Ethical dilemma in healthcare comprises of a variety of medical decisions. Should one get an extensive surgery at the age of 95? Should we continue an 85-year-old patient on life support? These questions are extremely difficult to answer. “The ethical dilemma is how to balance the precepts of autonomy, beneficence, and distributive justice” (Teutsch & Rechel, 2012). Preference-based care and supply-based care, when used correctly, can help in such matters. Consequently, we have the debate of whether health care should be a right or a privilege. Reid mentions in his book, The Healing of America, that United Kingdom, Japan, France, Germany, Canada all have universal health care. He also adds that they have better health outcomes than the U.S. in addition to lower infant mortality rates (Reid, 2010, p. 31-34). The U.S.’s mindset views health care as a privilege. However, President Obama brought his liberal agenda to the table and proposed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) in 2010 (Teutsch & Rechel, 2012). It is projected that by the year 2019, the PPACA will transform healthcare as a right rather than a privilege (Teutsch & Rechel, 2012). Some U.S. The goals of ObamaCare are possible by reallocating funding and resources. There will be areas where compromises must be made. One such instance is the Medicare reform where hospitals will be receiving lower reimbursements from Medicare (Farley, 2014). Consequently, ethical issues arise with rationing of medical resources (Teutsch & Rechel, 2012). Reid (2010) discusses the rationing of healthcare in United Kingdom’s Beveridge model. In this model, rationing the medication, tests, and procedures in order to compensate for costs does budgeting. For this reason, people go without treatments and medications that the government would not cover. This brings up an ethical dilemma where an early implementation of measures must be taken to avoid a
Today, there are so many legal dilemmas dominating trial for the courts to make a sound legal decision on whose right in a complicated situation. Despite the outcome of the case, the disagreement usually has a profound effect on the healthcare organization, and the industry as a whole. Many cases are arguments centered around if the issue is a legal or moral principle. Regardless what the situation maybe, the final decision is left to the courts to differentiate between the legality issues at hand opposed to justifying a case based on moral rules. According to Pozgar (2012), an ethical dilemma arises in situations where a choice must be made between unpleasant alternative. It can occur whenever a choice involves giving up something good and suffering something bad, no matter what course of action is taken (p. 367). In this paper, I will discuss cases that arose in the healthcare industry that have been tried and brought to justice by the United States court system.
One of the most controversial topics in the United States in recent years has been the route which should be undertaken in overhauling the healthcare system for the millions of Americans who are currently uninsured. It is important to note that the goal of the Affordable Care Act is to make healthcare affordable; it provides low-cost, government-subsidized insurance options through the State Health Insurance Marketplace (Amadeo 1). Our current president, Barack Obama, made it one of his goals to bring healthcare to all Americans through the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010. This plan, which has been termed “Obamacare”, has come under scrutiny from many Americans, but has also received a large amount of support in turn for a variety of reasons. Some of these reasons include a decrease in insurance discrimination on the basis of health or gender and affordable healthcare coverage for the millions of uninsured. The opposition to this act has cited increased costs and debt accumulation, a reduction in employer healthcare coverage options, as well as a penalization of those already using private healthcare insurance.
Ethical principals are extremely important to understand in the healthcare field. Ethical responsibilities in any situation depend on the role of the healthcare worker and the nature of the decision being made. Healthcare administrators and professionals must make ethical decisions that can be an everyday or controversial situation. When making such decisions, it is imperative to consider the four major principles of ethics: autonomy, nonmaleficence, beneficence, and distributive. By using these four principles, ethical decisions can effectively be made. For the purpose of this paper, examined will be the example of the treatment of an uninsured homeless patient. Poor health care be a cause and a result of homelessness.
An important factor in debates over health care and treatment strategies is the issue of cost. It is tremendously expensive to provide the state-of-the-art care that the modern hospital offers. Concerns about where the money will come from to care for elderly citizens appear to be making the case for "mercy killing" even more compelling. Under financial pressure, hospitals are exercising their right to deny such expensive healthcare to the aged or seriously ill.
Ethical principles in healthcare are significant to the building blocks of mortality. The principles are beneficence, autonomy, justice, and nonmaleficence. Although these principles can be certainly followed they can also be disregarded. Beneficence is a theory that assures each procedure given is entirely beneficial to that patient to help them advance within their own good. For example, There was a young girl, the age of 17. She had been being treated at a small private practice since she was born. She was recently diagnosed with lymphoma and was only given a few more years to live. Her doctors at the private practice who had been seeing her for years were very attached to her and wanted to grant this dying girl her every wish. They promised
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act passed by President Barack Obama is a significant change of the American healthcare system since insurance plans programs like Medicare and Medicaid (“Introduction to”). As a result, “It is also one of the most hotly contested, publicly maligned, and politically divisive pieces of legislation the country has ever seen” (“Introduction to”). The Affordable Care Act should be changed because it grants the government too much control over the citizen’s healthcare or the lack of individual freedom to choose affordable health insurance.
The people of the United States have been suffering from a number of serious issues, all related to health care: millions go uninsured every year, health care is too expensive, and the quality of care is poor, especially for the price. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, commonly referred to as the Affordable Care Act (ACA) or Obama Care, began addressing these issues. The ACA is a United States federal statute signed into law by President Barack Obama on March 23, 2010. The law was enacted with the goals of increasing the quality and affordability of health insurance, lowering the uninsured rate by expanding public and private insurance coverage, and reducing the costs of healthcare for individuals and the government. Although several of the act’s promises have not come into effect yet, it has managed to extend healthcare to the repetitively uninsured. While many of the accomplishments that the act has already made, and aims to make, are no small feat, there are still issues within the policies and procedures. For example, Obama Care boasts that it is a universal healthcare system. However, it is unlike any other in the world, and is technically forced on citizens in a variety of ways. It has been debated, that for that reason, the new law may come into violation of several human rights. Another significant issue with the ACA regards a cap on citizen’s out-of-pocket expenses, and the fact that the administration decided to delay making a definitive decision, potentially costing many American’s unprecedented medical fees.
Making the moral right decision is never seen on paper. What could be seen as the right thing to do, may not be the right thing for other people. Also, making decisions and then having to face them later on, can impose a difficult problem for many people. Many of us have made a decision that we end up regretting later on. In the healthcare field, decision making could be life and death of a patient
Heath care is currently, and has been, a hot topic in politics and the average person's life today. Since Obama has come into office he has brought up the issue of providing every American with health care coverage while keeping costs low. Since his re-election, we have been faced with a healthcare reform that tears our country, and politicians, down the middle. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, also known as “Obamacare,” is “A federal statute signed into law in March 2010 as a part of the healthcare reform agenda of the Obama administration. Signed under the title of The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, the law included multiple provisions that would take effect over a matter of years, including the expansion of Medicaid eligibility, the establishment of health insurance exchanges and prohibiting health insurers from denying coverage due to pre-existing conditions” (Affordable Care Act). The reform is meant to help those who cannot cover the costs of coverage due to low income, or no jobs, as well as those who have been denied because of pre-existing heath conditions; it is essentially there to help those ultimately in need. Unfortunately, Obamacare is not beneficial to those who are currently covered, typically known as the average American, as it it is not cost effective nor constitutional.
America is known for democracy, freedom, and the American Dream. American citizens have the right to free speech, free press, the right to bear arms, and the right to religious freedom to name a few. The Declaration of Independence states that American citizens have the rights including “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” America promises equality and freedom and the protection of their rights as outlined in the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights. But with all the rights and freedoms that American citizens enjoy, there is one particular area where the United States seems to be lacking. That area is health care. The United States is the only industrialized nation that doesn’t have some form of legal recognition of a right to health care (Yamin 1157). Health care reform in the United States has become a major controversy for politicians, health care professionals, businesses, and citizens. Those in opposition to reform claim that health care is not a human right, therefore the government should not be involved. Supporters of reform believe that health care is most definitely a human right and should be available to everyone in the United States instead of only those who can afford it, and that it is the government’s responsibility to uphold that right.
As human beings, we are inundated throughout our lives with ethical dilemmas. While these difficult choices are challenging, those dilemmas associated with medical choices can be extremely problematic. Families and medical professionals must decide the fates of people every day. A medical scenario involving an elderly woman named Jamilah Shah will be referenced throughout the work. This essay will dissect the ethical principles of autonomy, beneficence, and justice, and how they help or complicate medical decision making.
In today’s society, individuals face various ethical dilemmas every day, whether it is deciding to lend a hand to a stranger who has fallen or getting involved in a bullying scenario. We consistently make decisions that correspondence with our morals and values. Ethical dilemmas follow the nursing profession where nurses have to decide what options will benefit and provide their patient’s the absolute best care. The question of honesty comes into play when the nurse has to convey unsettling news of cancer to his/her patients. Is honesty the best policy, should a patient know everything about his/her conditions in spite of how severe it may be? There are many factors to consider when making an astute decision. The patient, family members, physician and nurse viewpoints are to consider for the most appropriate solution.
In response to this continuous issue, on Mar. 23, 2010 the senate approved President Barrack Obama’s bill entitled, Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA). The purpose of this bill was to reduce medical costs while simultaneously providing every American access to health insurance. In order for the Obama administration to effectively improve health care is to consider all other governmental polices that will be directly and indirectly affected, whether it is positively or negatively. As with any new law, there are those who ...
The need for universal health care within the United States has been evident, and needed to be addressed. The old healthcare system was plagued with issues, including expensive premiums that were on the rise, along with an inflated average infant mortality rate and limited average life expectancy, which ultimately led to many people being left uninsured (“Affordable” 2). In the 2012 presidential election, one key issue was how to reform America’s broken health care system, and to instate a successful universal healthcare system that has resolved the previous issues. Being one of the last influential and competitive countries in the world without universal healthcare, the pressure was on for the United States to develop their own system. Since Barack Obama became president, Obamacare, instead of the proposed Romneycare, was born.
One of the many issues being debated within the United States is whether or not all Americans have the Right to Healthcare. The right to healthcare has been a debated since the beginning of the 20th century. During the 1930s, healthcare for all citizens was being considered by the President and various other national organizations. Several attempts were made to pass legislation on healthcare, but the legislation was unable to get full support by Congress. It wasn’t until the 1960s, legislation was passed as Medicare (The Social Security Act Amendments of 1965), “Although a national health program for all US citizens was not achieved, proponents of the plan continued to advocate for government-funded health insurance by shifting focus to providing coverage to Americans over the age of 65 and the economically disadvantaged.” (ProCon.org 2016) Over the next decades, major changes to the current healthcare system at the time would not occur until 1993 where President Clinton delivered a speech to Congress, in which several months later the Health Security Act was passed. The Health Security Act was the first form of a universal healthcare system within the United States, but it too had its issues and didn’t quite provide healthcare for all citizens. But, during 2010 President Obama signed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. As in the previous healthcare law, debate continues on whether or not it guarantees, each citizen the right to healthcare.