A person's existence is not complete without healthcare because it ensures that they live in a way that is conducive to their health. The level of healthcare provided in a given area, region, or nation, as well as the measures taken to ensure that the public has access to such facilities, will therefore have a significant impact on the length of time a person encounters. (World Health Organization). In order to ensure that they live a comparatively longer period of time, it is crucial to support the old people in the society's health promotion activities. Providing there is appropriate and adequate health care is critical although several people perceive the old as adding little or no value to the economic status of the country (Hosseini 230). Although a fraction of the economists and the players in the health sector underline the need to introduce the Age-based healthcare rationing system for the aged, the move is inhumane and should not be implemented at all.
The prospect of introducing the age-based health care rationing as far as the old people are concerned is attributable to the perceived increase in the cost of the health-related products used by the older adults in the society. The prospect that the cost of treating the old people concerning the price of the health products and facilities is relatively high is inhumane. Although the healthcare, as well as the preventive activities concerning the older adults, take into consideration several factors, it is only a fraction of the events that are complex. Hence, the generalization of the complex issues facing the relatively smaller portion of the old people as a way of barring the entire population of the older adults from accessing adequate healthcare promptly and cheaply is rather absurd (World Health Organization).
Myriad factors ought to come into consideration to determine the most suitable option about limiting factors limiting the old people's increased need for healthcare time and again such as the provision of healthy nutrition as well as promoting the need to engage in physical exercise (Huter 146). The need to take into consideration of factors such as physical exercise and availability of healthy diet is because the majority of the old people suffer from diseases brought about by poor nutrition habits as well as lack of engaging in an adequate physical exercise in a regular basis. Although introducing the age-based health care rationing system will ensure the cost of treating the aged will somewhat reduce by a smaller proportion, it will not play a significant role in eliminating their problems concerning health-related issues (Fleck 19).
The number of the old people is on the rise as highlighted by the fact that there are over six hundred million aged people all over the world, a number that is expected to double by the year 2025. Although some of the old people suffer from chronic illnesses, some of them if not all devoted their time in ensuring the success of country's economy during their working years. As a result, the state should not honor their effort during their working years by rationing the healthcare services accorded to them. Instead, the respective bodies charged with ensuring the provision of healthcare should come up with adequate screening facilities to safeguard the diseases as well as the disorders affecting the old people's health are identified (Hosseini 243). Similarly, there is need to come up with immunization-based interventions for various diseases affecting the aged rather than reducing their frequency regarding days and time they ought to seek medical interventions for their health conditions.
The increase in the number of people visiting health facilities or using antibiotics is on the rise among the old people. As a result, deducing tactics of sending them away or reducing the frequency of which they can contact a physician will only do them harm instead that assist them. Although rationing aims at lowering the related costs with regards to the provision of healthcare to the entire population in a given country, the move will only serve to increase the number of deaths among the old people as they may be unable to access healthcare services on time (Huter 153). Moreover, the deal is bound to serve as a basis for brooding distrust and contempt among aged in the society with regards to the services accorded to them by the healthcare practitioners as well as the government. Hence, there should be an underlined way of measuring and evaluating the possible effects of the intended reduction in costs of the introduction of the health care rationing plan.
According to Daniel Callahan, the prospect of introducing the healthcare rationing idea was necessitated by the need to ensure a large proportion of the population is entitled to adequate healthcare. The orchestrators of the concept failed to take into consideration the fact that the old people in the society need more healthcare to a large extent yet some have no one to look after them concerning their day to day activities (Fleck 21). The people of the view that saving on the cost of related healthcare services and products is essential as compared with the human life such as Callahan fail to acknowledge the fact that consciousness precedes other things in life. As a result, undertaking measures to limit the old people from accessing medical facilities and services without deducing steps to improve their health conditions such as consumption of balanced diet is archaic and inhumane.
The introduction of age-based health care rationing is a form of discrimination among the aged people in the society. As a result, the healthcare platform will serve as a basis for isolating the old from the privileges accorded to the community at large. Moreover, it will play a pivotal role in propagating negative preconceived opinions about becoming aged as far as healthcare is concerned (Huter 162). The fact that the old is not entitled to secure healthcare services may prompt the increased use of anti-aging drugs in a bid to ensure an individual remains young or the emergence of uncouth means for providing a person is not subjected to such treatments upon becoming aged.
In conclusion, the introduction, as well as the implementation of the age-based health care rationing system, is bound to do more harm to the old people in the society than help. For instance, the idea is likely to isolate the aged from the other proportion of the population due to the presumed discrimination with regards to healthcare. Moreover, the prospect of rationing health care services for the old people in the society is likely to lead to the development of mistrust among the older adults concerning the facilities accorded to them. The rationing idea is expected to lead to increased death rates among the aged especially those without caretakers as their conditions may fail to enable them to wait for the required time to seek medical interventions. Some of the aged took active roles in ensuring the growth of a sound economy during their working years, do they deserve to be discriminated against appropriate and timely healthcare?
Works Cited
Fleck, L. M. "Health Care Rationing." Elsevier (2014): 13-29. Document.
Hosseini, Hengamen. "Aging and the Rising Costs of Healthcare in the United States: Can There be a Solution?" Springer Link (2014): 229-247. Document.
Huter, K., Kocot, E., Kissimova, K. & Rothgang, H. "Economic evaluation of health promotion for older people-methodological problems and challenges." BMC Health Service Research (2016): 143-165. Document.
World Health Organization. "Older people and Primary Health Care (PHC)." 5 May 2017. World Health Organization. Document. 4 December 2017.
