Medical Ethics questions and random stuff

[BoneMental]

Hey everyone,

I am having trouble with some of these medical ethics questions. Any help would be appreciated.

1) Who is responsible for paying for a brain-damaged 75 year old man to stay alive on life support if no one in the family wants to keep him alive? (I didn't know how to respond to this one)

2) Who pays for a baby to be kept on life support if the parents do not have enough money to do such? (I assume they will go into medical debt?)

3) How can you deal with the large number of uninsured in the USA?

4) What is national healthcare?

Thanks you guys.

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[Cinclus]

Where are these from? I hope I don't get these during an interview...

 

[LizzyM]

Hey everyone,

I am having trouble with some of these medical ethics questions. Any help would be appreciated.

1) Who is responsible for paying for a brain-damaged 75 year old man to stay alive on life support if no one in the family wants to keep him alive? (I didn't know how to respond to this one)

2) Who pays for a baby to be kept on life support if the parents do not have enough money to do such? (I assume they will go into medical debt?)

3) How can you deal with the large number of uninsured in the USA?

4) What is national healthcare?

Thanks you guys.

Most 75 year olds in the US are covered by Medicare (federal tax dollars). If they are indigent (poor) and meet certain criteria, they are covered by Medicaid as well (combination of federal and state dollars).

The family of the old man might have the right to speak on his behalf and to refuse further therapy and have life support withdrawn.

Babies are usually covered by Medicaid or SCHIP (Special Children's Health Insurance Program) if the parents are otherwise uninsured. Do keep in mind that medical debt is a common cause of bankruptcy in the US.

If I knew how to deal with the large number of uninsured in the US, I would be in the halls of power getting it done.

What is national health care? It is what we don't have in the US. Some people bemoan that fact and others applaud it.

 

[NickNaylor]

I like how so many of these "medical ethics" topics are really just questions of law or procedure. It's only an ethical question if you don't know how doctors and lawyers deal with these situations every day.

Truth. These seem to be more knowledge-based questions. Real ethical questions that you're likely to see in interviews will more than likely rely on your values and your ability to defend a position. There truly is no correct answer in most situations you'll be asked to discussed.

 

[Bacchus]

As far as the 75 y/o goes: Legally, if a living will or advanced directive is drafted when the patient is capable of making sound judgement, it stands. If no such document exists and you don't have a healthcare power of attorney it goes to the next of kin. It is a majority rules vote but of course you want everyone on the same page. If a next of kin is the POA, then it doesn't matter what the others say. Next of kin ranks differ by state.

 

[NickNaylor]

I recall a lot of this in med school basically being an excuse to push an agenda.


Professor: So who pays for a brain-damaged baby when the parents can't afford it?

Student: The parents get a means test, and if they really can't afford it, the state-run Medicaid variant kicks in and covers the child, with parents paying whatever copay is required on a sliding scale.

Professor: But who should pay for it?

Student: Same answer. The current system balances social and individual responsibility without bankrupting the states.

Professor: ... anyone else have an opinion?

Different Student: Uh, it's not fair to bankrupt the family. We should have a national healthcare system.

Professor: Exactly! It's the principle of beneficence!

As I write this, I'm sitting in a health disparities class and listening to a lecture on the effects of being uninsured. While your portrayal is obviously a bit of hyperbole, the lecture definitely feels the way you described it in some ways.

...then again, maybe it's because I'm a conservative at the University of Chicago. That said, most lecturers are careful to be as unbiased possible. But you can definitely read between the lines and infer the biases.

 

[medicalmatins]

As I write this, I'm sitting in a health disparities class and listening to a lecture on the effects of being uninsured. While your portrayal is obviously a bit of hyperbole, the lecture definitely feels the way you described it in some ways.

...then again, maybe it's because I'm a conservative at the University of Chicago. That said, most lecturers are careful to be as unbiased possible. But you can definitely read between the lines and infer the biases.

I feel like this happens to meevery. single. ethics. lecture. It is so slanted.