Would the implementation of a mandated health care policy be legal?
Discussion 6.1 The basis of the U.S. culture is personal freedom. Would the implementation of a mandated health care policy be legal? Can the government force individuals to comply with government regulations? Use the current COVID- 19 pandemic as an example for your response.
The implementation of a mandated health care policy would be illegal. Every person has a choice even in a matter of life and death. Unless when you are serving the public but at an individual level the government can’t legally force health insurance. The government can only educate and encourage citizens to acquire health insurance or adhere to certain health policies. In 2014, the Co0ngress was imposing a mandate on Americans concerning Obamacare. It couldn’t be legal for the government to force everybody to have Obamacare, that’s why some ‘special’ groups of people such as illegal aliens, incarcerated persons, foreign nationals, and some religious groups were exempted (Moffit, 2011). We are currently at a state where every country and government is eager to get a vaccine for COVID-19, even if the vaccine is successfully developed, the government can’t legally force people to get the dose. It will be a personal choice and responsibility for every citizen.
The government can force individuals to comply with government regulations. When the life of people is endangered, the government has no otherwise but to do everything to save lives including overlooking the right of movement. For instance, the current COVID-19 pandemic outbreak has seen the government impose a lockdown where people are supposed to stay indoors unless for those offering of going for essential services. Again, to combat this pandemic, the government has come up with regulations to govern public institutions and gatherings. The government barned the physical attending of schools at the onset of the pandemic. The government also burned gatherings of people unless with social distancing. This means that the government can force people to comply with its regulations especially when lives are endangered (Human Rights Watch, 2020).
Discussion 6.2 The current model of health care is a reactive model, whereas treatment is delivered when an individual gets ill. Would a preventative model of care be more appropriate? Could it be enforced? What would be the costs? Please explain.
The preventive model of care is more appropriate than a reactive model. The common goal of health in a community is to raise a healthy community. A health community is realized by a preventive health model rather than a reactive model. Instead of waiting for people to be sick so that you can treat them, you should try your best to ensure those people don’t get sick in the first place. This is the cheapest and effective way of raising a healthy community (World Health Organization, 2020).
A preventive model of health care can be fully enforced partly. This model mainly depends on the corporation of individuals. To prevent a disease or an infection, an individual takes the greatest control. Although the government has a part to play as well. The government should educate citizens on how to prevent themselves from getting sick. Again, it’s the responsibility of the government to establish policies especially, to ensure processed food items are of good quality and to protect the environment. This because most diseases result from what we consume or the environment we live in (Shirley Musich, 2016).
The cost of enforcing the preventive model of health care is very minimal. It only entails, establishing policies, enforcing them, and educating citizens. The government will have to invest in educating citizens on how to live to ensure they avoid getting sick. In terms of environment, the government should be involved upgrading some houses or settlements that are slum-like to minimize diseases and infections. Moreover, the government should ensure that every citizen can access clean water (Shirley Musich, 2016).