Week 1 Reading Response

Reading this week, I was appalled to discover how little i really knew about the situation of California's agricultural workers. The readings were very revealing about the nature of the lives and struggles that, currently, these workers have no choice but to endure. Bade's report on the underlying conditions affecting access to health care left me stunned. I had no idea the extent to which the situation of the farm worker was ingrained in the social structure. The contractors who hire the workers not only turn a blind eye to the immigration status of their workers (or at least pretend to) but even find ways to provide their workers with permits and social security numbers. This results in workers paying taxes into the system but, as undocumented immigrants, they are unable to benefit from any of the governmental programs they help pay for. Beyond that, they force their workers to buy the tools necessary for the crop and pay for transportation, expenses that greatly take away from their already meager pay.

While the previous article focused on the plight of one undeserved group, the other article took a broader view of undeserved groups. Some of the statistics in that work shocked me. From the number of uninsured (45 million) to the lack of access to care in rural areas. However, though these statistics are rather grave, I think it is important that medical practitioners needs not be overlooked in the attempt to resolve this disparities. For example, lack of medical practitioners in rural areas can be attributed to the increased difficulty in profiting in these areas and possibly lack of a desire to live in these areas. I feel the best solutions to such issues will incorporate incentives for doctors to enter these areas. In this way, both doctor and patient stand to benefit.