Commercialization And Profit Making Incentive In Healthcare Economics Essay

Commercialization And Profit Making Incentive In Healthc ar Economics EssayCommercialization and the lucre do agent in wellness tutorship has been an issue for heated debate in modern times. Should the wellness care industry be regarded as a for pull in source move or retain the philosophical approach intended which should be to kickshaw sick forbearing roles at the barest minimum available price? I totallyow with this essay present an argument against commercialisation or a profit making incentive by looking at it from the perspective of the medico, the economy, the patient and all separate stakeholders in the sector.As utter just astir(predicate) back as ancient China, a member of a family was expected to be skilful in the art of medicine in other to meet the health demands of his kin. This has eventually evolved into receiving a financial reward for this expertise and hence the offshoot of the medical examination examination handicraft as we have known it to be. A load sees a patient and receives a fee for treatment offered. This is in itself non a bad thing as quite agreeably, a avail has been offered and care most(prenominal) dish ups, should involve remuneration. Only problem with this is that unlike most other types of good, health care is quite a peculiar form of service as it doesnt follow the normal laws of economics. For example, a hotelier whoremonger nail down not to accommodate an individual without the financial capacity to stipend for a room tho it screams out against all the medical business has stood for in all these years to turn an individual (who for the sake of strengthening this argument, involve a minimal intervention to prevent a life story big(p) catastrophe) without the financial capacity away from the infirmary. Need slight it is to mention that the medical profession is one that has been governed by ethics and rules, the very foundations that actualise the profession a noble one. A profit maki ng motive serves to do a whole mount to a greater extent damage than good.Basic definitionsBefore resuming this essay, it result be important to understand the basic definitions of to concepts which go forth be the resole foundations of this argument.Profession As Hodson and Sullivan explain, a profession is a knowledge-based occupation with high up status that has four lead-in characteristics specialized knowledge, autonomy, and authority over other subordinate occupational groups, and a degree of altruism (Hodson and Sullivan, 2002). These four characteristics can be said to serve as the basic ideologies which define a profession.Commercialized health care Provision of health care services through food commercialize relationships to those who can afford it investments in and production of services and of inputs to them, for cash income to profit, including buck private contracting and supply to creationly payd health services and healthcare finance by individual payment and private insurance. (UNRISD, 2005) commercialisation AND THE PATIENTIt has been in effect argued that putting a price on health go out mow number of patients who seek un unavoidable procedures or surgeries such as in the case of cosmetic surgery, or even more than positively make people more health conscious for example people impart avoid being morbidly obese as they know that the hail of a gastric by-pass surgery will be overwhelming, and will do all they can to get into shape, eat healthier and live a comparatively healthier life than if it wasnt expensive.However, the relationship between a physician and the patient is one of boldness, where the patient subjects him/herself to the judgement of the physician, judging that the physicians decision close his/her health will be solely guided by the patients trounce interest at heart, a vulnerable position, very open to yell and can encourage to promote profit producing drugs, unnecessary surgeries, tests and treatment. In this situation, the possibilities for usance and abuse of the trust are limitless. Studies have shown reduced trustworthiness amongst for-profit institutions (Schlesinger et al., 2005). at that place have been cases heard of doctors keeping patients on dialysis earlier than they should be so that more money can be made, or refusing/not suggesting a kidney transplant which can stop the dialysis altogether. In particular, the relationship between the provider and consumer in this case cannot be compared to what gives under normal economic market forces. This is because the healthcare consumer is not sovereign and lacks the medical know about their set and what they exactly require. Besides the sick or f justifiedlyened patients do not regard their physicians as they would normal purveyors of goods and services nor do they regard the hospital as a department store.This is all without mentioning the economic impact it will have on the patient, who might be made to pay for what is relatively cheaper, or even totally unnecessary and that might not be beneficial to the patients health at all. In a for-profit enterprise, treatments and procedures lacking an opening for profit, nonetheless effective and cost saving will be treat to make way for newer and somewhattimes even unreliable but far more profitable procedures and treatment.One of the most pressing issues in this is the health inequality gap this creates especially amongst socio-economic groups. Richer individuals who are able to afford the full-grown sums required for their treatment will ultimately survive long-dated than those who are less privileged. Even the UK health system, which commenced a comprehensive ingenuous healthcare system by the mid twentieth century funded by appraise revenue, still faces issues with health inequality, how much more a system where healthcare is out of pocket service and with the possibility of profit making motive. commercialisation AND THE DOCTORThe medical doct or is one who has gone through big(a) training to acquire medical skill a supporter of commercialization can easily argue. The cost of training a doctor varies in different countries but arguably tops the list in these countries even so as the training takes longer than a regular undergraduate programme, and of all professions, it is the one that requires constant reading and updating, after all, we are dealing with benignant being lives here. And so, it has been said that well pay professionals, who have no need to hassle about their daily needs, and/or catering for their families tend to be the most effective. It is argued that they will be able to concentrate on their jobs fully and behave most efficiently.While hassock cannot be ignored as comfort brings happiness and happiness leads to efficiency, this has never been the backbone of the medical profession. I deal the healthcare provider should be adequately compensated, but not like businessmen, or else the consumer wi ll be perceived as a good and no longer as a sick patient in need. For example a healthcare deliverer who is driven for profit, will be biased in the provide of his services, where he/she will have more zeal and attention to a profitable case than he would in a non-profitable one. The physicians oath, which with its third line declares that I will practise my profession with conscience and dignity the health of my patient will be my front consideration, moldiness always be at the back of his/her mind.Commercialization will lead to leaving certain values and morals that are necessary to a community, such as caring, compassion, charity. The idea of altruism should be perpetuated by all healthcare providers and their primary concern has to be the alleviation of human suffering and the restoration of health. Society must not allow such important and fragile virtues to be extinguished by the self-interest that drives for-profit enterprise.Furthermore, as a marketing scheme, transnation al drug companies spend more and more on education in medical schools, and also on doctors with the excogitation of eventually influencing the physicians decision making, tilting to favour the companies sometimes at the expense of the patient.COMMERCIALIZATION AND THE ECONOMYHealth is one of the main priorities of a country and the provision of affordable healthcare and a good welfare system should not be a privilege to either member of a monolithic society. Unfortunately, this will not be seen in a profit point health setting. Solicitors of for-profit health institutions will argue that with the advent of managed care, less and less will be spent on healthcare. This is by introducing policies of insurance into healthcare because the more people subscribed to the system, the cost for healthcare will be spread over all of them. Physicians under this programme will be advised to use less expensive treatment and sometimes at the expense of the patient.The cost to the workforce of s ick patients who are unable to film out normal daily activities will be very obvious. Also, when the financially capable are the ones who are more likely to get medical attention and the ones who cannot are left out to dry, it further increases the upper-lower class gross profit creating a terrible inequality that should not be accepted.COMMERCIALIZATION OF health AND OTHER STAKEHOLDERSOne of the major driving forces of commercialization of healthcare is the gateway of investor owned institutions. Now everybody wants a dip of this now by and large recognise enterprise ranging from bankers to insurance managers, stockbrokers, economists and so on. This has just now done nothing but to undermine the authority of the health care provider as he/she is now subject to higher authority the authority of investors. This will not allow him/her make the best decisions in favour of the patient as his decisions will become profit oriented.thither is also the issue of unsportsmanlike compe tition for non profit health institutions. When for profit institutions agree to take only the wealthier clients and those who are able to pay, this indirectly shifts all those who are unable to pay to the non profit health care providers causing an undue and unfair file on them. In some cases it can also turn non-profit institutions into for profit ones, and cycle continues gradually phasing the non-profit institutions out of existence.The medical establishment works well-nigh with the drug multinationals whose main objective is profits, and whose worst nightmare would be an plaguey of good health. Lots of drugs must be sold. In order to turn over this, anything goes lies, fraud, and kickbacks. Doctors are the principal salespeople of the drug companies. They are rewarded with research grants, gifts, and lavish perks. The principal buyers are the public from infants to the elderly who must be thoroughly medicated and vaccinatedat any cost Why do the authorities forbid alterna tive medicine? Because they are serving the industry, and the industry cannot make money with herbs, vitamins, and homeopathy. They cannot patent cancel remedies. That is why they push synthetics. They control medicine, and that is why they are able to dissever medical schools what they can and cannot teach. They have their own sets of laws, and they force people into them. The healthcare industry has become so reliant on the big multinational companies that these funders exert authority over the healthcare providers, and cause them to violate precepts of medical ethics (Grouse, 2008).Misplaced attention driven by profit making incentive is another issue. Multinational pharmaceutical companies focus their research and organic evolution on high profile, profit-making drugs like Viagra instead of developing cures for life threatening diseases in poorer countries.COMPARISON OF THE UNITED KINGDOM AND THE UNITED STATES health care SYSTEMSThe UK as earlier mentioned started a comprehens ive free medical reportage for its citizens by 1948. The system is sponsored by tax revenue from its citizens. And as such, healthcare is fully monitored by the government through one body the NHS which is Englands public health service provider, leading to the provision of free healthcare to its citizens. There are private health institutions for those who will want to pay for services but this is said to be patronized by just about 8% of the total population. Some of the disadvantages of this healthcare system are longer waiting lists as everyone has equal access to healthcare, questionable quality of service as the healthcare providers might sometimes forget that the patient has paid for the service required already through taxes. However, this system has the advantage of free healthcare and nothing beats that.The United State in par is largely owned and operated by the private sector. Healthcare insurance is provided largely by the private sector as well except for some health programmes such as the medicare, Medicaid, tricare, the childrens health insurance programme and the veterans health administration which in all are unable to cater for an appreciable percentage of the total population. This kind of healthcare system that is largely prevail by the private sector allows for the profit making incentive to be a common trend.Both systems their strengths and weaknessesCommercialisation of healthcare is something that has been thoroughly hate on by members of the profession itself. Various medical associations have lift up to fight this threat to the profession.CONCLUSIONIt is true that a lot of investment goes into the training of a doctor or any healthcare specialist at that and that they need to be well remunerated for their services, however this should not be a primary focus of the service provider because as this essay has shown, the health market differs from all other markets and that the patient doctor relationship is one built solely on trust trust that the right, best intervention is given to the patient.Perhaps most importantly, professionals must have an ideology that assigns a higher priority to doing useful and mandatory work than to economic rewards, an ideology that focuses more on the quality and companionable benefits of work than its profitability. This ideology is one that should be preserved for the sake of the profession. The young generation of health care providers should also be considered so null should go into this profession with the aim of amassing wealth, so that the altruistic nature of the profession, which stands as one of its core values, will be preserved. Healthcare is a right and not a privilege and it goes without saying that every society is virtuously obliged to provide healthcare to its members. An increase in for-profit health care provision however, will only exacerbate the growing problem of availableness to healthcare.