Healthcare Ethics: Key Issues in the United States

This essay delves into the ethical issues within the US healthcare system, emphasizing the foundational principles of autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence, and justice. It highlights key concerns such as patient privacy and confidentiality, healthcare quality versus cost, the importance of maintaining a strong healthcare workforce, and the potential for disagreements between patients and providers regarding treatment decisions. The essay examines the impact of marketing, insurance coverage, and government initiatives like Medicare and Medicaid on healthcare access. It underscores the legal and ethical implications of data breaches and the challenges of balancing quality and efficiency in service delivery. The shortage of nurses and the aging population are identified as major workforce issues, which can negatively affect patient care. The essay concludes by reiterating the importance of understanding and actively applying these ethical principles to ensure effective and equitable healthcare delivery in the United States. This assignment is available on Desklib, a platform that provides AI-powered study tools and past papers for students.

Running head: ETHICAL ISSUES IN HEALTHCARE
Ethical issues in healthcare
Student’s Name
Institutional Affiliation

ETHICAL ISSUES IN HEALTHCARE 2
Abstract
In every industry have a set of ethical regulations governing its performance and service
delivery to the public. Ethical issues in healthcare are set regulations that medical practitioners
should adhere to. The foundation of healthcare ethics is laid down by four fundamental
principles. Autonomy gives the patient the right to make their own decision, beneficence helps
patients to advance their own good, non-maleficence ensures no harm is done to the patients at
any particular time and justice which ensures patients are treated fairly, equally and impartially.
Patients suffer when healthcare providers are not in a position to develop and maintain a strong
workforce. This essay therefore focuses on healthcare ethical issues. However, focus is given to
the United States of America. It examines the ethical issues that should be clearly understood and
put into active practice by any medical personnel in order to ensure effective delivery of services
to the patients within the US.
Introduction
Improving access to healthcare is essential for the wellbeing and wholesome growth of a
nation’s population (Pollard, Karimi & Ficcaglia, 2017). The USA government through the
department of health and human services has over the years identified access to healthcare as an
objective for its healthy people initiatives. Through medical insurance covers, a majority of the
US citizens have been able to access healthcare. The government has also launched at given
intervals several other insurance plans such as Medicare and Medicaid which has contributed to
seeing a larger population access health care services (Naeku, 2017). The private sector has also

ETHICAL ISSUES IN HEALTHCARE 3
been allowed to issue healthcare covers to those who would wish to be covered privately.
Majority of government employees for example the army have access to healthcare even when at
their operation bases (Dobmeyer, 2013).
Marketing has been a major milestone in raising awareness of healthcare services to the
US citizens. In the year 2016 for instance, the healthcare sector spent almost $30 billion in
marketing and advertising health services, new drugs and new technology to consumers
according to Felderhoff (2013). This therefore implies that a majority of the people who came
across the adverts had either to cover up themselves to access the healthcare or try the new
technology or drugs at personal expense. After marketing has been done then testimonials are
publicly made to compel more persons to acquire the healthcare service from the providers.
Protection of Patient’s Privacy and Confidentiality has helped Healthcare providers and
professionals in keeping information about patients as they are barred by law from sharing
medical information of the patient. The patient’s information is further protected by the health
insurance portability and accountability act. If by any chance a healthcare provider violates the
patient’s privacy and confidentiality then they may end up facing legal and ethical consequences.
Berger (2013) connotes that due to enhanced technology, data breaches and Smartphone usage
has seen some practitioners in trouble hence the rest should learn from such instances and ensure
the patient’s information is safe no matter the case.
Healthcare Quality and Efficiency services tend to increase the cost based on quality and
efficiency. This has been happening in USA for quite some time now. It has remained difficult to
balance quality and efficiency versus the cost (Runyan, Robinson & Gould, 2013). This has
therefore made the government to constantly pressurize hospitals to lower the cost of healthcare

ETHICAL ISSUES IN HEALTHCARE 4
while improving quality and efficiency. Many citizens of the lower economic class therefore lack
specialized treatment since most facilities with high quality and efficient healthcare only cater
for the needs of the rich and those in the upper economic class. The aspect has led to many of the
lower economic class individuals to acquire medication in local facilities that do not really
embrace the quality and efficiency.
A strong healthcare workforce should be built and maintained (American Journal of
Public Health, 2017). Nursing deficit has been a challenge in the US for decades but today the
shortage is on the cusps of becoming a crisis with worrying implications for patients and
healthcare providers alike. The shortage is contributed by a rising prevalence of chronic diseases,
an aging nursing workforce and an aging population. Patients suffer when healthcare providers
are not in a position to develop and maintain a strong workforce. The American Association of
Colleges of Nursing in a report noted that it is very difficult to build and maintain a strong
workforce in the midst of an acute shortage. The association further stated that retention of
healthcare providers be the central focus of all healthcare institutions.
Disagreement between patients and healthcare providers emanate due to treatment
decisions that sometimes trigger sharp misunderstanding between the patients or their families
with the medical professionals. According to McPhail, Stephens, and Heasman (2018), some
patients tend to diagnose themselves naturally on a specific ailment which then they want
treated. When a healthcare providers finding differ with their claims, disagreements emanate. It
takes time before the patient or the patient’s family to come into terms with the care gives an
aspect that leads to many patients losing their lives trying to treat an ailment that is not in place.
Medical practitioners on the other hand can push a treatment strategy to the patient who might be

ETHICAL ISSUES IN HEALTHCARE 5
unacceptable to the family and when deaths occur by chance, the family can end up suing the
healthcare provider on a madder account as posted by Green, Todd, Lebovits and Francis (2016).
Medical personnel should therefore be keen and allow an autonomous decision from the family
and the patient to take course.
Conclusion
Ethical issues in healthcare are founded on four major principles autonomy, justice,
beneficence and non-maleficence which should be followed at all times. The ethical issues
discussed above are marketing of healthcare services, access to the services maintenance of
a strong workforce, disagreements between healthcare providers and patients or family,
healthcare quality and efficiency versus cost and protection of patient’s privacy and
confidentiality. These ethical issues should be clearly understood and put into active
practice by any medical personnel in order to ensure effective delivery of services to the
patients.

ETHICAL ISSUES IN HEALTHCARE 6
References
Berger, B. G. (2013). Ethical Issues in Clinical Settings: A Reaction to Ethics in Teaching,
Advising, and Clinical Services. Quest 45(1), 106–119. Retrieved from
http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?
direct=true&db=s3h&AN=18996521&site=ehost-live
Dobmeyer, A. C. (2013). Primary care behavioral health: Ethical issues in military settings.
Families, Systems, & Health, 31(1), 60–68. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0031848
Felderhoff, B. J. (2013). Ethical Issues in Rural Health Care. Journal of Rural Social Sciences,
28(3), 89–91. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?
direct=true&db=s3h&AN=94984630&site=ehost-live
Green, C., Todd, K. H., Lebovits, A., & Francis, M. (2016). Disparities in Pain: Ethical Issues.
Pain Medicine, 7(6), 530–533. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?
direct=true&db=s3h&AN=23115574&site=ehost-live
McPhail, I. V., Stephens, S., & Heasman, A. (2018). Legal and ethical issues in treating clients
with pedohebephilic interests. Canadian Psychology/Psychologie Canadienne, 59(4),
369–381. https://doi.org/10.1037/cap0000157.supp (Supplemental)
Naeku, J. (2017). Community Health Workers in the United States: Challenges in Identifying,
Surveying, and Supporting the Workforce. American Journal of Public Health, 107(12),
1964–1969. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2017.304096

ETHICAL ISSUES IN HEALTHCARE 7
Pollard, J. S., Karimi, K. A., & Ficcaglia, M. B. (2017). Ethical considerations in the design and
implementation of a telehealth service delivery model. Behavior Analysis: Research and
Practice, 17(4), 298–311. https://doi.org/10.1037/bar0000053
Runyan, C., Robinson, P., & Gould, D. A. (2013). Ethical issues facing providers in
collaborative primary care settings: Do current guidelines suffice to guide the future of
team based primary care? Families, Systems, & Health, 31(1), 1–8.
https://doi.org/10.1037/a0031895