ABSTRACT
This chapter is concerned with ways in which the characteristics of lower class persons influence their behavior in connection with the issues of health, illness, and the utilization of medical services. After World War II a large group of sociologists began to study health and medicine, especially the organization of medical services—physicians, nurses, medical schools, and the interrelations among the various specialties within the health professions. Health insurance coverage also differs by income even for those who have insurance; higher income people are more likely not only to have some kind of health insurance but also to have a better kind in terms of coverage and payments. The so-called "health maintenance" or "group practice" plans are expected to bring the cost-cutting benefits of rational organization to the chaotic medical care system. The acceptance of something short of good health has implications both in terms of the care of people who are already ill and in terms of preventive medicine.
