Taking Sides Clashing Views on Controversial Issues in Health and Society

PART 1. The Health Care Industry ISSUE 1. Will Managed Care Improve Health Care in the United States? YES: David Jacobsen, from "Cost-Conscious Care," Reason (June 1996) NO: Ronald J. Glasser, from "The Doctor Is Not In: On the Managed Failure of Managed Health Care," Harper's Magazine (March 1998) Surgeon David Jacobsen states that health maintenance organizations (HMOs) offer quality care and that high-quality medical care at anaffordable price is not only possible under managed care, it is a reality. Pediatrician and author Ronald J. Glasser argues that managed care companies care more for profits than for people.ISSUE 2. Should Health Care for the Elderly Be Rationed? YES: Alan Williams, from "The Rationing Debate: Rationing Health Care by Age: The Case For," British Medical Journal (March 15, 1997) NO: Patricia Lanoie Blanchette, from "Age-Based Rationing of Healthcare," Generations (Winter 1996-1997) Professor Alan Williams contends that rationing health care in old age has some merit. He asserts that the treatment of young people should be a priority. Patricia Lanoie Blanchette, a physician and a professor of medicine and public health, argues that health care should not be rationed by ageand that age bias should be recognized and confronted.ISSUE 3. Does Employer-Based Health Insurance Provide Adequate Coverage for Most Americans? YES: William S. Custer, Charles N. Kahn III, and Thomas F. Wildsmith IV, from "Why We Should Keep the Employment-Based Health Insurance System," Health Affairs (November/December 1999) NO: Uwe E. Reinhardt, from "Employer-Based Health Insurance: A Balance Sheet," Health Affairs (November/December 1999) Insurance and policy analysts William S. Custer, Charles N. Kahn III, and Thomas F. Wildsmith IV assert that the employment-based healthcare system in the United States offers a solid, proven foundation on which to base any reform, and that attempts to break the link between employmentand health insurance coverage may greatly increase the number of uninsured Americans. Economist Uwe E. Reinhardt counters that, overall, the benefits of an employer-based health insurance system are outweighed by the problems, and that a new system could ultimately replace the current system. ISSUE 4. Is the Pharmaceutical Industry Responsible for the High Cost of Prescription Drugs? YES: Christopher F. Koller, from "Prescription for Trouble: Why Drug Prices Keep Exploding," Commonweal (June 15, 2001) NO: Ronald Bailey, from "Goddamn the Pusher Man," Reason (April 2001) Christopher F. Koller, CEO of Neighborhood Health Plan of Rhode Island, a health plan serving Medicaid enrollees based in Providence, asserts that the pharmaceutical industry has achieved its rapid growth by political protection and by exploiting the vulnerabilities of patients. Ronald Bailey, science correspondent for Reason magazine, states that spending on prescriptions is rising rapidly because Americans are buying more drugs. Bailey maintains that the drug companies have actually enriched the quality of our lives.PART 2. Health and Society ISSUE 5. Is Drug Testing Vital to the Workplace? YES: William F. Current, from "Cut Costs and Increase Safety With Pre-Employment Drug Testing," Occupational Hazards (July 2002) NO: Jacob Sullum, from "Urine-Or You're Out," Reason (November 2002) William F. Current, president of WFC & Associates, a national consulting firm specializing in drug-free workplace policies, states that pre-employment drug testing is accepted by employees, hassle free, and beneficial to employers. Jacob Sullum, senior editor of Reason magazine, argues that employment-based drug testing is insulting to employees and mostly irrelevant to future job performance.ISSUE 6. Should Doctors Ever Help Terminally Ill Patients to Commit Suicide? YES: Richard T. Hull, from "The Case For Physician-Assisted Suicide," Free Inquiry (Spring 2003) NO: Margaret Somerville, from "The Case Against Physician-Assisted Suicide," FreDaniel, Eileen L. is the author of 'Taking Sides Clashing Views on Controversial Issues in Health and Society', published 2001 under ISBN 9780072430929 and ISBN 0072430923.