Certainly the inability to afford comprehensive coverage is one barrier to access, but the issue cannot be defined solely by economics. Many people who have insurance remain underserved with respect to cancer prevention, detection, and treatment. The Impact of Discrimination We might add those who are denied services, legally or illegally, because of race, creed, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, or immigration status. Because doctors in private practice may claim the prerogative of preselecting the patient populations they will serve, diminished access to care for some groups may result, Ferguson asserts. African Americans may suffer particularly from this barrier.
Women also encounter special barriers.
The social and political status of women in many nations means that adequate access to breast-cancer diagnosis and treatment is extremely rare. Even if we hypothesize that there has never been an instance of sexism, racism, cultural bias, homophobia, or xenophobia in the health-care system, legal factors can work to deny services. Care providers may, given the pertinent laws, restrict access on the basis of citizenship, immigration status, or HMO membership. Why Patients Do Not Seek Services Access has sometimes been trivialized, especially by HMOs that define the problem as lag time between the moment a worried client phones for an appointment and the time the patient actually sees a health-care provider. Clients may lack knowledge of the significance of physical symptoms.