Affordable Health Care Coverage for All Americans - Term Paper Example

Introduction One of the leading causes of historical personal bankruptcies in the country is the high cost of debt incurred due to availing relatively expensive medical services. The current debate in US over the proposed health care reforms is largely based on the question of whether one has a right to health care and if yes than under what conditions and circumstances. The current economic crises with significantly large inflationary pressures, some of the basic questions that are being asked are more significant from different perspectives. The following morals have been discussed in the bill which is also considered as the foundations for pushing forward the health care reforms in the country. This has therefore raised significantly important questions regarding the morals of providing healthcare services at an affordable cost to all Americans. The achievement of comprehensive health reforms in US is considered as one of the top priorities of the current US government and providence of affordable health care for all Americans is one of the leading slogans of the time. The proposed reforms and the Bill are critical and based on following morals shall be passed easily so as to allow all the Americans to have an affordable healthcare. In this paper we will present our case for having health care insurance for everyone in American since smaller economies even provide comprehensive health coverage at affordable prices to their citizens. This paper will comprehensively argue in favor of passing health care reforms bill and attempt to convince both Republicans as well as democrats that the proposal is in benefit of everyone and shall be supported. Harm/Care This nation was founded on the fundamental principles of life, liberty and pursuit of happiness for individual. Thus the government has the moral duty of assisting individuals to attain freedom and pursue whatever one thinks is good for her without comprising the society’s overall good. Further, UN’s Declaration of Human Rights is also really explicit in providing every individual a right to have an access to good health care for himself and his family. It is also argued that the it is our moral obligation to care for those who are sick and therefore State being the representative of the citizens must act under its moral obligation to offer care to those who are sick and this care is often translated through offering of an affordable healthcare services to each and ever citizen of the country. Similarly, government also has the responsibility of ensuring that markets work effectively in order to maintain a certain social and economic structure within the economy. However, growing costs of employee sponsored health insurance is forcing many smaller players to loose their competitiveness and may be forced out of the business. Empirical results indicate that the employee sponsored health insurance premiums have increased in recent times and as such smaller businesses are finding it difficult to manage their costs. (http://www.healthreform.gov). If healthcare reforms bill is not pushed forward, there are strong chances that the small businesses will go out of business because of their lack of competitiveness and as such economy will get further damage in this troubling time for America. A utilitarian approach therefore will allow government to take actions which minimize the overall suffering from the society and advocate greater good of the society. Thus if this bill is approved, it will ensure greater good for larger portion of the population also and will ensure that the less privileged in the society are taken care off for all their needs and State is basically fulfilling its responsibility of offering an opportunity to its citizens to achieve maximum freedom. Fairness/Reciprocity Justice and equality for all is one of the fundamentals based on which this country was founded. Justice and equality are also the concepts which allow individuals to achieve the maximum freedom and State must act in a manner that lessens the inequality within the society. (Shermer). The ideological foundations of this country therefore require that a just and fair system must be in place which can ensure justice and equality for all. However, the Current healthcare industry is biased in such a manner that those who are comprehensively covered under the health Insurance can receive high quality medical facilities however, those who cannot afford to pay high premiums simply cannot avail such facilities. Thus the inequalities created through artificial means are further dividing the society into haves and have nots therefore government must act to remove such market distortions. President’s Obama’s vision is to cover every American under this proposed bill thus giving the proposed reforms an impartial and fair outlook. (Wall Street Journal). Though there are proposals that the illegal immigrants should not be covered under this bill however, given the fact that they contribute towards economy of this country it is therefore critical that every person living in America shall be given preferences under this bill. This bill will therefore ensure fairness and reciprocity in offering affordable and high quality health care services to every American. Further, if every American is given the same preferences in the health care it will further ensure fairness within American society and will further insure that the society remain as an unbiased and free society with no injustices caused to any section of it. It is also important to understand that fairness and reciprocity will allow a better distribution of income within the society and those who despite paying the taxes do not get enough government support must get a chance to In-group/ Loyalty In-group/Loyalty requires that we as individuals must sacrifice for the sake of the country and show patriotism in a manner which allows our fellow countrymen to enjoy better life. Choosing Group’s views over our individual views is something which makes us realize the we are part of a larger group which can sacrifice if, in future, we require the same help due to change in our circumstances. The current debate in healthcare reforms also entails that the reforms must take place in order to ensure that we, as a society and as a nation, are ready to show our loyalty to each and every citizen of this country without considering the race, language, color and religion of the citizen. There is an argument that the proposed health reforms will allow anonymous government functionaries to make ethical health care decisions on the behalf of Americans and as such there may be group loyalties in favor of some strata of the society leaving behind others when these reforms will be actually executed. The issues is therefore now of a “rights without moral component”. (Smith). However, considering the fact that American has elected its first African American President is an enough proof that in-group loyalties and inherent biases towards any group are gradually decreasing and there will be minimum possibilities for such behaviors. Authority/respect Authority/ respect as moral require that we must respect the traditions as well accept the social hierarchy that is existing within our society. This also means that the any new move either by the Government or by the market forces must be taken in a manner which do not disrupt the fundamental social hierarchies of the society as well as maintain the respect for the traditions. American society, as a whole, throughout its history has remained a society which has strong values and social structures which are being preserved. Though different social institutions such as family, parenting etc are weakening however, there still exists a formal structure within American society which is ensuring that we are maintaining our social microstructure in a continuing manner. One of the strongest arguments against this bill is that it will undermine the authority of parents to make health care decisions about their family. (heritage.org). However, if this bill is approved, it will further ease up economic pressures on the parents in providing quality healthcare to their families. In this way, the overall reduction in stress levels of Americans will allow them to make more informed decisions regarding healthcare thus authority and respect will not be challenged. Further, it is also important to note that those who require the healthcare services must be provided the same which can maintain their dignity as well as self pride. Letting people to die just because they cannot afford the health services is not only a great social injustice but also reflects an overall attitude of the society to those who need maximum help. This health care reforms bill will allow families with lower income to avail the high quality health care services with dignity and pride as US despite spending more than $2 trillion dollars1 a year on healthcare failed to provide equal access to health care facilities to all of its citizens. This increase in healthcare expenditure can also be attributed to the fact that the population of US is ageing that also means that healthcare expenditure will naturally increase with the strong probability that this expenditure will be made on those who may not be economically beneficially to the society at this point in time of their lives however, given the fact that ensuring respect and self pride of each individual is one of the moral obligations of the State therefore it is moral obligation of the State to offer healthcare services which can help such individuals to live their lives without external support i.e. old nursing homes, managed care etc. Purity/Sanctity Living in a way which is not only decent but noble also means that the current health care reforms must ensure that the individuals are not forced to live in a condition which can result into loss of their personal sanctity. Purity/Sanctity in healthcare is another critical foundation which has been debated because it is believed that the proposed reforms will allow people to have abortions etc at relatively lower costs thus violating the basic human rights. (Hedith). However, with this proposed health reforms, the cost of health care will reduce thus increasing the overall disposable income of individuals and families. Thus if abortions are made purely based on the economic grounds, an increase in the income will offset this incentive and will further encourage individuals to maintain purity/Sanctity rather than destroying it. The increase in the disposable income of the individuals therefore will further broaden the base of their choices and the single mothers will find it economically more affordable to have children rather than choosing abortions as the means of getting rid of added economic burden of raising a child. Conclusion Healthcare is one of the leading causes of current debate in US as to whether the government has the moral obligation to initiate the healthcare reforms and if it is than how the overall coverage under this bill shall be defined. Different proposals have been put forward providing the overall scheme of affairs for proposed bill including the cost involved as well as the coverage under the bill. What is however, also significantly more critical to note that this issue has now becoming a debate on the morals and as such questions like whether the government has the moral obligation to provide healthcare to those who potentially cannot contribute to the society as a whole. The increasing dominance of pharmaceutical companies also increased the cost of healthcare because of the rapid changes in technology as well as the high cost of research and development has made it difficult for larger portion of American society to avail quality healthcare services. Government in order to ensure equality and justice in the society must ensure that every citizen of the State gets access to healthcare services with dignity and respect and without endangering authority. This paper is an attempt therefore to pursue law makers to allow the healthcare reforms bill to pass it will allow the society to become more just and equal while at the same time show its care and trust for those who otherwise cannot afford to live with full freedom and equality in a society which boasts itself as champion of human rights. Bibliography 1. Hedith, Jonathan. "The Healthcare debate." 27 September 2009. TED BLOG. 27 October 2009 . 2. heritage.org. "Obamas Health Care Agenda: How it Will Hurt American Families." 19 June 2009. heritage.org. 27 October 2009 . 3. http://www.healthreform.gov. "The Cost of Inaction- the urgent need for health reforms." 2009. HealthReform.gov. 27 October 2009 . 4. Shermer, Michael. "The Case for Libertarianism." 13 August 2009. Huffington Post. 28 October 2009 . 5. Smith, William A. "Health Care Reform: A Moral Question? ." 20 October 2009. Choices Campus Blog. 27 October 2009 . 6. Wall Street Journal. "Health-Care Reform Proposals." 12 October 2009. Wall Street Journal. 27 October 2009 . Read More