Is Rationing of Health Care Ethically Defensible? Essay Example

In the wake of the current medical crisis, health care rationing may seem to be the only viable option towards reducing the medical expenses. Nonetheless, the rationing comes with a myriad of ethical challenges that may have significant effects on the provisions of health cares services to individuals. Morrison (2009) observes that rationing in the health care context is not ethically recommendable. However, there are instances through which it is applicable. Morrison cites two major instances mainly including the presence of equally important needs that compete for the available resources and the presence of watch dogs or gatekeepers that will ensure that such resources are handled in the right manner.

Faden et al. (2013) argues that before rationing of health care, there are major ethical principles that must be observed. Such principles include individual anatomy, beneficence, and distributive justice. Under the individual anatomy, the authors argue that within any system of rationing and all parties bound by the system limits, persons have the right to self-determination. Beneficence, on the other hand, demands that activities of any health care personnel should bring substantive benefits to the patients. Distributive justice requires that healthcare benefits be fairly distributed in such a manner that individuals are not discriminated based on their personalities or groups.

Parker (2013) also pegs his argument on the ideology of beneficence. Under this perspective, he argues that the individuals in the health care sector need to engage in acts that will directly benefit patients.

Considering the above argument, it is evident that rationing of health care may be ethically defensible. Both the authors have pointed towards the fact that rationing of health care is viable. Nonetheless, certain principles must be strictly observed. It is, therefore, worth concluding that health care rationing is ethically defensible.

References

Morrison, E. E. (2009). Health care ethics: Critical issues for the 21st century. Jones & Bartlett Publishers.

Faden, R. R., Kass, N. E., Goodman, S. N., Pronovost, P., Tunis, S., & Beauchamp, T. L. (2013). An ethics framework for a learning health care system: a departure from traditional research ethics and clinical ethics. Hastings Center Report, 43(s1), S16-S27.

Parker, M. (Ed.). (2013). Ethics and community in the health care professions. Routledge.