Ethical Challenges in the Era If Health Care Reform

One of the main ethical issues that faces health care is the security of patient information. This information is protected by laws and regulations such as HIPPA, but there are still concerns Scott, et al, 2005). Among those concerns is the new concept of electronic patient records and information. These records are designed to help hospitals and doctors get patient information more quickly, so that patients can receive treatment as soon as possible. Unfortunately, anything kept and transmitted on a computer has the potential to be hacked, so that is a serious concern for patients. Not all patients want their medical records to be available electronically, but they may not have too many options (Romano & Stafford, 2010). Opting out may not be an option for them, and if they do have that option it could reduce the speed and quality of treatment that these patients would receive. Do they want to risk that, just so they can feel as though their medical information is better protected?

According to the U.S Department of Health and Human Services, the Affordable care Act from President Obama gives consumers more options and benefits when seeking coverage from insurance company. It offers lowering cost as well as gets more access to high quality of care. This law creates Patient’s Bill of Rights that is very effective to protect consumers from any abuses or fraud from insurance company. Some preventive services are available to many Americans especially Medicare recipients at no cost. Not just that, they also receive a special offer of 50 percent discount for any well-known drugs in the market place under Medicare named “donut hole.” The Affordable Care Act helps other organizations and programs to convince healthcare providers

Debate the question: "Is health care a basic right in the United States?" Answer this question through the lens of your role as RN. Support your response utilizing ethical theories and principles. Respond to two other classmates using respectful communication and solid reasoning. Support your response with appropriate references.

Modification of the requirements for electronic health care helps to improve the effectiveness and efficiency. Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA), requires any provider who accepts payment from health plans to have written agreements to make sure the medical facility complies with their rules (Kongstvedt, 2013). In other words, it helps protect the patients by making coverage available to anyone who wants to be covered as long as the eligibility requirements are met. The ACA extended these guarantee availability requirements back in 2014.

The addition of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) has helped the CMS narrow down and shut down fraud. The government has new regulations of requirements for providers and what providers can participate under the ACA (Martin, 2015). There is additional screening for providers such as unscheduled visits, fingerprinting, background check, application fees, license checks, and most importantly they are now required face to face with patients before home health services. The government can suspend payments to providers under investigation. In addition, they can temporarily stop admission of new providers in the country when waste, fraud, and abuse are assumed

The preventive coverage for children, adults and women must be covered without having to pay a copayment, co-insurance or meet a deductible. This only applies when these services are delivered by a network provider. “Insurers now must cover evidence-based services for adults that have a rating of “A” or “B” in the current recommendations of the United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF)” (Private Health Plans under the Affordable Care Act 2014). A letter grade of “A” or “B” shows that the panel finds there is high probability that the services have a substantial or moderate net benefit. “Health plans must also provide coverage without cost-sharing for immunizations that are recommended and determined to be for routine use by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices.” (Private Health Plans under the Affordable Care Act 2014). There are 15 covered preventive services for adults. The preventive services for children and adolescents include some immunization and screening services, behavioral and developmental assessments, iron and fluoride

In our nation, we have an abundance of everything from economic prosperity to defense. Nevertheless, being ahead compared to other nations in the world in almost all of the categories, we are still far behind in all of our citizens covered under medical insurance program. President Obama had a good start to somewhat of a so-so policy the Affordable Health Care. The Congress fell short in implementing the public option. There have been more than several failed attempts to repeal Obamacare, and the current Congress is on a new version of that. The ethical dilemma is that insurance companies that cover their customers survive on profits by limiting coverage of illnesses or by not covering pre-existing conditions.

Ethics are a set of moral principles that serve as a guiding philosophy for behavior. Consequently it is not a surprise that ethical dilemmas occur daily in the health care setting. Any nurse who refuses to provide care for a patient faces an ethical dilemma (Kuhn, 2012, pp. 412-418). The reasons given for refusal range anywhere from a conflict of personal values to fear of personal risk of injury. Nurses do have the right, at times, to refuse patient care assignments. The decision to accept or reject an assignment must be based upon a judgment by the nurse of the nurse 's ability to provide competent patient care. This paper aims to show both sides of the argument when it comes to nurses refusing a patient assignment. One side believes that nurses has the right to refuse patient assignment, as they must be true to themselves if they want to perform their best on the job. On the other hand, the other side believes that it is the nurse’s responsibility to care for all patients and, therefore nurses cannot simply refuse a patient.

The health care system in the United States is one of the greatest concerns facing Americans today and is an issue both moral and economic in nature. Some think the system should stay, for all intents and purposes, the same. They believe that the right to healthcare is a stepping stone toward socialism, and that it is the responsibility of the individual to obtain health care. These are usually the more ideologically conservative citizens and politicians who believe that medicine should remain a free enterprise, not to be constrained by government interference. Then there are those who believe that healthcare is a right, and the federal government has a responsibility to make sure it is available to all citizens, not just those who can afford

There are considerable differences both in health and in the resources needed to ensure equal opportunity to all with regards to health care (Powers & Faden, p. 36) and vulnerable populations often have decreased access to quality health care. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) provides us with the opportunity to advance health equity and social justice by affording equal access to health care for every American through market reforms, new health care insurance exchanges and Medicaid expansion for low-income adults. However, this opportunity has not been fully realized since the inception of the ACA by leaving Medicaid expansion up to individual states. Other weaknesses result from the fact that provisions of the ACA has not often achieved the intended effects

Identify and explain two ethical issues/dilemmas in healthcare as identified and discussed in the scholarly literature (ProQuest, EBSCO,

What do you think will be the next ethical issues created by healthcare reform? What areas of current healthcare reform have yet to be resolved?

Nurses are constantly challenged by changes which occur in their practice environment and are under the influence of internal or external factors. Due to the increased complexity of the health system, nowadays nurses are faced with ethical and legal decisions and often come across dilemmas regarding patient care. From this perspective a good question to be raised would be whether or not nurses have the necessary background, knowledge and skills to make appropriate legal and ethical decisions. Even though most nursing programs cover the ethical and moral issues in health care, it is questionable if new nurses have the depth of knowledge and understanding of these issues and apply them in their practice

It is important that we act in a way that is ethical, legal, and commendable. Medical professionals struggle with healthcare dilemmas that are not experienced by the general public. Medical-ethical decisions have become increasingly complicated with the advancement of medical science and technology. (Fremgen) Just like the government has laws for citizens, not having laws in healthcare would allow people to do anything they want. It is important that we study the ethics and laws of healthcare, because if we were put in a situation it is essential that we know the difference between right and wrong. In the article I found, it talks about a nurse who refuses to give CPR to an older woman who collapsed in a senior residence where she works. This article has many more ethical issues than legal issues.

Everyday, healthcare professionals are faced with ethical dilemmas in their workplace. These ethical dilemmas need to be addressed in order to provide the best care for the patient. Healthcare professionals have to weigh their own personal beliefs, professional beliefs, ethical understandings, and several other factors to decide what the best care for their patient might be. This is illustrated in Mrs. Smith’s case. Mrs. Smith is an 85 year old who has suffered from a large stroke that extends to both of her brains hemispheres which has left her unconscious. She only has some brain stem reflexes and requires a ventilator for support. She is unable to communicate how she wishes to proceed with her healthcare. Mrs. Smith’s children, Sara and Frank have different views regarding their mother’s plan of care. The decision that needs to be made is whether to prolong Mrs. Smith’s life, as Sara would like to do, or stop all treatments and care, as Frank feels his mother would want. In the healthcare field, there are situations similar to this case that happen daily where moral and ethical judgment is necessary to guide the decision that would be best for the patient. The purpose of this paper is to explore and discuss, compare and contrast the personal and professional values, ethical principles, and legal issues regarding Mrs. Smith’s quality of life and further plan of care.