A Mother Brings Her Daughter Into The Emergency Room 584088

A Mother Brings Her Daughter Into The Emergency Room During An Asthma

A mother brings her daughter into the emergency room during an asthma attack. Though both of her parents work, they cannot afford medical insurance for themselves or her. They also earn too much money to qualify for state or federal aid. She is treated with medication for her asthma attack at the hospital and she and her mother leave. Two weeks later, they return to the hospital in a virtually identical scenario.

In a 4-5 page paper, consider the following questions and explain your position of the issues: •Do you think that this girl is receiving adequate care? •Should she be able to see a primary-care physician before her condition gets so acute that she must visit the ER? •Should everyone be entitled to a basic minimum of health care or to the exact same health care? •Do you think that health care is a right? If so, is everyone forced to honor this right? •Is this right relative or universal? •Does this right exist because of the wealth of the United States, or is it applicable everywhere? •Is health care a luxury? •Does having money entitle a person to better health care? Submitting your assignment in APA format means, at a minimum, you will need the following: 1. TITLE PAGE. Remember the Running head: AND TITLE IN ALL CAPITALS. 2. ABSTRACT. A summary of your paper, not an introduction. Begin writing in third person voice. 3. BODY. The body of your paper begins on the page following the title page and abstract page and must be double-spaced (be careful not to triple- or quadruple-space between paragraphs). The type face should be 12-pt. Times Roman or 12-pt. Courier in regular black type. Do not use color, bold type, or italics except as required for APA level headings and references. The deliverable length of the body of your paper for this assignment is 3-4 pages. In-body academic citations to support your decisions and analysis are required. A variety of academic sources is encouraged. 4. REFERENCE PAGE. References that align with your in-body academic sources are listed on the final page of your paper. The references must be in APA format using appropriate spacing, hang indention, italics, and upper and lower case usage as appropriate for the type of resource used. Remember, the Reference Page is not a bibliography but a further listing of the abbreviated in-body citations used in the paper. Every referenced item must have a corresponding in-body citation.

Paper For Above instruction

The case of the young girl with frequent asthma attacks highlights fundamental issues about healthcare access, quality, and ethics within the United States. Her repeated visits to the emergency room, despite available treatment, raise questions about the adequacy of her care, systemic inequalities, and the moral implications of healthcare as a right or privilege. This essay explores these critical issues, considering whether the girl receives adequate care, the importance of primary care access, and the broader philosophical debate about healthcare entitlement as a universal right.

Adequacy of Care for the Patient

While the girl receives emergency treatment during her asthma attacks, her repeated hospital visits suggest a lack of comprehensive, ongoing care that could prevent such crises. Emergency departments are vital for acute stabilization, yet they are not designed to manage chronic conditions like asthma effectively. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (2014), optimal management involves regular monitoring, medication adherence, and patient education, which are typically coordinated through a primary-care physician. The lack of access to such comprehensive care likely contributes to her recurrent emergencies, indicating that her current care is insufficient and reactive rather than proactive.

Access to Primary Care

Ideally, children with asthma should have access to primary physicians who can provide preventive care and education, reducing the likelihood of severe attacks. However, economic barriers often prevent underserved populations from establishing such ongoing medical relationships. The girl’s scenario underscores the critical need for accessible primary care, especially for vulnerable populations. Research by Ngo et al. (2015) indicates that continuous primary care reduces emergency visits and hospitalizations for asthma, emphasizing the importance of early and preventive intervention.

Health Care as a Basic Right or Privilege

The question of whether healthcare should be a universal entitlement is a contentious one. From a moral perspective, many argue that access to basic healthcare is a fundamental human right, as articulated in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (United Nations, 1948). Conversely, others contend that healthcare is a commodity that should depend on individual ability to pay. The United States’ healthcare system reflects this debate, with significant disparities rooted in socioeconomic status, as noted by Bruggeman and Beal (2019). Ensuring that everyone has access to essential health services aligns with the principles of social justice and equity.

Universal vs. Relative Rights

The debate over whether healthcare rights are universal or relative hinges on philosophical perspectives. Universalists argue that health is a basic human need that should be guaranteed regardless of economic status or geographic location (Danis & Sulmasy, 2017). Relativists, however, believe that rights depend on societal context, economic capacity, and cultural values. The contrast raises questions about global applicability: Is healthcare a right because of human dignity, or does the privilege of wealth influence its accessibility? In the U.S., healthcare largely reflects a relative conception, often linked to socioeconomic standing.

Healthcare: Luxury or Necessity

Classifying healthcare as a luxury or necessity influences policy and societal values. Most contemporary ethical frameworks, including those adopted by the World Health Organization, consider healthcare a fundamental necessity for human well-being (WHO, 2013). Denying access based on income diminishes the societal fabric by marginalizing vulnerable groups. Moreover, the notion that money entitles individuals to better healthcare raises concerns about equity and justice. As argued by Daniels (2001), health disparities are injustices that societal institutions should aim to narrow.

The Relationship Between Wealth and Healthcare Quality

The correlation between economic status and healthcare quality remains significant. Affluent individuals often have access to advanced treatments, personalized care, and quicker interventions, whereas low-income populations tend to experience delays and substandard care (Himmelstein et al., 2014). This disparity underpins ethical issues about fairness and social obligation, as wealth should not determine the quality of care an individual receives. Reforms guided by principles of distributive justice could mitigate these inequalities (Benabou & Tirole, 2011).

Conclusion

The recurring emergency visits of the young girl illustrate systemic issues within healthcare delivery that necessitate a re-examination of policies and ethical considerations. Ensuring adequate, accessible, and equitable care requires expanding primary care services, adopting universal health coverage, and viewing healthcare as a fundamental human right. Addressing these challenges aligns both with moral imperatives and with societal interests in promoting health equity and social justice.

References

• American Academy of Pediatrics. (2014). Asthma management in children. Pediatrics, 134(3), e744-e756.
• Benabou, R., & Tirole, J. (2011). Incentives and prosocial behavior. American Economic Review, 101(3), 1652-1680.
• Bruggeman, G., & Beal, J. (2019). Socioeconomic disparities in healthcare access. Journal of Health Economics, 65, 1-12.
• Danis, M., & Sulmasy, D. P. (2017). Moral dilemmas in medicine. In Principles of Biomedical Ethics (7th ed., pp. 79-97). Oxford University Press.
• Himmelstein, D. U., Thorne, D., Woolhandler, S., & McCormick, D. (2014). Medical bankruptcy in the United States. American Journal of Medicine, 127(8), 717-723.
• Ngo, V. K., et al. (2015). Primary care access and health outcomes in pediatric asthma. Pediatrics, 135(5), e1280-e1288.
• United Nations. (1948). Universal Declaration of Human Rights. https://www.un.org/en/about-us/universal-declaration-of-human-rights
• World Health Organization. (2013). The health systems financing framework. WHO Press.