Social Class and Medical Care

Bibliographic Data

ID19354587
AuthorsJohn A Ro (0000-0003-3748-4128, corresponding author), John A Ross
Year1962
Volume3
Issue1
Pages35
Publication date1962-01-01
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Health and Human Behavior (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0095-9006 • E-ISSN: 2326-1250
PublisherJSTOR (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.2307/2948740
PMID14494178
OpenAlexW2413344914
LanguageEN
Citations received20

For many years, public health research has repeatedly confirmed a direct relationship between social class and receipt of medical care. That is, as income, education, and occupation rise, there is a corresponding rise in the amount of medical care received. This has been supported by at least five or six major health surveys and an uncounted number of city and county studies.' A direct relationship is consistent with much that is known about the social structure and the superior access of the upper classes to all types of goods and services. However, it is also known that a process of social change is underway which, in many areas, is blurring the lines between social classes. One of the clearest examples is the area of consumer goods. A man's automobile, diet, clothing, and house fail to mark him and his origins as surely as they once did. Other areas are recreation, mass media, and educational attainment, all demonstrating a progressive similarity in behavior and possessions as the standard of living rises in the United States. is it, therefore, possible that traditional social class differences in the area of medical care may be disappearing? Certain recent studies2 indicate an affirmative answer. These are Saxon Graham's

Class (philosophy) · Political science · Social class · Artificial Intelligence · Computer Science · Employment and Welfare Studies · Law · Psychology · Public Health Policies and Education

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