In the article, - “A World Split Apart” Solzhenitsyn states the following:
Destructive and irresponsible freedom has been granted boundless space. Society appears to have little defense against the abyss of human decadence, such as, for example, misuse of liberty for moral violence against young people, motion pictures full of pornography , crime and horror. It is considered to be part of freedom and theoretically counter-balanced by the young people’s right not to look or not to accept. Life organized legalistically has thus shown its inability to defend itself against the corrosion of evil. (4)
Solzhenitsyn is illustrating that our society is given “too much” freedom. As a result people cannot handle it, resulting in abuse and misuse of the rights bestowed onto us. This is exceptionally true in the world of medicine; meant for treatment of illness, has led abuse of prescription drugs. How are our prescription drugs being abused? First, an understanding of basic rights to treatment in relation to prescription medications recently enacted.
Patient’s Bill of Rights essentially guarantees treatment to the recipient, as well as all full disclosure, and consent to care. This illustrates that the power and level of care is in the individuals hands. Furthermore, a new Bill of Right was enacted with the Affordable Care Act in 2010 much of what was outlined gave new patients protection against insurance company’s (“Rights” 1). This is important because it only strengthens the
In 2010, a Patient’s Bill of Rights was put into place to protect consumers from the worst abuses of the insurance industry, such as prohibiting denying coverage of children based on pre – existing conditions and regulating annual limits on insurance coverage. In 2011, those with Medicare were able to get key preventive services for free and they were given discounts on brand name drugs. In 2012, Accountable Care Organizations helped doctors and health care providers work together to deliver better care. Examples of this include reducing paperwork and administrative cost and encouraging integrated health systems. In 2013, open enrollment in the Health Insurance Marketplace began on October 1st. In 2014, all Americans were given access to affordable health insurance options. These options include, making care more affordable and increasing the small business tax credit. In 2015, physicians were paid on value not volume meaning that physicians that provide a higher value of care will receive higher payments than those who provide lower quality care. In simpler terms, the key features of the ACA are free preventive care, protecting against health care fraud, small business tax credits, health insurance marketplace, consumer assistance, Rx discounts for seniors, and prohibiting denying coverage based on pre – existing conditions (Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs,
Among any community there is a set of boundaries that must be respected under penalty of being labeled as deviant. Consequently, a community will create agencies of control in order to punish and fight against all the forms of behavior considered as deviant. In his Study in the Sociology of Deviance, Kai T. Erikson defends the point that deviant forms of behavior are a natural and beneficial part of social life. One of his main arguments is that, in our modern society, “the agencies of control often seem to define their job as that of keeping deviance within bounds rather than obliterating it altogether” (Wayward Puritans 24:2). Now, what if society gave to its agencies of control the role of annihilating deviance? What if the set of
As Americans we should all be afforded access to healthcare. Access to healthcare is an individual right according to the human rights amendment. The human right to health guarantees a system of health protection for all. The human right to health means that everyone has the right to the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health, which includes access to all medical services, sanitation, adequate food, decent housing, healthy working conditions and a clean environment (What is the Human Right to Health and Health Care, 2015). However there are strengths and weaknesses to every healthcare system and the U.S. Healthcare system is not exempt. I plan to discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the U. S. Healthcare system (What is the Human Right to Health and Health Care, 2015).
A sensitive topic in the United States today revolves around the issue of healthcare. Is health care a basic human right or is it just a privilege to those who are able to afford it? Health care in the United States is in desperate need of reform. The Affordable Care Act takes that stance that health care is in fact a basic human right and that everyone should have health insurance. When the term “basic human rights” is used, most people think of the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. This doesn’t necessarily mean that people should be forced to sustain others’ lives, or that they have the responsibility to make others happy because they have a “right” to pursue happiness. You are born with these basics rights that no
Knowing ones rights can help one in future instances in healthcare situations to make sure your rights are being honored. Our rights as patients include the right to know our rights, privacy, questioning, examination/treatment, emergency care, admission, special needs being addressed, know/trust caregivers, access patient advocate, chaplaincy services, ethics consultation, choose treatment, informed consent, refuse treatment, receive quality care, compassionate care, pain management, confidentiality, know hospitals adverse events, discharge, transfer, access medical records, access lab reports, know third party care relationships, and know hospital charges. If a patient learns and understands each right it can cause a better understanding in our healthcare system and challenge our healthcare systems to meet our rights. One example could be a patient providing full/honest disclosure of medical history opposed to sharing inaccurate information with their physicians it allows for a physician to do the proper job of a more accurate diagnosis and treatment. Another example could be asking questions even to just clarify something that one does not understand. This creates a more informed patient making an informed decision not forcing the physician to become liable for not allowing the patient to understand their options. Knowing our rights can create the better understanding we need in the medical field and allow for more accurate
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act was signed into law by President Barack Obama in March of 2010. This law provides equal access to medical care, lowered health care costs and eliminates denial of coverage of pre-existing conditions to the millions of the uninsured and insured Americans that were without and denied health care coverage. Patients who were denied coverage due to pre-existing conditions can now look forward to relief and great improvement because their illness is covered in the new policy, and care is now provided for them at next to minimal cost (Stehly,
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
Promotion of rights All individuals in a health and social care environment have rights to confi dentiality, choice and to have their individuality acknowledged and respected. In addition, they have a fundamental right not to be discriminated against, to practise their cultural and religious beliefs, and to receive equal and fair treatment at all times. All individuals have a right to voice their opinions and receive effective communication. They must have access to the policies and procedures of the organisation that is providing their care, and know how to make a complaint if they feel that their needs are not being
Patient’s fifth right is for respect and care without discrimination from all members in the healthcare field. The right to confidentiality and privacy of their health information is sixth on the bill of rights and addresses their right to read, copy and request corrections to their medical record, to talk privately their medical providers and be assured their healthcare information is secure. The seventh right is for patients to have a “fair, fast, and objective review of any health care complaints” (Consumer Bill of Rights and Responsibilities, 1998). And finally our eighth right as patients are our responsibilities we have as the consumer of healthcare services. Patients need to comply with the orders of the medical provider so they can get and stay well. As a patient you must treat other patients and healthcare workers with respect, pay your medical bills in a timely manner, and abide by your selected healthcare plans coverage. As patients become more involved in the total healthcare process they increase the success of their treatment while assisting in lowering associated costs without a reduction in the quality of the healthcare they receive.
They say they will help with hospital bills and insurance claims and teach their patients and families how to ensure proper care of the patient after hospitalization” (AHA 2). The AHA defines patient’s rights as:
Swendiman, K. (2012). Health care: Constitutional rights and legislative powers. Congressional Research Service. Retrieved from
It is important that the patient is aware not only of their rights, but of their individual responsibilities.
http://www.cnn.com/US/9907/13/patients.rights/index.html Zelman, W. N., McCue, M. J., Glick, N. D., & Thomas, M. S. (2014). Financial management of
Individuals legally approved to make health care decisions for a person has the same right of access
There are many common law quality initiatives that are still found in 21st century healthcare organizations, such as the patient’s Bill of Rights (CMS, gov, n.d). According to CMS.gov (n.d), “On June 22, 2010, President Obama announced new interim final regulations, the Patient’s Bill of Rights, that include a set of protections that apply to health coverage starting on or after September 23, 2010, six months after the enactment of the Affordable Care Act. The Departments of Health and Human Services, Labor and Treasury collaborated on the Patient’s Bill of Rights – which will help children with pre-existing conditions gain coverage and keep it, protect all Americans’ choice of doctors, and end lifetime limits on the care consumers may receive. These new protections create an important foundation of patients’ rights in the private health insurance market that puts Americans in charge of their own health.” The second common law quality initiative is the Impact Act which was established on 2014 (ahcancal.org, n.d). According to ahcancal.org (n.d), “In October 2014, the bipartisan Improving Medicare Post-Acute Care Transformation (IMPACT) Act became law. This legislation is an important step forward in improving the quality of health care for millions of Americans, providing consumers and government critical information regarding outcomes and cost. IMPACT will standardize assessments for critical care issues across the spectrum of post-acute care (PAC) providers and builds a