Unit 5: Care for the Poor, Sick, Elderly, and Infirm
Since ancient times, a recognized purpose of government has been to bind communities together and help citizens care for one another. In this unit, we examine government policies that seek to provide benefits for the poor, sick, elderly, and infirm. How do lawmakers and officials justify taking from some in the form of taxes to give to those who need assistance? What are the ethical and legal limitations on such programs? These questions form the basis for inquiry in this unit.
Completing this unit should take you approximately 5 hours.
Upon successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
- describe the historical development of social safety net programs in the United States;
- identify ethical dilemmas policy makers face regarding care for the poor, sick, elderly, and infirm;
- explain why poverty presents a threat to individual liberty; and
- describe the ethical dilemmas for and against involuntary treatment and end-of-life decisions.
5.1: Social Security and Health Insurance
President Franklin D. Roosevelt and the U.S. Congress put social safety net programs such as social security into place during the mid-20th century during the great depression. For decades these programs have gone mostly unchallenged by presidents of either party, however they have become fiscally broken in recent years. Looking forward, policy makers will need to find a way to financially salvage these programs or redesign them.
Read this overview of the history the ethical rational policy makers used for implementing a social security safety net in the United States. As you read, consider how the rational policy makers used compares with the different ethical frameworks we discussed in Unit 2.
Read this research report which looks at the ways that health disparities exist between groups and in different countries. Additionally, it provides some guidance on how these disparities might be improved over time. This will help students to better understand the global state of health and why it matters for all communities.
This research report is similar to the previous one, except its analysis takes place in the American context.
5.2: Poverty in America
Poverty in America is an issue policy makers have been working on for nearly 100 years. Lately, more Americans have been concerned about the country's level of wealth inequality and have sought to find ways to improve the gap between the richest and poorest Americans. In recent years, economic downturns have hit the poorest Americans especially hard.
Read this census-based analysis which provides detailed research on the harms of poverty to the contemporary American citizen. Going beyond the raw numbers, this document helps the average citizen to better understand what poverty looks like in the real world today.
Read this resource which explores the relationship between inequality and politics. Since politics involves decision making by voters and policy makers there are many opportunities for ethical action in this sphere.
5.3: Dilemmas Involving Illness and Infirmity
Questions surrounding the sickest Americans, as well as policy impacting those who are disabled, have been on the radar of federal lawmakers off and on since the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act. These resources examine questions surrounding life and death dilemmas involving the terminally sick.
Read this narrative review which examines ethical issues surrounding involuntary psychiatric treatment. This is an ethically-fraught issue, because some adults may need this type of treatment, but not realize it, which makes traditional notions of patient rights difficult to implement.
Read this page, which was written for nursing professionals concerning the ethical issues surrounding end-of-life decisions.
Read this case study which involves a terminally ill American and the legal battle that ensued between her family and the hospital where she was housed. Understanding specific examples helps to better illustrate the larger dilemmas in health care.
Unit 5 Assessment
Follow the instructions to draft a 1 to 2-page memo based on the given prompts. Once you have finished the assignment, grade yourself according to the grading rubric that follows the instructions.