such an issue.

On March 23, 2010, ex-President Barack Obama (thus a part of the executive branch)

enacted a federal statute, the Affordable Care Act, designed to increase health insurance quality
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and affordability by expanding insurance coverage and reduce healthcare costs. Its goal was to

provide benefits under the standard health plan to cover “at least the essential health benefits,”

(203). As previously stated, government programs tend to cover certain vulnerable groups; in

this case, those below the poverty line. The Affordable Care Act has caused a significant

reduction in the number of people without health insurance, with 24 million covered during 2016

(Embrett, Randall 3). The main cause of health inequity is poverty and social inequality, so the

targeting of those below the poverty line decreased this divide between those who can and

cannot afford healthcare. The Affordable Care Act began in the executive branch by the

Constitutional power of the President and went through the other parts of government before its

implementation. This is a prime example of the federal government using its power to ameliorate

the problem of health inequity.

Despite these advancements under the Obama administration, however, inequality in

health care still exists primarily because of the costs of providing health care to those who cannot

afford it. While the Affordable Care Act helps those below the poverty line, there are still

individuals perhaps slightly above the poverty line who are not covered in the policy and thus

continues the issue of health inequity. The government of the United States has greatly increased

its spending on health care and cannot put aside more for the cause (Liburd, Giles, Jack Jr. 1).

Therefore, it is federal priorities and economic inability that disable the government from using

its power to do more to ameliorate the problem of health inequity in the country.
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Works Cited

Embrett, Mark G. and Randall G. E., “Social determinants of health and health equity policy

research: Exploring the use, misuse, and nonuse of policy analysis theory” Science

Direct. Wayne State University Libraries. May 2014.

Liburd, Leandris C., Giles, Wayne, and Jack Jr., Leonard, “Health Equity” Cornerstone of a

Health Community. Wayne States University Libraries. December 2013.

Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, 42 U.S.C. § 18001 et seq. (2010).