Medicare, Wealth and Equality of Healthcare
The premise of this position paper is that wealth, not regulation, determines the quality of healthcare available in the United States, citing the inequality of the Medicare Program as a case in point. A rich man in a poor country is more likely to live longer than is a poor man in a poor country; moreover, a rich man in a rich country is more likely to live longer than a poor man in a rich country (Smith, 1999, p.16). The first part of the preceding statement is self-evident. A rich man, no matter where he lives, is able to procure the means by which to stay healthy.
The second part of the statement raises serious questions about the quality of life a rich country provides to all of its citizens.
Increases in life expectancy are mainly due to improvements in three basic social conditions: better nutrition, a clean water supply, and access to health services" Smith, 1999, pg. 16). The countries, then, that should boast the longest life expectancies are those in which one finds these social conditions. It follows that a rich country, rich in resources and personal wealth, provides better social conditions than a poor country. Smith depicts a direct correlation between life expectancy at birth and the percentage of a population that can expect to receive basic health care within one hour's travel (pg. 16).
The United States provides minimum health care to most of its population over the age of 65 through the Federal Medicare Program. These benefits have not been comprehensive because they did not provide for prescription drugs within the benefit program. However, "Congress has passed a costly prescription drug benefit for older Americans - a bill that we endorsed to close a glaring gap in Medicare" Holding Down Drug Prices (2003, Nov.28). The New York Times, pg. A1. Yet, this program change "is (also) the least likely...
However, they contradict themselves trough supporting one's right to commit physician-assisted suicide, since this would virtually mean that the individual who is no longer willing to live is not provided with health care meant to prevent him or her from dying (Epstein, 1999, p. 1). Among those opposed to the fact that health care is becoming increasingly better are those who are in their twenties and are obliged to work
UK Healthcare Within this section of Chapter One, a historical perspective of NHS will be provided. This discussion will identify problem areas that have emerged in relation to NHS with an attempt made to address the manner in which such problems have historically influenced reform efforts. With the passage and associated provisions of the NHS Act of 1946, NHS was implemented in the UK in 1948. The NHS Act of 1946 served
Mass Health Access, Cost, and Quality of the Massachusetts State Health Program: A Model for the Nation? Few issues are as controversial or as pressing in terms of national policy than healthcare, which was and continues to be a prominent election issue and matter of public debate and scrutiny. Technological and pharmaceutical advancements and innovation have created a wealth of opportunities for improved quality of life and quality of care for many
Fault: An Alternative to the Current Tort-Based System in England and Wales The United Kingdom statistics regarding claims THE NATIONAL HEALTH SYSTEM OBSTACLES TO DUE PROCESS THE CASE FOR REFORM THE REGULATORY ENVIRONMENT THE RISING COST OF LITIGATION LORD WOOLF'S REFORMS MORE COST CONTROLS THE UNITED STATES PAUL'S PULLOUT THE INSURANCE INDUSTRY TORT REFORM IN AMERICA FLEEING PHYSICIANS STATISTICS FOR ERROR, INJURY AND DEATH THE CALL FOR REFORM IN 2003: A FAMILIAR REFRAIN THE UNITED STATES SITUATION, IN SUMMARY NEW ZEALAND CASE STUDIES THE SWEDISH SCHEME COMPARISON: WHICH SYSTEM IS
Naturally, this improves profitability for private enterprises but simultaneously shrinks the American production and labor economies. This is the type of stifling of growth that has contributed significantly to the current state of recession gripping the United States. Globalization makes as its underlying presumption the assertion that by reducing barriers to economic integration across international borders, the world community is creating a vehicle to a more equal distribution of wealth.
Politics of the Common Good In Justice: What's the Right Thing to Do? (2009), Michael J. Sandal argues that politics and society require a common moral purpose beyond the assertion of natural rights like life liberty and property or the utilitarian calculus of increasing pleasure and minimizing pain for the greatest number of people. He would move beyond both John Locke and Jeremy Bentham in asserting that "a just society can't
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