Does Telemedicine Reduce health disparities? Longitudinal Evidence during the COVID-19 Pandemic in the US

ObjectiveThe COVID-19 pandemic could be a significant health issue for the elderly population and those with pre-excising chronic condition. In response to the pandemic health care services have increased the use of telehealth medicine. The propose of this study is to examine factors associated with access to telemedicine before and after COVID-19 based on sociodemographic factors and type of chronic disease.MethodWe have used data from the Research and Development Survey (RANDS) at two different time points Data collection for the first wave occurred between June 9, 2020 and July 6, 2020 (n= 6786), second wave was between August 3, 2020 and August 20, 2020 (n=5972). Three questions have been asked from the participant: 1) did the provider offer telemedicine before the pandemic? 2) does the provider offer telemedicine during the pandemic? And 3) have the participants schedule telemedicine appointments?ResultIn both waves, 62 % of the participants reported providers did not have telemedicine services prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, we found a 22% increase in offering telemedicine in six first month of the COVID-19 pandemic. The finding shows almost no change in providing telemedicine between June and August. The data indicates just a 0.5% and 0.1% increase in accessing telemedicine, and scheduling in August than June, respectively. Patients older than 65 had higher access to telemedicine and had higher scheduling frequencies than other age groups, while they had the lowest access prior to the COVID-19. Blacks had the highest access to telemedicine services than other races (40%). Additionally, females, higher education, and living in metropolitan areas were associated with higher access and scheduling during the pandemic. There was a variation of access and scheduling in different chronic diseases, however, providers offered more remote services for those who diagnosed by diabetes.ConclusionThe aim of telemedicine is to reduce disparities in healthcare access. The findings of this study show telemedicine has reduced racial disparities and provided greater accessibility for older groups. However, spatial and educational disparities are still noticeable. Research is necessary to examine how healthcare must address the socioeconomic heterogeneity in telemedicine by avoiding further disparities.

Heterogeneity among Young People Neither in Employment Nor in Education in Brazil

We examined the diverse composition of young people aged 15–29 in Brazil who are not in education, employment, or training (NEET). The analysis shows the Brazilian NEET population’s main characteristics by analyzing data from the 2014 National Household Sample Survey. The findings confirm significant socioeconomic heterogeneity in group composition, which allows identification of subgroups with different levels of social vulnerability. A considerable proportion of these young people are in this status due to structural issues and social inequality, and for another significant portion of cases, NEET status is not a problem in itself. Therefore, especially in Latin America where demographic transitions have resulted in large economically active populations, investigations of youth inactivity and risk of social exclusion among this group are warranted.

The Impact of an Epidemic on Transit Ridership

This paper explores how an epidemic impacts ridership on public transportation. The scanner panel data on credit and debit card transactions provide an important opportunity for researchers to gather empirical evidence on how the outbreak of a disease can substantially affect public transit ridership in relation to the socioeconomic heterogeneity of the commuters. For example, transit mode decisions of consumers in the highest and lowest income classes remained largely consistent, while consumers in the middle-income class demonstrated a reduction in public transit ridership and instead switched to private transport use by a considerable margin. Our findings add important empirical knowledge about individual decisions between public transit and private vehicle use during an epidemic. Such estimated effect is qualitatively different from those of other macroeconomic factors and provides important guidance for policy interventions and practical decisions aimed at sustaining economic growth.

Religious Inequality in America

Sociology has largely ignored class differences between American religious groups under the assumption that those differences “are smaller than they used to be and are getting smaller all of the time” (Pyle & Davidson, 2014, p. 195). This article demonstrates that profound class differences remain amongst American religious groups. These differences are as large as—or larger than—commonly examined forms of inequality such as the gender pay gap and the race achievement gap. Using the most popular categorization of American religious groups, we find that regardless of the particular measure examined (years of education, income, socioeconomic index score, and proportion of members with at least a bachelor’s degree) Jews and Mainline Protestants are at the top of the socioeconomic ladder and Evangelical Protestants, both black and white, are at the bottom. Furthermore, religious group significantly predicts both years of education and the overall socioeconomic standing of respondents by itself with basic controls. Likewise, both socioeconomic indicators and education significantly predict the likelihood of being in a specific religious tradition on their own with basic controls. Some religious groups, namely Evangelical Protestants at the low end and Jews and the high end, are relatively educationally homogeneous. Others, such as Catholics, Mainline Protestants and the nonreligious are much more educationally heterogeneous. The picture is the same when socioeconomic heterogeneity is examined, except that Mainline Protestants emerge as more clearly advantaged socioeconomically. In sum, religious inequality remains in America, it is robust, and it appears to be quite durable.