Ethical Issues In Healthcare Resource Allocation
Resource allocation is the delivery of resources, typically financial, among competing groups of people or programs. Because of the increasing need for healthcare services and increasing costs to supply those services, Americans must decide how to allocate healthcare dollars. A number of ethical questions arise when talking about healthcare resource allocation. The paper answers the ethical question of whether hospitals should charge uninsured patients more money than insured patients for the same medical procedures. Hospital officials say that for most patients, charges are meaningless (Daily KOS). That’s because hospitals provide large discounts to private health insurers, while Medicare and Medicaid pay based on rates set by the government (Daily KOS). Many hospitals offer limited discounts to uninsured patients who don’t qualify for full charity care (Daily KOS). At Duke University Medical Center, uninsured patients get a 50 percent discount from established
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charges (Daily KOS). WakeMed Health and Hospitals and UNC Health Care offer a discount of 35 percent (Daily KOS). Both rates would still allow profits if the patients paid in full (Daily KOS).
Hospitals are the focus of our health care delivery system in the US.
As the cost of health care continues to climb, more and more employed families are lacking health insurance. Living without sufficient health insurance is a tremendous responsibility for millions of America families. Approximately 50 million Americans are uninsured (HHS). Several people are just one medical emergency away from financial tragedy. On average, uninsured families can only afford to pay in full for approximately 12-percent of hospital stays they may experience – and even higher income uninsured families are unable to pay for most potential hospital stays (HHS). Hospital stays for which the uninsured cannot pay in full account for 95-percent of the total amount hospitals bill the uninsured (HHS). Uninsured patients are likely to pay more for medical services because they don't have access to the discounts medical providers give to insurance companies. Uninsured patients' rights vary from one state to
another.
Hospitals agree to discounted rates for all privately-insured, Medicare, and Medicaid patients. Individual patients whose hospital care is protected by private or public insurance are not charged prices higher than the discounted rates. Each hospital has its specific charge master and revises it regularly by its own unique process. Most hospitals are tax-exempt organizations that are obligated to offer community benefits, which may include “charity care” policies, they keep full discretion over when and to whom they will qualify discounts or other financial assistance to.
In conclusion, the explanation for why we as individuals and we as a country spend so much money on healthcare is complicated. Hospital pricing is anything but an exact science. At many hospitals across America, patients without insurance are charged double or even triple the rates of the insured patients who receive the exact same treatment. This is unfair and maybe the Health care reform will help control health care costs and pricing in the future. Also, maybe the health care reform will offer a more rational approach to the delivery of health care that aims to control costs while maintaining the quality Americans have come to expect and deserve.
charges (Daily KOS). WakeMed Health and Hospitals and UNC Health Care offer a discount of 35 percent (Daily KOS). Both rates would still allow profits if the patients paid in full (Daily KOS).
Hospitals are the focus of our health care delivery system in the US.
As the cost of health care continues to climb, more and more employed families are lacking health insurance. Living without sufficient health insurance is a tremendous responsibility for millions of America families. Approximately 50 million Americans are uninsured (HHS). Several people are just one medical emergency away from financial tragedy. On average, uninsured families can only afford to pay in full for approximately 12-percent of hospital stays they may experience – and even higher income uninsured families are unable to pay for most potential hospital stays (HHS). Hospital stays for which the uninsured cannot pay in full account for 95-percent of the total amount hospitals bill the uninsured (HHS). Uninsured patients are likely to pay more for medical services because they don't have access to the discounts medical providers give to insurance companies. Uninsured patients' rights vary from one state to
another.
Hospitals agree to discounted rates for all privately-insured, Medicare, and Medicaid patients. Individual patients whose hospital care is protected by private or public insurance are not charged prices higher than the discounted rates. Each hospital has its specific charge master and revises it regularly by its own unique process. Most hospitals are tax-exempt organizations that are obligated to offer community benefits, which may include “charity care” policies, they keep full discretion over when and to whom they will qualify discounts or other financial assistance to.
In conclusion, the explanation for why we as individuals and we as a country spend so much money on healthcare is complicated. Hospital pricing is anything but an exact science. At many hospitals across America, patients without insurance are charged double or even triple the rates of the insured patients who receive the exact same treatment. This is unfair and maybe the Health care reform will help control health care costs and pricing in the future. Also, maybe the health care reform will offer a more rational approach to the delivery of health care that aims to control costs while maintaining the quality Americans have come to expect and deserve.