Premium Essay

Healthcare Responsibility: an Economic Perspective: Is Healthcare a Right or a Privilege?

In: Other Topics

Submitted By feangel
Words 1429
Pages 6
Healthcare Responsibility: An Economic Perspective

Is healthcare a right or a privilege?

While it’s foremost an ethical question , a practical view of the healthcare privilege quandary begs an analysis of its financial ramifications of both answers . With the out-of-pocket cost of healthcare skyrocketing year after year, , the economic question arises: Who should bear the primary responsibility of paying for healthcare, the individual or society? Many nations such as Canada provide universal healthcare to its citizenry at a cost funded by higher taxes on both earned income and regular consumption. . The answer to the question of who should pay for healthcare must take into account both the quality of life for the patient and the financial ramifications for society. It is a universal belief that all individuals deserve to experience a happy and healthy life, but to what extent is the individual responsible for their health. In examining whether the individual or society should pay for healthcare, one must consider both the well-being of the individual and the fiscal welfare of society. These elements do not stand separate, but rather are intertwined. A society is composed of individuals; the health and well-being of a society is the summation of the health and well-being of all individuals in that society. The better individuals feel, the better they can function and contribute to a society's stability and growth. When a worker is in good health, he or she can best contribute to the workplace. Artists can best inspire, leaders motivate, and innovators develop new technologies when these individuals' resources are not consumed in battling health concerns. For this reason, anything that improves the health of individuals is of tremendous benefit to society. A plan allocating responsibility for healthcare must first and foremost protect and uplift the health

Similar Documents

Premium Essay

Antitrust Laws Faced by Hospitals

...been instrumental in influencing healthcare. Whether we want to believe or not, antitrust law facilitated escorting medicine in as an establishment to take care of our communities and patients. Over the years, hospitals have been the brunt of antitrust litigation. Between 1985 and 1999 hospitals were defendants in 61 percent of 394 medical antitrust disputes that led courts to issue formal opinions (Hammer, Peter, J. and Sage, William, M., 2003). However, these numbers do not support the under published cases, which do not result in a judicial decision. When hospitals are healthcare conglomerates to provide services antitrust views them as just a business. The services provided by hospitals are complex from the services they provide to the technology they use to the human capital necessary to run the operations of the hospital. Unfortunately, antitrust law concentrates on the overall hospitals behavior and not its purpose. Therefore, not-for-profit designation and lifesaving intentions of the hospital consider immaterial to any type of analysis performed by antitrust. Hospitals reserve the right to enter into any joint venture agreement provided each entity is able to achieve its objects autonomous of one another and avoid becoming a dominate player in the market (Hammer and Sage, 2003). For the most part, it will be the market that dictates if the hospital meets the demands and services demanded by the community. The challenge of healthcare antitrust law is not its insignificance...

Words: 2995 - Pages: 12

Premium Essay

Ana Code of Ethics

...The ANA code of ethics as described in the book of Conceptual Foundations as: ANA's Code of Ethics for Nurses, 2001 • 1. The nurse, in all professional relationships, practices with compassion and respect for the inherent dignity, worth, and uniqueness of every individual, unrestricted by considerations of social or economic status, personal attributes, or the nature of health problems. • 2. The nurse's primary commitment is to the person, whether an individual, family, group, or community. • 3. The nurse promotes, advocates for, and strives to protect the health, safety, and rights of the patient. • 4. The nurse is responsible and accountable for individual nursing practice and determines the appropriate delegation of tasks consistent with the nurse's obligation to provide optimum patient care. • 5. The nurse owes the same duties to self as to others, including the responsibility to preserve integrity and safety, to maintain competence, and to continue personal and professional growth. • 6. The nurse participates in establishing, maintaining, and improving health care environments and conditions of employment conducive to the provision of quality health care and consistent with the values of the profession through individual and collective action. • 7. The nurse participates in the advancement of the profession through contributions to practice, education, administration, and knowledge development. • 8. The nurse collaborates with other health professionals and the public...

Words: 1222 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Obama Care

...coverage to a larger percentage of Americans, is more cost-effective for the United States’ budget especially during these dire economic conditions, and is a moral cause and sign of community that all Americans should strive for. Furthermore, it is important to note that while democratic presidential candidates such as potential incumbent Obama support a policy for Universal Healthcare, more conservative and Republican candidates such as Mitt Romney opt for the privatization of healthcare, and letting the capitalistic market naturally dictate the healthcare industry. This essay will comprise of several parts. I will initially discuss what opponents of universal healthcare are concerned about. Subsequently, I will then analyze the reasons we should support a universal healthcare policy, explaining that universal healthcare provides multiple benefits ranging from protecting the poverty-stricken and insured to being a more efficient financial plan for the government. I will finally address the two most important presidential candidates and determine how their ideologies support or challenge this viewpoint. Ultimately, I will conclude that with although there are several controversies regarding universal healthcare, overall it is a sound policy that will improve the United States government in multiple ways. Conservatives argue that universal healthcare will place a larger financial burden upon the federal government. Tennessee, which although has a whopping ninety-three percent...

Words: 1577 - Pages: 7

Premium Essay

Defunding the Aca

...Healthcare REFORM, Essay Component 1 Essay on Healthcare Reform: In Defense of Obamacare by Ultius in Sample Work Without a doubt, universal healthcare is one of the numerous issues that was discussed intensely in the 2012 elections that will continue to be debated into the future. While President Obama passed his compelling piece of legislation in 2010, the Affordable Care Act, there was an undeniable polarization within the American people which ensued. Regardless, even with all of the potential economic ramifications that may arise from new health care policies, it is formidable legislation the United States should continue to uphold and support. This sample essay written before the 2012 presidential election, touches on the sociopolitical background of Obamacare, outlining the differences between Republican and Democratic ideologies on the matter. If you are interested in learning more about this topic, or would like to buy an essay from our awesome site, give us a call or simply check out our pricing today! Universal Health Care and the 2012 Elections: What is Washington Saying? The new health care policy provides more coverage to a larger percentage of Americans, is more cost-effective for the United States’ budget especially during these dire economic conditions, and is a moral cause and sign of community that all Americans should strive for. Furthermore, it is important to note that while democratic presidential candidates such as potential incumbent...

Words: 1765 - Pages: 8

Premium Essay

Journal

...Privilege, Power, and Oppression Name Institution Privilege, Power, and Oppression I am not merely an individual; I am a product of a system of privilege. This is Tim Wise's position about how the community participates in constructing an individual. His primary concern is social privilege. Maybe the privilege never favored him, and privilege made him work hard. The system of privilege shaped the direction of his life. The hardships caused by lack of privilege and the real life brought by privilege is his construction: a product of the system of privilege. He is conscious about the power and legacy of privilege in the society (Tisdell, 1993). He says that Politicians often talk about issues like housing, poverty, healthcare and education, but they rarely link them to the role that racism plays in the United States. He adds that the media often reports personal crimes while under-reporting organized and traditional discrimination. In the country, Black and Latino males are most prospective to have their cars stopped and searched for drugs. Tim’s argument regarding the color-blind perspective relates completely to the issue of the privilege system. In the system, color-blindness is treated like an inability. Talking about the realities race, oppression and white privilege make people uncomfortable. There are races that feel superior and their position oppresses the minorities. Institutional privilege and inequality exist in every society, including...

Words: 1201 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Concept Analysis of Empowerment

...commonly seen in nursing literature (McEwen & Willis, 2007). Aim This paper’s aim is to clarify the concept of empowerment and its implications for the nursing profession, by exploring how it pertains to nursing as well as other disciplines, its essential attributes, antecedents, consequences and empirical referents. Definition What is empowerment, and what does it mean? American Heritage dictionary defines empowerment as “To invest with power, especially legal power or official authority” or “To equip or supply with an ability; enable”. Dictionary.com defines it as “to give power or authority to; authorize, especially by legal or official means” or “to enable or permit”. Synonyms for empower include capacitate, entrust, permit and privilege according to Rogets Thesaurus. Understanding empowerment is a difficult task, it is better defined by its absence powerlessness, helplessness, hopelessness, alientation, victimization, subordination, oppression, paternalism, loss of control over one’s life and dependency (Gibson 1991, Lewis 2000). Issues such as coping skills, participation, power and support systems are related to empowerment (Gibson 1991, Lewis & Urmstom 2000)...

Words: 2470 - Pages: 10

Free Essay

Hiso

...American National Government Topic 1 American Government: An Introduction Assessment 1 Chapter 1 Directions: Answer the following questions after viewing the assigned Power Point presentation and reading related materials in the text. Be sure to use complete sentences. 1. Define government and politics. Compare these two terms and cite examples of each. Explain how the two terms are distinct but related to each other. · Government is the people who run the country. Politics is the process followed by the leaders of political groups who rule the country. Government implements the policies of the lands, such as with the judicial branch to enforce the laws, the legislative branch to create the laws, and the executive branch to perform national security duties. And politics are the tool utilized by the government. They both utilize political science which is the study of government and politics. While they both perform and aid the same basic function of running the country, politics is just the process while the government is the actual facility performing the tasks. 2. What is anarchy? Can anarchy ever a viable alternative to government, in your opinion? Why or why not? · Anarchy is living in a state of lawlessness. I believe it cannot, because humans do not function correctly without some type of structure. Without structure there will be total chaos. Murders and other unmentionable crimes will occur with no repercussions being put into place. 3. What...

Words: 3272 - Pages: 14

Premium Essay

Role of Women in Economic Development

...Women’s Role in Economic Development: Overcoming the Constraints BACKGROUND RESEARCH PAPER Sarah Bradshaw, Joshua Castellino and Bineta Diop Submitted to the High Level Panel on the Post-2015 Development Agenda This paper reflects the views of the author and does not represent the views of the Panel. It is provided as background research for the HLP Report, one of many inputs to the process. May 2013 Women’s role in economic development: Overcoming the constraints Background paper for the High-Level Panel of Eminent Persons on the Post-2015 Development Agenda Prepared by Dr. Sarah Bradshaw, Principal Lecturer, Middlesex University with Dr. Joshua Castellino and Ms. Bineta Diop, Co-Chairs of the Sustainable Development Solutions Network Thematic Group on the “Challenges of Social Inclusion: Gender, Inequalities and Human Rights” 20 May 2013 1 1. Introduction This short paper aims to highlight the important role women have and can play in economic development. It addresses three questions: what is the evidence base to support investing in women? What are the current constraints on realising the full potential of women in the process of economic development? What are the priority areas of intervention necessary to unblock these constraints? It is focussed on women and on economic development, rather than on the wider issue of gender and development. However, before looking at the evidence base, constraints, and interventions, it will provide a brief context...

Words: 4100 - Pages: 17

Premium Essay

Hospitals Paper

...I hope to provide in this paper a comprehensive understanding for what the term “hospital” has become. Hospitals are an extremely complex system that man has created and shaped and reshaped throughout history. My goal in writing and researching this paper will be to provide those who read it a clear understanding on how the hospital system got to where it is today, and to shed some light on the many organizations that affiliate with and contribute to all the wonderful things that hospitals do for people. The evolution of hospitals is one of the most interesting things (in my opinion) that history has to offer. Long before America was even in existence there were places of care located throughout all of the world and depending on where you lived determined how you would be treated. I am primarily going to focus on hospitals that began in America and how they got to be what they are today. Today people think of hospitals to be so crucial in their lives that they (including myself) cannot imagine what life would be like if we did not have the option of taking our children to the Emergency Room after they had broken their arm in an unfortunate accident with a bicycle. In the past however, the idea of a hospital was often viewed as unwanted and unnecessary for the overall good of the people. During the early establishment of America there were few hospitals around. Those that were around were mainly used as places to house those who were homeless and needed help and to keep those...

Words: 6014 - Pages: 25

Premium Essay

Team Assignment

...                                                     July 2015 Table of Contents Introduction.…………………………………………………………………..………….3 Section I: iTrust Threats & Vulnerabilities and Countermeasures.……………..…………..3 Section II: Recommended Changes to Security Management Policies………...……………..7 Section III: Adaption of Requirements to Reduce Security Risk……….……………....…......11 Conclusion. …………………………………….…………………………………….…21 References ……………………………………………………………...………………23 Introduction There are multiple benefits of electronic health records (EHR), which include improved care, quicker access to patient files, and increased physician oversight of care.  However, with the benefit of convenience of using EHRs, comes the responsibility of protecting electronic protected health information (ePHI) and safeguarding sensitive patient data.  The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) focuses on protecting ePHI with guidelines to ensure organizations have implemented “reasonable and appropriate” security measures to adhere to HIPAA rules and maintain patient confidentiality. HIPAA requires covered entities to conduct risk assessments to verify compliance and attempt to uncover areas where ePHI is at risk of compromise.  This analysis of the iTrust database, as related to the new requirements that iTrust wishes to implement, will discuss the threats and vulnerabilities and the potential impact on the iTrust web application and database. Section...

Words: 5631 - Pages: 23

Premium Essay

Cultural Competency

...their quest to connect on some level as equals. In a graduate class that will focus on cultural diversity in business our classroom was comprised of eight students that resembled just that. The differences were visibly apparent to everyone immediately. We represented more than 5 countries and spanned multiple continents. The three Americans in the classroom were cross sections of American culture; an African American female working in the private sector, a Caucasian American female working in the government sector, and a Caucasian American male working in the non-profit sector. The next seven weeks showed promise for revealing and stimulating conversation that centered on our individual perspectives and approaches in life and business each one of us equally contributing our narrow perspective of the world. All sharing our ideas, our ideals, and our idiosyncrasies. The first day immediately revealed how much I did not know about other cultures. I was very unaware of the breadth of differences across the globe. This paper will focus on several concepts and theories discussed in class, our textbook, and additional readings. The paper will closely look at theories and ideas that I was able to draw from as an African American female working in a white male dominated workforce. I will closely look at subject matter that specifically defines culture amidst stereotypes,...

Words: 2981 - Pages: 12

Premium Essay

Heath Care Economics

...Health Care Economics and the Uninsured School of Nursing Health Care Economics and the Uninsured The United States health care system is a large and complex structure organized to deliver health care services to the country’s residents (Maurer, 2013). The system is not systematically organized, but is the result of the interrelationships between numerous influences such as culture, consumers, epidemiology, health professionals, governmental policy, technology, and economics (Maurer, 2013). Due to the various, and, often conflicting, interests on the U.S. health care system, large disparities exist in the delivery of health care to consumers. In fact, according to Maurer (2013), “the consumer is the most vulnerable component and is the most likely to be hurt by ineffective functioning of the system” (p. 63). Because of the ineffectiveness of the current system for so many Americans and the disparities that exist among consumers, the American Nurses Association [ANA] (2008) described the current U.S. health care system as “in a state of crisis” (Executive Summary, para. 1). For many Americans, the major obstacle preventing them from receiving quality and reliable health care is a lack of health insurance (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality [AHRQ], 2012; Maurer, 2013; Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured [KCM&U], 2012). More specifically, the way our health care system is financed, a piecemeal approach of...

Words: 3590 - Pages: 15

Premium Essay

Write Up

...Importance of alignment [300 words]: The role of incentives in securing execution Employees are the agents of the firm’s owners since they take actions or make decisions that impact the payoff to the owners. The difficulties in the agent-principal relationships arise when the objectives of principal and agent are different and the actions taken by the agent or the information possessed by the agent are hard to observe. Employees care about the job in terms of the value the job generates for themselves. Thus providing the right incentives to employees would secure execution of the firm’s plans to meet the firm’s objectives. There are financial and non-financial incentives. Non- financial incentives are social and moral incentives. Which incentives are appropriate depends on the objective of the company. Since motivation comes from within the employees, the personality, needs and interest of each employee determine the right incentives that will influence employees to self motivate and produce the best work possible that will contribute to the firm meeting its objectives. Reward and recognition is concerned with the range of practices an organisation undertakes (financial and non-financial) to compensate employees, maximise employee engagement and encourage behaviours that lead to organisational success. A good reward and recognition system should motivate employees while aligning their goals with those of the organisation. Such a system involves balancing employee remuneration...

Words: 2751 - Pages: 12

Free Essay

Page

...regardless of the abstract possibility of an ideal resolution and the pragmatic reality that decisions are made and people have to live with them. An ethical dilemma presents a choice that must be made between two mutually exclusive courses of action, each of which is perceived to rest on a moral obligation that carries significant weight for the actor confronting the dilemma. According to Draucker (2002} addresses intimate partner abuse as repeatable and increasing patterns of violence against women by men in their attempts to gain power. She notes that because this abuse occurs in a continuing relationship, or in a newly severed one, the perpetrator may have long-term access to the abused one. Furthermore, she acknowledges the many economic and sociological factors that contribute to...

Words: 14007 - Pages: 57

Free Essay

Indian Healthcare Improvement Act

...Affirmative Observation One: Inherency 2 Advantage One: Health 5 Advantage Two: Indigenous Economy 9 Observation Two: Solvency 14 Only federal action can solve the case- denying Indian health care furthers an ongoing policy of American Indian genocide 17 Inherency – Lack of Funding 18 Inherency – Lack of Funding 19 Inherency – Lack of Funding 20 Inherency – Lack of Funding 21 Health Impacts – Disease/Death 22 Health Impacts – Disease/Death 23 Health Impacts – Disease/Death 24 IMPACT: Mental Health and Suicide 25 IMPACT: Mental Health and Suicide 26 Extensions to Genocide/Racism Impact 27 Extensions to Genocide/Racism Impact 28 IMPACT: Moral Obligation/Human Rights 29 Solvency Extension - IHCIA/IHS Solves 30 Solvency Extension - IHCIA/IHS Solves 31 Solvency Extension - IHCIA/IHS Solves 32 Solvency Extension - IHCIA/IHS Solves 33 Solvency Extension - IHCIA/IHS Solves for cultural sensitive health 34 Solvency Extension – Congress Key 35 Solvency Extension – Federal Government Key 36 A2: I.H.S. is Racist 37 A2: Transportation 38 A2: “Structural/Distribution Barriers” 39 A2: No Qualified Professionals 40 A2: Bureaucrats 41 A2: IHS has arbitrary eligibility standards 42 A2: Blood Quantum 43 A2: Medicaid Solves 44 AT: Medicaid Solves 45 AT: Medicaid Solves 46 A2: IHS doesn’t use traditional medicine 47 Tribal Economy...

Words: 29491 - Pages: 118