What are ethical issues with the Affordable Care Act?

Asked by: Elfrieda McClure  |  Last update: December 31, 2023
Score: 4.3/5 (14 votes)

The recently enacted Affordable Care Act (PPACA) of 2010 has fueled ethical debate of several important controversial topics. Ethical issues of health care reform include moral foundations, cost containment, public health, access to care, ED crowding, and end-of-life issues.

What are the 2 biggest ethical issues in health care?

Here are the top five ethical issues that health care managers of today and tomorrow will be facing in the course of delivering responsible and compassionate patient care.
  • Patient Confidentiality. ...
  • Patient Relationships. ...
  • Malpractice And Negligence. ...
  • Informed Consent. ...
  • Issues Related To Physician Assisted Suicide (PAD)

What is the biggest ethical issue in health care today?

Patient Confidentiality

One of the biggest legal and ethical issues in healthcare is patient confidentiality which is why 15% of survey respondents noted that doctor-patient confidentiality is their top ethical issue in practicing medicine.

What was one of the more controversial provisions of the Affordable Care Act?

One of the reasons why people are signing up is the individual mandate. One of the law's most controversial provisions, this mandate requires that most adults must have coverage or pay a fine.

Why are people upset about the Affordable Care Act?

More than 60% of Americans have stated that most of what they know about the ACA came from watching TV. Opposition to a government role in health care and to mandatory health insurance makes it unlikely that the US will be able to insure that all of its citizens have ongoing access to health care in the near future.

Here's Why the Affordable Care Act Is So Controversial | History

22 related questions found

Why is the Affordable Care Act failing?

Not only did the ACA fail to control the rising cost of insurance, but it also failed to make health care and prescribed medicines affordable. According to a West Health and Gallup, 30 percent of surveyed individuals did not seek needed medical treatment due to the cost from September to October 2021.

What are six ethical issues in healthcare?

The major 10 ethical issues, as perceived by the participants in order of their importance, were: (1) Patients' Rights, (2) Equity of resources, (3) Confidentiality of the patients, (4) Patient Safety, (5) Conflict of Interests, (6) Ethics of privatization, (7) Informed Consent, (8) Dealing with the opposite sex, (9) ...

What are the three main ethical issues?

There are three main types of ethical issues: Utilitarian, Deontological, and Virtue. Utilitarian ethics focus on the consequences of an action, while deontological ethics focus on the act itself. Virtue ethics focuses on the character of the person acting.

What is the most controversial ethical issue in healthcare?

Patient Privacy and Confidentiality

The protection of private patient information is one of the most important ethical and legal issues in the field of healthcare. Conversations between a physician and a patient are strictly confidential, as is information about an individual's medical condition.

What are examples of bad ethics in healthcare?

For example, withholding information about a patient's condition could be unethical because it could harm the patient or someone else. The opposite can be harmful too. A health practitioner could be suspended or, in some cases, fired for posting information about cases on social media.

What are some unethical situations in the healthcare industry?

Practitioners may accept bribes or excessive fees for expert testimony, and they may make narcotics and other substances that can be misused available to those in their care. They may perform illegal abortions or treat unreported gunshot wounds.

What are the two ethical moral principles that are violated by the US healthcare system?

Two ethical-moral principles that are frequently violated by the US healthcare system are justice and beneficence. Justice refers to the fair and equitable distribution of resources and opportunities in society.

Is the Affordable health care Act good or bad?

Since its enactment on March 23, 2010, the Affordable Care Act has led to an historic advancement of health equity in the United States. This landmark law improved the health of all Americans, including women and families, kids, older adults, people with disabilities, LGBTQI+ and communities of color.

What 2 key issues did the Affordable Care Act address?

Key Takeaways

The ACA expanded Medicaid eligibility, created a Health Insurance Marketplace, and prevented insurance companies from denying coverage due to preexisting conditions.

What problems did the Affordable Care Act address?

  • The ACA protects people with preexisting conditions from discrimination. ...
  • Medicaid expansion helped millions of lower-income individuals access health care and more. ...
  • Health care became more affordable. ...
  • Women can no longer be charged more for insurance and are guaranteed coverage for services essential to women's health.

What are the four 4 ethical issues?

The most widely known is the one introduced by Beauchamp and Childress. This framework approaches ethical issues in the context of four moral principles: respect for autonomy, beneficence, nonmaleficence, and justice (see table 1).

What are examples of ethical issues in ethics?

The most commonly experienced ethical issues include discrimination, harassment, unethical accounting, technological abuse, data privacy, health and safety, and favoritism and nepotism. Most of these concerns are experienced in workplaces.

How do you identify an ethical issue?

When considering ethical issues, it is advised that you follow a stepwise approach in your decision-making process:
  1. Recognize there is an issue.
  2. Identify the problem and who is involved.
  3. Consider the relevant facts, laws and principles.
  4. Analyze and determine possible courses of action.
  5. Implement the solution.

What is an ethical issue in healthcare?

Ethical issues happen when choices need to be made, the answers may not be clear and the options are not ideal. The result could be declines in the quality of patient care; problematic clinical relationships; and moral distress, which is defined as knowing the right thing to do but not being allowed or able to do it.

What are the four main areas ethics are concerned with in health care?

The four pillars of medical ethics are defined as:
  • Autonomy – respect for the patient's right to self-determination.
  • Beneficence – the duty to 'do good'
  • Non-Maleficence – the duty to 'not do bad'
  • Justice – to treat all people equally and equitably.

What is an example of ethics in healthcare?

Ethical decision-making in healthcare.

For example, a patient may refuse care due to cultural/religious views, or may want an unnecessary treatment which may not be in his or her best interests; euthanasia is another example of a provider's sense of morals conflicting with his or her ethical obligations.

What happened with the Affordable Care Act?

The ACA significantly changed the healthcare system in the U.S. by reducing the amount individuals and families paid in uncompensated care. The act requires every American to have health insurance and provides assistance to those who cannot afford a plan.

Did the Affordable Care Act save money?

Yet the ACA has more than delivered on that promise, saving about $4,000 per family. And these lower health care premiums probably contribute to the recent rise in workers' wages.

Has the Affordable Care Act made healthcare more affordable?

The ACA helps to make health care more affordable in two ways: by providing insurance coverage for approximately 50 million people who are currently uninsured and by striving to control health care costs by changing how medical services are paid for.