Question

Debate the question: "Is health care a basic right in the United States?" Answer this question through the lens of your role as RN. Support your response utilizing ethical theories and principles.

Answer 1

Yes , ofcourse healthcare is a basic right in United States . From the point of view as a registered nurse , health is the human right and everyone has equal right . People in United states can't be denied of any treatment due to low income , does not having an insurance etc . There are many health care act's which are made to ensure healthcare is available to everyone.

This is one of the topics that shocked me as a US citizen, that people struggle to get healthcare. My husband is from Australia and every citizen has insurance, it could mean that they have to wait for months to get an operation that is not emergent. Especially as a surgical nurse I have heard of friends and family members in need of services and they cannot get them because no doctor wants to take their insurance. Or the doctor that is available, cannot give them an appointment until 2-3 months later and ethically this makes me worried. Our health care system, like it states in our reading this week is still in it’s infancy (GCU, 2016).The Affordable care act was a start of healthcare reform to assure that people have access to healthcare, the problem is that it’s imperfect and the cost is not beneficial to all (Daley,2012). The American Nurses Association has been focused on advocating for patients rights and healthcare reform for 20 years, because they believe that “health care should be a basic human right” (Daley, 2012, p. 3). These rights fall under the ethics of autonomy and justice, like our weekly reading stated (GCU, 2016). As nurses it’s our jobto advocate for our patients, sadly that means dealing with the crazy political atmosphere of our government that does not always look out for it’s citizens in an ethical way.