Hospice Home Care Ethics Case Study

Hospice is a system of care for the dying. Medicare and Medicaid usually cover hospice care. Patients are usually eligible for Medicaid when their finances are low. Medicare is to help patients sixty-five and older patients, and those who are mentally and physically disabled. In terms of Hospice, the health insurance is mainly for the living. Patients who are on hospice are either disabled or terminally ill, so if hospice were not provided then loved ones would have to pay for these health costs. Medicare and Medicaid could also be for the dying in some way, because it is paying for the full care that they need. The one thing that hospice care does not pay for are the daily living needs like bathing, feeding, and toileting, but these services

68). This is basically stating that the caretaker is deciding how they want their loved one to pass, rather than fulfilling the patient’s wishes. The caretaker may not feel able to provide the home health care, or it may be less expensive to be in a facility rather than home health hospice. Services that offer hospice also have to discuss euthanasia and assisted

The job of medical professionals is to save lives, and relieve pain, so euthanasia and assisted suicide become a discussion when the only way to relieve pain is by dying. Cancer patients who are on hospice may look into these options. The main argument made with euthanasia is that it will lead to consequences. Having active voluntary euthanasia legalized could eventually legalize active involuntary euthanasia. A consequence of this ethical implication is that physicians and other health providers may become too comfortable with inducing the progress of death. Another ethical implication is the accessibility to hospice care among different races. This is a reason why offering hospice as a covered benefit would be beneficial. Some hospice providers are not affordable to some families, or the lack of resources may restrict caretakers to not be able to use hospice. Households of low income would not have the resource of hospice. Whether a person is rich or poor a person should receive medical attention. Another benefit of having hospice costs covered is that the patient will have twenty-four hour care, and the family does not have to worry how it is getting paid