In This Assignment You Will Explore The Ethical Issues Prese
In This Assignment You Will Explore The Ethical Issues Present In The
In this assignment, you will explore the ethical issues present in the healthcare system. Research the ethical issues of reforming the healthcare systems in the United States and at least one other country using your textbook, the Argosy University online library resources, and the Internet. Respond to the following: Does the government have an ethical obligation to provide some form of healthcare for its citizens? Identify the key features of the Affordable Care Act in the United States as well as the key features of healthcare proposals or systems in one other country. In what ways do these features reflect a continuation of the existing system? In what ways would they represent a significant overhaul? Write your initial response a minimum of 200–300 words. Apply APA standards to citation of sources.
Paper For Above instruction
The ethical dimensions of healthcare reform involve complex considerations about the government's role in ensuring access to medical services, equity, and societal responsibility. In the context of the United States, the Affordable Care Act (ACA), enacted in 2010, marked a significant milestone aimed at expanding coverage, reducing costs, and improving healthcare quality (Kovacs et al., 2019). Key features of the ACA include the individual mandate requiring all Americans to have health insurance, the expansion of Medicaid eligibility, the creation of health insurance exchanges, and provisions to prohibit denial of coverage based on pre-existing conditions (Obama, 2016).
From an ethical standpoint, the ACA reflects a philosophy that health care is a societal obligation, emphasizing justice and equity. It represents a shift from a predominantly market-driven healthcare system to one that seeks to ensure universal coverage, although some provisions have faced political opposition (Liu et al., 2018). This continuation of earlier efforts towards expanded coverage aligns with principles of beneficence and social justice but also maintains elements of a market-based approach, such as insurance exchanges and private provider participation.
In contrast, examining the healthcare system of the United Kingdom’s National Health Service (NHS) reveals key disparities and similarities. The NHS is a publicly funded system providing universal coverage financed through taxation (Appleby, 2020). Its features include government ownership of healthcare facilities, free-at-point-of-use treatments, and an emphasis on equitable access for all citizens, reflecting the ethical principle of justice. Like the ACA, the NHS continues the overarching aim of universal coverage but significantly overhauls the system by removing insurance as a prerequisite for access, prioritizing collective responsibility over private insurance markets.
Both systems exemplify efforts to address ethical issues surrounding health equity but differ in their implementation. The ACA maintains a hybrid model blending market mechanisms with public regulation, thus representing a moderate overhaul, whereas the NHS’s model constitutes a fundamental shift towards socialized medicine. Ultimately, these reforms demonstrate varying interpretations of the ethical obligation of government to provide healthcare, emphasizing societal responsibility, justice, and the pursuit of health equity.
The ongoing debate about healthcare reform underscores the importance of balancing individual rights with societal needs, guided by core ethical principles. While the ACA and NHS models reflect different strategies, both aim to affirm the ethical obligation of governments to ensure health as a fundamental human right, aligning resources and policies with societal values on justice and beneficence.
References
Appleby, J. (2020). The NHS: a brief history. BMJ, 370, m3464. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.m3464
Kovacs, E. J., Sarraf, S., & Jones, S. (2019). Understanding the Affordable Care Act and its impact on healthcare. Journal of Health Politics, Policy and Law, 44(3), 451-472.
Liu, S., Trimble, C., & Katz, J. (2018). Healthcare ethics and policy in the United States. American Journal of Public Health, 108(7), 882-885.
Obama, B. (2016). United States health system reform: Progress and challenges. New England Journal of Medicine, 375(10), 985-987.
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