What is most morally problematic about the current US healthcare system and what is most just way to remedy it?

Jennifer Baranowski

PHCC-104-SF3
Professor N. Turetzky, PhD.

February 7, 2012

What is most morally problematic about the current US healthcare system and what is most just way to remedy it?

     The current US healthcare system is flawed and filled with problems, which is ironic because we often see this country’s politicians refer to the US healthcare system as the "best in the world". I suppose that the US is at the top of the list when it comes to technology, research, and surgical innovations, but these things do not make the whole system great. The only way to make the health care system fair, just, and great would be to ensure that all constituents are permitted to receive medical attention despite their socioeconomic status or their ability to pay. I believe that the biggest moral problem regarding healthcare is money - the making of it and the lack of it.

     The United States government allows profits to be made by the insurance companies on the backs of the insured. In the recent past, subsidiaries of the insurance conglomerate WellPoint were accused of dropping women who had the misfortune of being diagnosed with the costly ailment of breast cancer. The 2007 documentary entitled Sicko by producer Michael Moore painted the insurance industry in very unflattering light when he depicted the sagas of real patients, who were forced to choose between procedures which would improve their health and basic living necessities like food and a roof over their head. Somehow, the United States’ love of capitalism has been allowed to infringe on human rights: the United Nations declaration of human rights in Article 25 states "Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control” (The United Nations). There have been some politicians, like Hillary Clinton and President Barack Obama, who have attempted to rectify the unfair practices of insurance companies and overhaul the United States healthcare system, but were vilified by many because the cost of ensuring that every person had insurance was very high. The health care system remains unchanged but the costs remain exorbitant: it is expected that governmental healthcare costs will peak at $1.8 trillion over the next decade (Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation). The costs are high and yet, people still die because they cannot afford basic health care or the prescribed medications that will maintain their state of wellness (like the newer, more expensive heart and pain medications).

     While socialized healthcare systems are not without their flaws, it does ensure that citizens of those countries receive what they need, despite ability or inability to pay. Medical services are provided and the costs to consumers of medications are reduced and financially within reach for the average citizen. While it is a fact that those patrons of the socialized systems have to sometimes wait for non-emergent procedures or appointments, it is a fair system because everybody has to wait; that fact makes it just - but not perfect. Nobody gets blatant preferential treatment based on socioeconomic status. Implementing universal healthcare laws in the United States would improve the accessibility of health care to all citizens.

     Living in a moral and democratic society, "we have, under certain circumstances, a moral duty to bestow certain kinds of goods upon our fellow human beings” (MacLean 42). We should all attempt to protect the fundamental worth and equality of all persons (two principles of a democracy) in all ways, including healthcare. The United States prides itself on being the beacon and the world ideal on how a democracy should be, but in this sector, the country has dropped the ball. For too long, the United States healthcare system has "emphasized irrational democratic deliberation and power dominated, ignorance driven, and appearance preserving decision-making that shape much of our social discourse now” (Fleck 8) – priorities need to change.

Works Cited:
Fleck, Leonard M. "Syllabus PHL 870." Fall 2008. Obtained from SHU BlackBoard.

Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. CBO: Federal Health Spending To Double Over The Next Decade. 1 February 2012. Web. 7 February 2012.
http://www.kaiserhealthnews.org/Daily-Reports/2012/February/01/cbo-budget-report.aspx.

MacLean, Niall. "Philosophical Approaches to The Problem of Healthcare Distribution." Distributing Healthcare:Principles, Practices and Politics. University of St Andrews, 2007. Obtained from SHU BlackBoard.

Sicko. Dir. Michael Moore. Prod. Dog Eat Dog Films. 2007. DVD.

The United Nations. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights. © 2012. 13 January 2012.
http://www.un.org/en/documents/udhr/.