Ethical Dilemmas in the Future of Health Care

While the future of health care is very uncertain at this time, there are several predictions about the changes that will come and trends this industry will potentially see in years to come.  Regardless of the extent of government involvement in health care, several changes in the system will occur, which includes a growing elderly population that is more culturally diverse, increase in chronic conditions, and more emphasis being placed on the consumer.  As technology advances, new medicines and vaccines are created, and other innovations are developed, the majority of Americans will be leading longer, healthier lives.  Also, with the prospect of immigration continuing at an extraordinary rate, the country and long-term care population will become increasingly more diverse and require the industry to focus more on the individual customer’s needs if they want to recruit and keep customers.  Furthermore, future customers will demand more choices, and they will be more informed, which will allow them to choose how they spend their money on health care.  Resulting from this will be many improvements in the industry including fewer unnecessary procedures because patients will be managing their medical expenses more efficiently, and the quality of care will increase to persuade customers to choose one institution over another when competition increases. 

With all the changes and innovations to come, there will be an explosion of new ethical dilemmas.  Currently, there are a number of these problems that cannot be solved due to differing values among Americans and politicians.  In the future, this will only increase as new inventions produce new questions about ethics in health care.  Possibilities include cloning of humans, artificially prolonging or ending life, radical surgeries and procedures, growing organs and other body parts, and other discoveries that will challenge religious beliefs or ethical principles.  As the need of health care services intensifies with a growing population seeking care, the limited number of resources will have to be distributed, and this will also lead to more ethical issues.  Choosing who is more deserving of a procedure or of a doctor’s care will be very difficult, and there will never be a consensus among all Americans.  With the great expense that is associated with long-term care, there may be debates about how many people the government can afford to cover under Medicare and the types of services patients may have to fund themselves.  Also, there may be restrictions placed on certain types of care or surgeries if a person is in a condition due to poor personal choices, such as abusing alcohol or drugs or becoming obese due to an unhealthy diet and little exercise.   These and many other restrictions could cause many people not to be covered for a life-saving surgery or to have their long-term care paid for by the government, but it raises important ethical questions without one specific answer.  Should procedures or care be denied to patients who smoked in the time period before there was conclusive evidence that cigarettes lead to cancer and other medical conditions?  Will the same surgery be approved for one person but not for someone else if there are limited resources?  Will the elderly be denied procedures if younger people also are in need due to limited government funds?  Will health care premiums rise for those with a history of smoking, drug use, alcohol abuse, or obesity?  Should the government cover all individuals who are eligible to receive Medicare or Medicaid if they made the same poor personal choices as those being punished for the same thing using private insurance companies?

Many of these questions would be very difficult, if not impossible, to answer and agree upon.  In the future, health care costs will undoubtedly rise and resources will become less available with more and more people in need of medical care, particularly long-term.  It is very important that the citizens of today, along with the government, begin to plan for tomorrow’s problems and ethical dilemmas in the present if we want to have a chance to solve them in the future.