Philosophy 305: Business Ethics

Philosophy 305: Business Ethics
Essay II

Answer the following 25 questions (4 points each) based upon the documentary Sicko by Michael Moore (2007). Moore made put his film in the public domain a few years ago, so it is legal to watch it wherever you can find it. I found a free copy of the film for viewing at freedocumentaries.org/. You might also try vimeo.com/ or Netflix.com. You will need subtitles/English captions to answer all of the questions accurately. The questions occur chronologically as the film proceeds. Answer all questions completely, based on the film. Number your answers as the questions are numbered. You do not need to re-copy each question. Your answers should be type-written (12-point font), and your sentences (when you need to write sentences) should be complete sentences without grammatical errors. This “Essay” is worth 100 points. You may hand in a paper copy or send me a copy of your essay, but if you send your essay, it must be sent as an attachment to my email and I must be able to open it and print it by the deadline in real time, or else it receives the late penalty, no exceptions. Once I open and print it, I will send a response. The late penalty is -25 points each week (each Friday) your essay is late.

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1. Rick must choose between two fingers which to re-attach (he cannot afford to re-attach both). (a) What is the price to re-attach each finger? (b) Is there a reasonable explanation you can think of for the price difference? (c) What could confirm this as the true explanation? (d) Could Rick have shopped around to another hospital if he didn’t want to pay those prices?
2. (a) How old is Frank Cardile? (b) What is his job? (c) He says that as long as he works there his medicine is free, yet he later says his wife is charged for painkillers. What could explain this discrepancy? (d) How much is his wife charged for painkillers? (e) What part of her body is in pain? (f) What does she admit to taking instead of the expensive painkillers for her pain?
3. (a) Describe what happened to Laura Burnham? (b) Why is this unethical on both utilitarian grounds and on deontological grounds? Explain.
4. (a) Doug Noe’s daughter was how old when it was discovered she was starting to go deaf? (b) What insurance did Noe’s family have? (c) What did the company originally agree to pay for? (d) Present an argument that this original offer by the insurance company was unethical (on utilitarian OR deontological grounds).
5. When Moore puts on the screen the long list of pre-existing conditions which will make you ineligible for healthcare coverage, what is the last “A” condition and the first “B” condition listed?
6. (a) What happened to Maria Watanabe? (b) What insurance company denied her an MRI? (c) What was an excuse used to deny Maria an MRI? (d) Where did Maria ultimately get an MRI and a correct diagnosis of her situation? (e) What would result if every insurance company didn’t cover MRIs, but said explicitly that all MRIs are the responsibility of the patient?
7. Diane was fully insured with Horizon Blue Cross. She was diagnosed with a brain tumor. (a) What excuse did Horizon Blue Cross give for not removing her brain tumor? (b) What happened to Diane?
8. What did the scene of Glen Hollinger, M.D., reveal? Explain. I professors did this for a student’s final grade (suppose a C in each case), what would your response be?
9. (a) In the case of Humana’s medical reviewers, what was the minimum percent of cases each reviewer had to deny? (b) How would this increase insurance companies’ profits? (c) Compare this policy with a new university policy: Every professor must fail a minimum of 10% of his/her students. Would this increase the university’s profits? Would it be morally right? Explain.
10. (a) Julie and Tracy Pierce were insured through employment with a hospital in Kansas City. Tracy was diagnosed with kidney cancer. Their insurance would deny new drugs that Tracy’s doctors wanted Tracy to try. What is the name of one of these drugs? (b) Google the following: What is the price (to the insurance company which pays) of a bone marrow transplant? Once you have a price, list your website source. (c) If all medical insurance companies write into their policy statements to all insured customers: We don’t cover bone marrow transplants because that technique is experimental for kidney cancer, would that make medical insurance companies ethical? Explain. (d) Tracy’s doctors said that the bone marrow transplant had worked on many other patients with kidney cancer, yet his insurance company still claimed the bone marrow procedure was “experimental.” Can you come up with a definition of “experimental” here which makes the insurance company’s claim true?
11. According to the 1971 audio tapes of President Richard Nixon, how do Kaiser hospitals make money? Would it work for auto repair shops to increase their profits this way? Explain.
12. President Bill Clinton created the President’s Task Force on National Health Reform, chaired by Hilary Rodham Clinton. It would provide healthcare for every American. This universal coverage would not depend on “where you ____ , whether you ____ , or whether you have a preexisting condition, and can never be taken away,” according to Hilary Clinton.
13. According to Moore, the U.S. ranks ____ in the world in healthcare, just ahead of ____ .
14. How much did Bill McGuire, United Health CEO, make in one year?
15. (a) HCA paid $____ to settle a lawsuit alleging it made thousands of false claims to Medicare. (b) Give an example of how a “false claim” or “false billing” of Medicare might work.
16. How long does it take to get OHP (Canadian healthcare)?
17. (a) Brad, a Canadian, gets universal healthcare because he is Canadian. So, he had to pay $___ to have ____ fingers reattached after his accident. (b) If Brad were American, what would the operation have cost Brad? (estimate this, based on Rick’s surgery from the beginning of the film).
18. In England, American Eric Turnbow paid $____ to have his shoulder put back (after he dislocated it) and he paid $___ for the pain pills he was given.
19. In England: (a) If your doctor prescribes 100 pills or more, the price remains $____ (in U.S. dollars). (b) All prescribed drugs are free for those over ___ or under ____ , or those who are _____. (c) Maternity leave in England gives all new mothers ____ months off work with pay. (d) In the U.S. (google this), most private insurance plans give a new mother ___ months off work with pay.
20. What industries in the U.S. are socialized? (List 5 that Moore gives.) (b) What does that mean? (c) Do you think these industries provide better or worse service than typical hospitals in the U.S.?
21. (a) The English doctor Moore interviews is paid by the government. What kind of car does he drive? (b) What did he pay for his house (in U.S. dollars)? (c) What is his government-paid salary (in U.S. dollars)?
22. (a) What happened to Dawnelle Keys’s daughter Mychelle? Explain. (b) Come up with a policy that would both allow Kaiser to make money and for patients to be treated even if they have a different insurance.
23. Alexi Cremieux was born in France, but never worked there. He worked in the U.S. from the ages of 18-31 without medical insurance. When in the U.S. he learned he had a tumor, he had to return to France to have treatment for free (French universal healthcare). How many months off work after chemotherapy did he receive with pay?
24. (a) How much does it cost in France for 2 children in daycare? (b) How much does college cost in France?
25. (a) How many weeks of paid vacation per year do all full-time employees in France get? (b) How many weeks of paid vacation per year do all part-time employees in France get? (c) Would it be worth it (to you) to get these French benefits if you had to pay 2% more on your taxes?