Discussion board Are some more equal than others? (Based on learning exercise 4.1)

LEARNING EXERCISE 4.1 Are Some People More Equal Than Others? Research suggests that individuals with health insurance in this country have better access to health-care services and enjoy better health-care outcomes than those who do not. This does not mean, however, that all individuals with health insurance receive “equal treatment.” Medicaid recipients (people who are financially indigent) often complain that although they have public insurance, many private providers refuse to accept them as patients. Patients enrolled in managed care suggest that their treatment options are more limited than traditional private insurance because of the use of gatekeepers, required authorizations, and queuing. Some individuals, with lower cost insurance plans under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, suggest that high out-of-pocket costs for copayments and deductibles continue to restrict their choice to access needed care.

ASSIGNMENT: Using the ethical principle of justice, determine whether health care in this country should be a right or a privilege. Are the uninsured and the insured “unequals” that should be treated according to their differences? Does the type of health insurance that one has also create a system of unequals? If so, are the unequals being treated according to their differences?