Professional Documents
Culture Documents
HISTORY OF HEALTHCARE
Over the past century, the Healthcare industry has seen a radical shift in the forms of
technology, application and usage in society.
By the 1900s, the American Medical Association becomes the largest association of
doctors.
In response to the rising cost of healthcare, over 700 insurance companies begin
selling insurance in the 1950s.
By the 1990s healthcare costs continue to rise at double the rate of inflation.
The Affordable Care Act is signed into law in 2010, requiring Americans to have
health coverage starting in January 2014.
The top two companies in the United States are Johnson and Johnson, and
Pfizer.
Healthcare Providers
HMOs and PPOs make up the majority of the insurance options in the United
States
Hospitals
Within the hospital setting there are many key players to keep it functioning.
You have Doctors, Nurses, Social Workers, Physical Therapists, Respiratory
Therapists and many more that help keep a hospital fully functioning.
There are many different types of hospitals. There are short-stay hospitals
(acute) and long-term hospitals (rehabs and psychiatric).
Companies from within the medical industry believe that their work is helping
to improve the lives of individuals.
INSTITUTIONAL CHANGES
Healthcare coverage and hospital care are primary indicators of changes
within the Healthcare Industry
Doctors and nurses work within the structure, and are not above the
institution
Patients are assimilated into the system and treated to help them
become productive members of society
SICK ROLE
Theory popularized in 1951 by Sociologist Talcott
Parsons, which states that being sick is a role that
is governed by a different set of societal
expectations (from everyday rights to specific sick
role rights and obligations).
DEVIANCE
Parson classifies illness as a deviance from normal social
roles and obligations, particularly with commitments to social
roles of work and family.
Individuals who can afford to pay more will receive better quality care
Under the Affordable Care Act, all Americans are required to purchase
health insurance, with the subsidization of poverty stricken individuals
being covered with basic care.
WORKS CITED
Scarince, Christine. "Study.com - Sick Role Theory in Sociology: Definition & Overview." Study.com. Web. 22 Feb.
2016. <http://study.com/academy/lesson/sick-role-theory-in-sociology-definition-lesson-quiz.html>.
Parsons, Talcott. The Social System. New York: Free, 1964. Print.
Burnham, John C. "Why Sociologists Abandoned the Sick Role Concept." History of the Human Sciences Vol. 27(1).7087
(2014). Http://online.sagepub.com/. Web. 21 Feb. 2016. <http://hhs.sagepub.com/content/27/1/70.refs>.
"On the Medicalization of Our Culture." Harvard Magazine. 2009. Web. 22 Feb. 2016.
<http://harvardmagazine.com/2009/04/medicalization-of-our-culture>.
"Healthcare Crisis: Who's at Risk?" PBS. PBS. Web. 22 Feb. 2016. <http://www.pbs.org/healthcarecrisis/history.htm>.
Patton, Mike. "U.S. Health Care Costs Rise Faster Than Inflation." Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 29 June 2015. Web. 22 Feb.
2016. <http://www.forbes.com/sites/mikepatton/2015/06/29/u-s-health-care-costs-rise-faster-than-inflation/#4e70abd26ad2>.
"Sociological Perspectives on Health and Health Care." A Primer on Social Problems. Web. 22 Feb. 2016.
<http://2012books.lardbucket.org/books/a-primer-on-social-problems/s16-01-sociological-perspectives-on-h.html>.