Do They Healthcare About Us?

MGT 282
Ms. Stark
November 21, 2011

Washington 1 There are many ethical issues surrounding the American healthcare industry. Health care insurance is meant to provide adequate financial service to support a person’s medical needs. In some instances these needs are not always met by insurance providers. For instance, a working class citizen with a standard HMO policy could be denied assistance upon diagnosis of a terminal illness such as cancer. There are cases where patient’s contract illnesses such as HIV and are refused assistance to cover costs of necessary medication. Often times, American citizens are refused coverage due to prior issues in their medical histories. The healthcare industry is run by corporate businesses that follow legal standards and obligations. However, is the healthcare industry neglecting their ethical responsibility to help American citizens through proper healthcare and insurance coverage? After all, the law states that American citizens have a right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. The United States is divided on the issue of fixing the healthcare system already in place. Middle and lower middle class citizens are desperately asking lawmakers to find a solution to fix our flawed system. Upper middle class and wealthy citizens are reluctant to change the industry we have in place. The question is shouldn’t there be equal care for all citizens regardless of financial status?
Healthcare is a right that all citizens should have. It’s not just about everyone having insurance coverage. The issue at hand is finding a way to insure that everyone is afforded an opportunity to have quality healthcare. The healthcare industry is designed to only care for a few instead of everyone in the United States. Insurance

Washington 2 companies need to be held accountable for poor ethical practices in a system that allows corporate America to operate above the law. In turn the American government should be able to regulate practices in the healthcare industry to ensure its citizens are receiving adequate care. There are a few alternatives to adjust the healthcare industry. The United States government could establish a governing board to oversee the healthcare industry. This board would operate separately from the SEC that acts as a governing body over all other businesses. Responsibilities would include reviewing regulations and codes of ethics for each organization. Also, this board would have the power to impose sanctions against offending organizations in the interest of protecting all stakeholders. A second alternative is to have congressional leaders work toward passing a healthcare reform bill that will ultimately lead to providing all Americans with proper healthcare insurance and medical services. This bill will reshape the current system in place. The government will control costs of insurance policies, expand coverage, and overall improve the healthcare delivery system. All alternatives have the same advantages if implemented properly. By having the government regulate the industry slowly Americans will have a system in place that provides quality service across the board. Having a board with the ability to place stiffer penalties on businesses gives the government additional revenue to add to an already stretched budget. Healthcare insurance will be more affordable, which is a big benefit to middle class citizens which represent the majority population in the United States. There will be more accessibility to reach care providers. Most of all citizens that don’t have
Washington 3 insurance will be able to attain coverage. Perhaps the days of horror stories at county hospitals will be a thing of the past. Disadvantages include getting a reform bill passed through congressional leadership. Most Americans share an opinion that republican The reality of this situation is that there will be a major divide in the agendas of both