Though intended to provide medical coverage to its citizens and therefore protect their lives, universal healthcare would make the government an active agent in deciding when to end patients’ lives. End of life issues are an inextricable part of medical practice, whether they are related to elderly care, life-altering diseases, or controversial issues such as abortion or euthanasia. Instead of making a principled defense of its citizens’ right to life, universal healthcare would force the government to make pragmatic, cost based decisions regarding the perseveration of life. One can already see evidence for this in current debates about the cost of medical care for the elderly and serious discussions in the halls of congress about the economic value of euthanasia and abortion. Such debates ought to act as a warning for all regarding the means by which life will be measured and valued in a system of universal healthcare.
Opposition and Rebuttal: some critics may say the Medicaid already takes up too much money. However, Medicaid also spends 75% of its long-term funding on costly nursing homes, instead of keeping people in their own homes. According to the article “Some elders must take drastic measures in order to obtain long-term care” by Mary A. Fischer, “ Medicaid is overly focused on nursing home care with far fewer resources allocated for home care.” That means that if Medicaid tried to keep people in their own homes, it wouldn’t be as costly to keep up as it is now. AARP, an advocacy organization for older Americans, did a research that shows that 90% of Americans prefer to remain in their homes as they age.
I enjoyed reading your discussion post and I find it very informative. Medicare is an insurance plan provided by federal government for persons who are age 65 and older, totally disabled, and someone with end-stage renal disease (Touhy & Jett 2012). Your patient interestingly brought up some great points about medicare. It is sad to know that retired people have to deal with the financial hurdle of medicare. It can be very disappointing, because of the added premiums and uncovered medical bills.
The cost of long-term living facilities is a major weakness of the United States health care system because it is expensive with not enough staff to properly care for the residents. Due to the high expenses, it is getting harder and harder for residents to afford to live in these facilities. As a result, long-term care facilities are seeing less residents coming in which is
Since our newest President has been inaugurated, health care is something that is and has been widely debated in our country. Every day, there are hundreds of people who go into hospitals and emergency rooms for treatment and are turned away for lack of health care. The simple truth is, everyone deserves the right to free and favorable health care. One of the many reasons that free health care is the best option for this country is because it saves lives. Every single year, thousands die due to unavailable health care.
Social Security has decreased poverty for the elderly and continues to protect the middle class from fluctuation in the economy. Medicare helps the disabled and saves many people over sixty-five from ungodly prices. Medicare and Social Security touch the lives of most Americans throughout their lifetimes. Keeping many out of poverty and make a significantly impact these people’s lives. Some people feel that the government should not be responsible for providing these services, that these services should be privatized.
As an intern at Preferred Family Healthcare, I am working with individuals in the Residential Care Facility (RCF). I am working with these individuals who 's goal it is to move out of a residential setting into their own apartment. One of the groups I have been facilitating is comprised of three men. These men range in age from early twenties to fifties, but all have the same goal of wanting to move out on their own. Preferred Family Healthcare RCF staff meets weekly to discuss and identify the needs and concerns of these individuals.
This will in result increase the lifespan of the individuals in the country. According to Dye et al. (2013), socialized health care system has medical costs reduced. Currently,
Dependency is one of the major factors that I believe will cause the divide between older patents and their caregivers. As professional health care workers, we need to be able to over look this and be able to provide the same expert care across all demographics of patients we encounter. To provide care we must be able to assess the patient accordingly without bias. Nurses should be able to evaluate the physiological, cognitive, and psychosocial health of the patient as well as their level of functionality and strength to determine if the patient is independent or dependent. As we provide care for this age group, we need to be able to be able to understand what happens during the aging process and normal age related changes.
One of the things i found a bit surprising and a little alarming is if a person is healthy and can 't exactly pay for insurance for affordability reason then they may not obtain health insurance all together, also if a person has a specific illness or disease they are practically forced to pay high prices for their medication and appointments and monthly premiums and in turn may not be able to provide food for their families because they have to decide to but medications and try to stay alive or buy food and try to survive. Both interviewees seemed frustrated disappointed with the inequality of the health care system and the rates associated with receiving care and health care insurance. Something i noticed between the two was that they both were extremely passionate on finding a way for the United States to receive some sort of universals health care system that was inexpensive but preferably free. When the topic of cost came about they seemed to give detailed experiences dealing with the health care system and how it wasn 't affordable to them and how there were times they couldn 't receive the needed care get the needed
In the midst of today’s economic turmoil, an on-going debate regarding the viability of the Social Security program is resurfacing and facing serious conflict. Many politicians avoid the controversy of the program because there honestly seems to be no favorable answer that can address the masses and appease everyone. As of June 30, 2011, 57.7 million people or 18.2% of the U.S. population were receiving monthly Social Security benefits.[1] Currently, the program’s future is questionable, many citing that, “the Social Security system is experiencing a declining worker-to-beneficiary ratio, which will fall from 3.3 in 2005 to 2.1 in 2040.” (Social Security Bulletin, 1) There have been several suggestions on how to “fix” the broken system, including
Analysis of Healthcare to Thesis Healthcare is important to our well being, which is why we have free health care. That also means that Canadians have the burden of paying higher taxes in order to have free health care. Argument #4: The Aging
There has been growing dialogue amongst the GI generation (1901-1926) to the Baby Boomer Generation (1946-1964) on how to manage aging and end-of-life issues. One aspect of health care that is involved in this discussion is home health care. The home health care industry is a very dynamic field of health care. Across the nation many people are taking in the direction of home health care services compared with Skilled Nursing facilities or Hospitals. As a Home Health Care agency owner and a healthcare administrator it’s imperative that my organization is a part of the discussion.
Having lived in this situation, this video and topic struck home for me. My maternal grandmother lived with my family for the first fifteen years of my life and currently still lives with my mother. This situation has never seemed abnormal, particulate phenomenal or uncommon to me. In my culture (Japanese), it is expected that adult children will take care of their aging parent within their home; often times this is happening in conjunction with raising their own children. To place the care of one parents in the hands of a stranger (e.g. nursing home, assisted living, etc.) would be dishonorable and disrespectful.
The geriatric community appears to have been a forgotten body of people in which the nation has not planned their future. Yet, no one has taken the opportunity to ensure that there would be adequate housing along with quality care for the elderly that lives on a fixed income.
