Universal Health Care - Ethical Issues in Health Care Reform

Universal health care seems to be a hotly debated topic whenever health care reform in the United States is discussed.

Those who maintain that health is an individual responsibility do not want a system that requires them to contribute tax dollars to support fellow citizens who do not act responsibly in protecting or promoting their own health. They argue that they want the freedom to choose their own physicians and treatments, and suggest that government cannot know what is best for them. These people argue that preserving the current system with improvements to provide better insurance coverage for citizens who remain uninsured or under insured for their medical care needs is the only reform that is needed.

Those who believe health care is an individual right support a universal health care system with the argument that every citizen deserves to have access to the right care at the right time and that a government's responsibility is to protect its citizens, sometimes even from themselves.

Two opposing arguments arising from two opposing ideologies. Both are good arguments but neither can be the supporting argument for implementing or denying universal health care. The matter must be resolved through an ethical framework.

Examination of the ethical issues in health care reform would require consideration of much different arguments than those already presented. Ethical issues would center on the moral right. Discussion would begin with not "What is best for me?" but rather "How should we as a society be acting so that our actions are morally correct?"

Ethics refers to determining right and wrong in how humans relate to one another. Ethical decision making for health care reform then would require human beings to act in consideration of our relationships to each other not our own individual interests.

Examination of some of the common ethical decision making theories can provide a foundation for a different perspective than one that is solely concerned with individual rights and freedoms.

Ethical decision making requires that specific questions be answered in order to decide on whether intended actions are good or morally correct. Here are some questions that could be used in ethical decision making for health care reform.

• What action will bring the most good to the most people?
• What action in and of itself is a good act and helps us to fulfill our duties, obligations, and responsibilities to each other?
• What action in and of itself shows caring and concern for all citizens?

As the answer to all these questions, universal health care can always be considered the right thing to do.

The United States is in the most advantageous position there is when it comes to health care reform. They are the only developed country without a national health care system in place for all citizens. They have the opportunity to learn from the mistakes that have been made by all the other countries that have already gone down the universal health care road. They have an opportunity to design a system that can shine as a jewel in the crown of universal health care systems everywhere.

However, all ethical decision making is structured around values. In order for universal health care to be embraced by all citizens in the United States, they will first have to agree to the collective value of equity and fairness and embrace the goal of meeting their collective responsibility to each other while maintaining individual rights and freedoms. That may prove to be the most difficult obstacle of all.

Beverly Hansen OMalley is a nurse with over 35 years experience in nursing education. She is health promotion specialist and is passionate about the necessity to address social determinants of health as part of overall health promotion strategies. She is the owner of http://www.registered-nurse-canada.com where she provides information on the Canadian health care system, the nursing profession in Canada, and the nursing entrance tests for the US and Canada. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Beverly_OMalley

Consider a Health Care System Co-Op

It has been estimated that there are still tens of millions of Americans without health care insurance, and those who do not belong to any type of health care system. Still, in some communities they have health care system co-op's where everyone pitches in their money and if someone has a disaster and needs for medical attention they get to tap into the pool to pay for it.

Local doctors and hospitals are also involved, it seems to work very good for them. It is amazing what people will do when they are forced with tough decisions, stressful challenges, and important needs such as human health. These groups actually do not want the government health care program because their program, which they've established locally is working for them.

Insurance companies often try to cater to these co-ops and help them form a group insurance program, in case they run completely out of money as a safety backdrop. Most often, the co-ops decline because they know that they can save money if they reinvest the money if they don't spend it back into their co-op.

It's hard to say if these co-ops will continue to catch on, but more and more communities are considering this, along with various church congregations because they do not feel that they are getting an adequate deal from their local insurance companies.

One healthcare co-op in Pennsylvania, in a small town has all of its members very happy with how it is run. People also are reluctant to go running to the doctor every time they have a little problem because they do not want to take down the cash reserves of the co-op. Perhaps, in this way they are getting even more bang for their buck because no one abuses the system. Please consider all this.

Lance Winslow - Lance Winslow's Bio. Lance Winslow is also Founder of the Car Wash Guys, a cool little Franchise Company;http://www.carwashguys.com/history/founder.html/. Note: All of Lance Winslow's articles are written by him, not by Automated Software, any Computer Program, or Artificially Intelligent Software. None of his articles are outsourced, PLR Content or written by ghost writers. Lance Winslow believes those who use these strategies lack integrity and mislead the reader. Indeed, those who use such cheating tools, crutches, and tricks of the trade may even be breaking the law by misleading the consumer and misrepresenting themselves in online marketing, which he finds completely unacceptable. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?

France Has the Best Healthcare System in the World By Sheila Guilloton

As the United States struggles toward a system of universal health care, many have looked at the Canadian health care system as a model. Only a few have looked toward France. That's a mistake for at least 2 reasons.

First, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), France has the best health care system in the world . It has been widely reported that the WHO found the French system to be number 1 while the Canadian system is number 30 and the U.S. number 37.

It should be noted here that the WHO rankings actually contain multiple rankings and the numbers generally quoted are the ranking based on the measure that the WHO calls the OP ranking. OP is said to measure "overall performance" adjusted to reflect a country's performance based on how well it theoretically could have performed. When reporting the rankings of 1 for France, 30 for Canada and 37 for the United States, it is the OP ranking being used.

Why did the French system do so well in the WHO rankings? The French system excels in 4 areas:

• It provides universal coverage
• It has responsive health care providers
• Patients have freedom of choice
• The health and longevity of the population

Second, we should be looking more closely at the French system because it has more similarities with the U.S. system than either the Canadian or British system. Many Americans assume that the French system is like the system in Britain. Nothing could be further from the truth or more insulting to the French.

Exactly like the United States, the French system relies on both private insurance and government insurance. Also, just like in America, people generally get their insurance through their employer. What is different is that everyone in France has health insurance. Every legal resident of France has access to health care under the law of universal coverage called la Couverture maladie universelle.

Under the French system, health insurance is a branch of Social Security or the Sécurité Sociale. The system is funded primarily by taxing the salaries of workers. An employee in France will pay about 20% of their salary to fund the Sécurité Sociale. These taxes represent about 60% of the cost of the health insurance plan.

The balance of the funding comes from the self employed, who pay more than salaried workers, and by indirect taxes on alcohol and tobacco. Finally, additional taxes are levied against other income, both direct and indirect.

The French share the same distaste for restrictions on patient choice as American do. The French system relies on autonomous private practitioners rather than a British-style national health service. The French are very dismissive of the British system which they call "socialized medicine." Virtually all physicians in France participate in the nation's public health insurance, Sécurité Sociale.

Perhaps it's time for us to take a closer look at French ideas about health care reform.

Sheila Guilloton is the owner of Prestige Planners, a health specialty agency placing health and dental insurance for business and individuals. Licensed with all the major carriers, she counsels and advises clients on how to select the most appropriate coverage. Follow the series on health care systems around the world by visiting http://www.examiner.com/x-11804-Health-Care-Examiner

Healthcare Conferences Help Providers Weather Changes

Healthcare conferences are certainly not a new way for providers to learn about and understand healthcare policy and compliance changes, but they are often the best way. Healthcare conferences offer providers a forum in which they can learn from healthcare experts and gain the continuing education that they need.

PQRI, EMRs Keep Healthcare Providers Guessing

Among the hot topics for healthcare audio conferences are thePhysician Quality Reporting Initiative (PQRI) and new electronic medical record (EMR) mandates. If you're planning to attend any healthcare conferences this year, these two topics are of utmost importance. Also, getting the insider's point of view on PQRI and EMR adoption is vital to getting the reimbursement you deserve and staying compliant.

President Obama's stimulus package has been a boon for healthcare providers, but the gifts come with strings attached. You must know the EMR requirements to get your share of the bounty. Likewise, PQRI can be an easy program to implement among your physicians -- but only if you have all the right reporting components and you understand for what you can and cannot get extra pay.

Learn Financial Strategies to Stay Afloat in the Ailing Economy

Although most economists believe that the healthcare industry has been least hurt by the economic downturn, many providers are indeed struggling to make ends meet. Healthcare conferences are now focusing on reimbursement-boosting strategies for providers to help them get through the slump.

Healthcare Conferences Enable Compliance, Optimal Reimbursement

Most importantly, healthcare audio conferences keep providers in the loop on crucial changes to coding and billing procedures, payers' requirements and compliance mandates.

If you're like any other healthcare provider, you need to stay updated on any changes to optimize your reimbursement, stay compliant and keep your practice running smoothly. Missing out on even one critical change can land you in a compliance nightmare. Healthcare conferences are often the answer for providers who don't have the time to read through lengthy Federal Register documents or briefs from CMS.

Audioeducator offers healthcare conferences and advanced Learning Opportunities for Healthcare Executives, case studies for coding and billing procedures, impact of healthcare customer choice through all types of audio conference and exceptional series of training CD's, DVD's & Tapes. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Angela_S._Martin

Career Advice - Thinking About Getting a Job in the Health Care Industry?

As we watch all of our politicians fight over the ObamaCare Universal Insurance Policies for all Americans, one can only think that trillions of dollars on top of the trillions of dollars we already spend that will be funneled to the healthcare industry, or what some people call the medical industrial complex. If this is true, there will be millions of jobs created in the healthcare sector, and anyone who is out of work now, might be wise to look into that industry in the future.

Indeed it would be a rewarding career. Not long ago, I received an interesting tidbit from someone in the healthcare industry. They were describing all the potential job categories in the healthcare sector. And just so you realize how big and how many different types of jobs there are let's go through the list real quick;

Physician,
Chiropractor,
Alternative Medicine Specialist,
Dentist,
Dental Hygienist,
Veterinarian (yes dogs too!),
Hospital Administrator,
Nursing Home Assistant,
Pharmaceutical Company Sales Rep,
Physical Therapist,
Acupuncturist,
Massage Therapist,
Medical Equipment Supply Sales Person,
Mental Health Counselor,
Visiting Nurses & RN,
Optometrist,
Psychologist,
Neurologist,

Now, of course I can't put every single job that exists in the healthcare industry in a single article, the actual list that I received was something like five and a half pages long, single spaced. There is room for you in the healthcare industry.

Now, it's hard to say if the amount of pay that each practitioner in the healthcare sector will make in the future, that amount of money might be decreased by ObamaCare, however we must also realize that if everyone has health care insurance more people will be going in for care and using the services, therefore there will be huge shortages. That means they are going to need hundreds of thousands of people coming into the healthcare sector every month for the next 10 years. Please consider all this.

Lance Winslow - Lance Winslow's Bio. Lance Winslow is also Founder of the Car Wash Guys, a cool little Franchise Company; http://www.carwashguys.com/history/founder.html/. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Lance_Winslow

7 Potential Ways to Fund Health Care Reform By Roni Deutch

1. Limit Income-Tax Deductions

By only allowing taxpayers in the top two income tax brackets (33% and 35%) to deduct their mortgage interest, charitable contributions, and local taxes at the 28% rate it is suggested that the Federal government could collect $267 billion over the next 10 years. This is supposedly one of the Obama administrations main tactics for raising revenue. However, numerous Democratic leaders have already spoken out against it claiming it would hurt charities and residents of highly taxed areas such as New York City. Although experts predict that the original proposal will likely not pass into law, they are suggesting that some type of watered down version will.

2. Taxing Employer Provided Benefits

With the support of both Republicans and moderate Democrats in Congress-and even the most influential members of the Senate Finance Committee-the concept of taxing employer provided health benefits is something that has been getting a lot of attention lately. Although House Speaker Nancy Pelosi adamantly opposed any legislation regarding the issue, there are number of recent compromises that have made the new tax more likely to become law. The compromises include capping the value of benefits that go untaxed (for example if the tax-free limit is $13,000, an employee with a policy worth $15,000 would pay income taxes on $2,000), and imposing an income tax surcharge on the wealthiest taxpayers.

3. Tax Surcharge on the Wealthy

Speaking of tax surcharges on the wealthy, increasing the tax rate on taxpayers with incomes of over $200,000 or couples earning over $250,000 has also been discussed as a way to help pay for health care reform. This is the hot proposal in the House. Current proposals would levy an additional 3-4%, with the possibility of an additional 0.6% tax on those making more than $500,000. It is projected that if passed these tax increases would generate an estimated $832 billion in Federal revenue over the next decade.

4. Increased "Sin Taxes"

Increased taxes on sugar heavy soft drinks, tobacco products, and alcoholic beverages (also known as sin taxes) could provide up to $200 billion in additional tax revenue over the next 10 years. According to reports taxes on alcohol were last raised in 1991, and adjusted for inflation they are actually 37% lower today. However, with little support and opposition for dozens of industries, any such increases are very likely to ever see the light of day.

5. Repeal of Tax Saving Accounts and Deductions

Although not a direct tax increase, by repealing tax-advantaged savings accounts for health expenses, and repealing the medical expense deduction the Federal government could save over $250 billion. However, these taxes would mostly affect senior citizens already struggling with huge medical bills, and would directly break Obama's pledge to not increase taxes on families making under $250,000.

6. Shared Responsibility Payments

Although it may sound confusing, shared responsibility payments are basically fines for not having insurance. By requiring Americans to have some sort of coverage-similar to how motorists must get auto insurance-and enforcing a $1,000 per year fine, the Federal government could collect over $36 billion over the next decade. It would likely include subsidies for lower income Americans, and the concept has gotten support from a number of key Senate Democrats.

7. Expanded Medicare Taxes

One of the final taxes being considered to help pay for health care reform is an expansion of the Medicare tax. Currently the tax is only levied on earned income (wages from your employer, etc.). By levying the tax on capital gains, dividends and other unearned income, and increasing the rate for high-income earners, the government could collect over $500 billion over the next year. However, raising taxes on unearned income is highly unpopular among the American public, and under the current proposal 80% of the tax increase would be paid for by the top 5% of taxpayers.

The Tax Lady Roni Deutch and her law firm Roni Lynn Deutch, A Professional Tax Corporation have been helping taxpayers across the nation find IRS tax relief for over seventeen years. The firm has experienced tax lawyers who can fight IRS tax liens on your behalf. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Roni_Deutch