Ethics

Within the traditions of Ancient Greece, there existed two cults (options) which dealt with healthcare delivery and these were Aesculapius and Hygeia.  Aesculapius was the Greek god of medicine and this form of healthcare delivery was a firm healthcare and patient provider model followed up to present day.  On the other hand, Hygeia option of healthcare delivery was considered a public health model focusing on the prevention of public interest.

It has recently been observed that the American healthcare revolves around the Aesculpapian model.  However, this paper will consider the debate that would have been had the Hygeia model (option) been taken as the standard of health care provision in America.

RESEARCH
As aforementioned, this model focuses on preventive care.  It America would have chosen this model and incorporated it in their healthcare system, a lot of problems being faced today would have been avoided since it would enable every individuals to obtain healthcare coverage regardless of their financial status or otherwise.  Those individuals who are not in a position to afford proper health care delivery would not have to worry about having to pay for the healthcare from their own pockets since this form of health care delivery would ensure that it caters to partial bills of the patients.

Hygeia model would invest considerably in healthcare institutions to ensure that appropriate and affordable healthcare is delivered to those in need of such services, for instance, it would ensure that the information technology system has been upgraded to increase access to healthcare that is considered quality to American citizens.  The system would also be able to prevent any future health issues such as stroke and cancer since it would ensure availability of equipment and modern medicine to patients suffering from such problems (Fremgen, 2009).  This form of health delivery model also has a few benefits, such as the fact that it would empower families in their communities, accelerate opportunities for those individuals considered to be of a lower status within the community, promote advocacy without prejudice as well as embrace humanism.  

Majority of healthcare systems provide healthcare services through numerous activities meant to improve or maintain health of individuals.  Delivery of these services are usually under the context of legislation, laws, policies and guidelines having specific objective of making use of inputs to produce health.  With hygeia model, the legal obligations would still remain the same as rights of individualspatients would still have to be respected by the healthcare givers in whatever circumstance.  Despite the benefits of implementing Hygeia model, there are also a number of problems facing this form of healthcare delivery.   Implementing this model would mean that technology growth would be confined and a large tax would be involved.  In other words, having preventive care would mean that there would be no need of growth in technology, thus confining it at a time when it needs to grow and change with modern advancing technology.

The main causes of high healthcare costs in the United States include low labor productivity growth as concerns provision of health care and perverse incentives connected to an insurance based payment system.  According to recent studies, approximately 50 of all costs associated with healthcare in the year 2007 were as a result of labor compensation as well as prescription drugs which accounted for 10 of the total healthcare costs as well as 7 program administration as concerns healthcare costs. In addition, almost 15 of the total American population is uninsured and cannot be in a position to afford costs of their medical healthcare.  Healthcare costs as concerns American healthcare system have become three times higher in 2008 as compared to that of 1990 and this has forced the federal government, consumers as well as employees to struggle in trying to keep up with these costs.

A number of arguments have arisen as concerns managed care implementation within the American health care system.  Under managed care system, more attention is paid to ways of managing costs rather than ways of managing care and this results in creation of conflict of interest.  This conflict is due to insurance companies and physicians having financial incentives meant to address matters as concerns finances rather than matters concerning patients best interests.  In addition, the healthcare costs cannot be properly controlled and those issues relating to American culture meant to contribute to preventable diseases are ignored (Manuish, 2002).  Continued problems associated with macro and micro allocation within the American healthcare system have also been observed.  The federal government need to realize that when considering these allocations of resources, their focus should not be limited to treatment options but rather be focused on redirection of resources to ensure reduction of occurrence of preventable chronic diseases, such as cancer or strokes.

Allocation of resources as concerns the American healthcare system need to be guided by similar ethics as those regulating beneficence, justice, respect for persons, non-malfeasance and the medical profession as a whole.  In so doing, insurance companies as well as healthcare providers may be able to attain a common goal of reducing overall healthcare costs while at the same time offering treatment, substantive care and disease prevention.

CONCLUSION
Communities that make the decision of availing health care to all its citizens make provision of the services a possible institutional framework to assist in sustaining social trust and cohesion.  These communities may be in a better position to balance the policy implications meant for determinants of health as well as health care system as a whole.