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Ethics
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Ethics
Discuss the ethics of health policy and why it should address vulnerable populations such as
the elderly and behavioral health clients.
The ethics of health policy revolves around a number of principles; these include justice,
autonomy, beneficence and non- maleficence. The elderly and behavioral health clients are the
most vulnerable populations that acquire unequal treatment in the delivery of healthcare because
of the limited access to social support, resources, and decision making. The elderly has numerous
aging issues challenges such as frailty, and chronic diseases while behavioral health clients
encounter stigmatization and discrimination which lead to delayed or insufficient care (Győrffy
et al., 2023). It is ethical to consider their needs in the health policy in order to guarantee that
these groups are given equal treatment and protection. An added challenge is that the health
policies must address the need for comprehensive, accessible and affordable care for these
populations because the lack of these will only perpetuate a system that has unfavorably bad
health outcomes for these groups.
The costs of long-term care for the elderly have skyrocketed. Discuss the costs in actual
dollars and problems of qualifying for coverage.
Prolonged health care for elderly has become extremely expensive in the United States
where the cost of annual stay in a private room in a nursing home was above $100,000 in the
year 2023. The assisted living cost is $50,000 yearly, and the home care service costs between
$50,000 and $60,000 annually (Silverman et al., 2024). Although obtaining coverage, the
eligibility requirements, especially for being covered by Medicaid, are very stringent in terms of
financial status. People are expected to ‘spend down’ their assets in order to qualify for Medicaid
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and many are required to diminish their life savings. Furthermore, Medicare covers little on long
term care making most elderly people and families bear the costs wholly.
What are some of the specific resources available in your community to help the mentally
ill? Describe available government programs designed to eliminate insurance disparities.
Some of the available mental health services in many communities include crisis
intervention, outpatient therapy, and community mental health centers. Moreover, government
programs such as Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act (ACA) have boosted the appropriate
coverage of mental health services. The ACA’S Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act
mandates that insurance companies must provide mental health under the same terms as physical
health. The changes enacted by the ACA have also made it possible for millions of low-income
Americans to now receive mental health care at reasonable costs as Medicaid expanded its
coverage. These programs are essential in ensuring mental health equality and eliminating the
disparities in accessing the healthcare services (Silverman et al., 2024).
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References
Győrffy, Z., Döbrössy, B., Radó, N., Boros, J., & Békási, S. (2023). State of vulnerable
populations in the techquity framework in Hungary. Frontiers in Public Health, 11,
1215325. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2023.1215325/full
Silverman, A. F., Westlake, M. A., Hinds, O. M., Harris, S. J., Abraham, A. J., Grogan, C. M., &
Andrews, C. M. (2024). Substance use disorder treatment carve outs in Medicaid managed
care. Journal of Substance Use and Addiction Treatment, 161, 209357.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2949875924000699
