Unnatural Causes: Is Inequality Making Us Sick?

The United States is a vastly unequal country, not just in terms of income and wealth, but also in terms of access to opportunity - some communities have it, some don't.  And it turns out this inequality of opportunity hurts not just the poor or people of color who face a legacy of discrimination, but everyone in our society. That’s because inequality literally harms our health – people at every descending step of the socioeconomic ladder have worse health than those just one rung above, and societies characterized by high levels of inequality have poorer health than those that are more equal. 

Public health scholars have known this for quite some time. But now a new, powerful documentary series by California Newsreel promises to inform a far broader audience of the pernicious effects of inequality on health. This series, “Unnatural Causes,” is airing on PBS stations around the country, and tells the stories of real people – some poor, some middle class, some well-off – and how their access to opportunity affects not only their health, but the health of others in their communities. It shows how, for example, the health of nearly every resident of a small town in Western Michigan declined when a major factory closed, relocating the plant to Mexico where the company could pay workers wages one-tenth of those earned by the Michigan workers. It shows how subtle, persistent racism and social deprivation can lead to a higher incidence of low birth weight babies among black women. And it shows how a Pacific Island community’s health was compromised when the U.S. government uprooted it, disrupting traditional health and nutritional practices.

Cynics might suggest that inequality is a natural phenomena – some people are “winners,” others “losers” in a competition for resources. Or that attempts to solve – or even raise awareness of – these problems are un-American, and can lead only to radical strategies such as the redistribution of resources.

But addressing inequality doesn’t take a revolution. We can begin by asking ourselves what kind of country we want to be. If we believe – as most Americans do – that the United States should be a place where everyone has a fair chance to achieve their full potential, then we can focus on achievable policy solutions. These include things like providing access to high-quality early child education programs for all children, reforming school financing to equalize the quality of education in K through 12^th grade, and reducing financial barriers to college. We should also support living wage policies, so that no one who works full-time is forced to live in poverty, and expand the Earned Income Tax Credit program. We should provide job training so that more people can participate in high-growth jobs, such as in the technology industry. We should invest in affordable housing and fix the nation’s crumbling infrastructure. We should support housing mobility programs, so that people in low-opportunity communities can move to better neighborhoods, and invest in jobs and schools in low-opportunity communities so that they become attractive places to live and work.

These are but some of the ways to restore opportunity and improve our health. It doesn’t take a revolution – just a reconciling of our beliefs with our actions.

Comments

[Lawrence Licaros]

I agree. I think everyone should have access to quality health care, no matter how rich or poor one is.

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[Kevin Hsu]

Thanks for the comment, Lawrence. Part of what is needed is for advocates to begin thinking about health policy in a different light. We should be asking, "Is there a fundamental human right to health?" This isn't a question of whether you have a right to buy a new car or a dvd player; health is fundamental to the enjoyment of all other rights, and to basic human dignity. What "Unnatural Causes" shows us is that health is not just a function of access to health care, or even the quality of health care, but is related to deeply-rooted inequalities in America. A healthy country depends on moving towards greater basic economic security in all American communities.