Health Care

Part 1: Cross-sectional research shows that, on average, people with disabilities secondary to illness or injury have lower socioeconomic status than people without disabilities. In a population health model, how could lower socioeconomic status increase the risk of disability secondary to illness or injury? How would cross-sectoral collaborative approaches benefit this population? Some people view increases in health care spending as a response to consumer demand, while others see these increases as potentially wasteful spending. When other industry sectors assume a rising share of gross domestic product (GDP), it is viewed as a positive development. Should we be concerned about the rising costs of health care and its share of GDP? What types of health care spending might be classified as valuable? As wasteful?