Indivisual rights, health disparities and policy options Essay

Indivisual rights, health disparities and policy options - Essay Example According to surveys that have been conducted ranking health care provision in several areas of the United States, the state of Washington was found to have some of the region’s healthiest counties, and these counties included counties such as Montgomery and Fairfax. The research also showed that there happens to exist some pockets within the state that had relatively high levels of poor health. These counties included counties such as the Prince George’s County and Maryland County. Like most other poor counties in the United States, Maryland and Prince George counties of Washington have been found to be facing some major challenges in efforts aimed at trying to ensure that they provide quality health services to their residents. This has mainly been found to be as a direct result of crippling fiscal constraints as a direct result of the relatively poor income and high unemployment rates of the residents of these two areas (Rand Corporation 1). According to a report provided by the Center for Health Equity. Maryland County has been seen to be struggling with a variety of health care issues. The County has relatively high levels of smokers. While the current rate and goals that have been set by the CDC stand at 12 percent for adult smokers, Maryland County has an average adult smoker’s rate of over 17 percent. The state also spent about 1.5 billion dollars in treating ailments related to obesity (Avalere health 41). An estimated 80,000 of the adults living in prince George County were found to be uninsured. These levels were found to be more than twice of those in the neighboring County of Howard. The non-elderly Latino population in Maryland was also found to be more likely to be uninsured as compared to the whites in the County (Avalere health 41). Cancer has been found to be the second leading cause of death in Maryland County with lung cancer being the most common for both the women and men. In the