Impacts of a Large Portion of the Population Being Uninsured

If a large part of the population is uninsured, the impacts of this situation on the healthcare system can be significant because the higher number of uninsured patients creates conditions for increasing healthcare costs. It is important to state that the healthcare system is directly connected with the insurance system in terms of financing. Economic difficulties are direct consequences of the increase in the number of uninsured persons, and the effect on the health care system is negative. From this perspective, the increased number of uninsured persons leads to reducing the investment in healthcare facilities, and these organizations will increase the costs of provided services in order to address the funding shortages. In a situation when the number of uninsured citizens continues to increase, the healthcare system’s response is the elevation of tariffs for the provision of healthcare services and the reduction of staff.

As a result, many people will not receive the required care, and the rates of chronic diseases, as well as mortality and morbidity rates, can increase significantly. Thus, the ethical issue connected with the problem is the possible increased level of epidemics and deaths. One more ethical issue is the unequal distribution of services because the care will be available only to rich persons. Furthermore, the practical issue associated with this scenario is the healthcare specialists’ inability to provide high-quality services in the situation of financial restrictions. In addition, many healthcare facilities can be closed, and the population’s needs will not be addressed.