MEDICAL ETHICS EXAM 3 STUDY GUIDE QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
(1) what are the consequentialist arguments for age mattering ? (veatch) along with an objection -
CORRECT ANSWER✅✅we need to make sure we do the greatest good for the greatest amount of
people; allocating resources to elderly is inefficient and taking away valuable resources from younger
people who inevitably will live a longer time after what ever the treatment is
(6) what does QALY? explain what it is . how does it apply to health care? (Lockwood) - CORRECT
ANSWER✅✅quality Adjusted Life Year:
the essence of a QALY is that it takes a year of healthy life expectancy to be worth 1, but regards a year
of unhealthy life expectancy to be worth less than 1. its precise value is lower the worse the quality of
life of the unhealthy person (which is what the quality adjusted part is all about)
---the general idea is that a beneficial health care activity is one that generates a positive amount of
QALY's,and that an efficient health care activity is one where the cost per QALY is as low as it can be. a
high priority health care activity is one where the cost-per-QALY is low, and a low priority cost per QALY
is one where the cost per QALY is high
(2) what are the consequentialists arguments against age mattering? (veatch) offer an objection -
CORRECT ANSWER✅✅we should look at individuals, not groups.
-such policies may create anxiety about aging, anxiety in family members, elders can be productive
citizens
(7) what is a potential deficit of QALY as regards macro allocation? (Lockwood) - CORRECT
ANSWER✅✅someone who believed that macroallocation in health care should be determined wholly
on the basis of directing funds to where they can generate the maximum number of QALYs might well
conclude from these figures that given a fixed health care budget, it would be rationally appropriate
actually to transfer funds from such relatively high cost per-QALY, albeit life-saving, forms of treatment
as renal dialysis, to such things as hip-replacement operations, right up to the point at which the waiting
lists had been eliminated- even if this meant providing no long-term dialysis at all!
(3) what are the justice based reasons against age mattering ? (veatch) offer an objection. - CORRECT
ANSWER✅✅the logic Is that justice requires resources be used to provide opportunities to have needs
met. elderly people are often exactly the demographic who requires the most medical attention. they
deserve to atlas be treated identically to those younger people who are medically in equal need
(1) what are the consequentialist arguments for age mattering ? (veatch) along with an objection -
CORRECT ANSWER✅✅we need to make sure we do the greatest good for the greatest amount of
people; allocating resources to elderly is inefficient and taking away valuable resources from younger
people who inevitably will live a longer time after what ever the treatment is
(6) what does QALY? explain what it is . how does it apply to health care? (Lockwood) - CORRECT
ANSWER✅✅quality Adjusted Life Year:
the essence of a QALY is that it takes a year of healthy life expectancy to be worth 1, but regards a year
of unhealthy life expectancy to be worth less than 1. its precise value is lower the worse the quality of
life of the unhealthy person (which is what the quality adjusted part is all about)
---the general idea is that a beneficial health care activity is one that generates a positive amount of
QALY's,and that an efficient health care activity is one where the cost per QALY is as low as it can be. a
high priority health care activity is one where the cost-per-QALY is low, and a low priority cost per QALY
is one where the cost per QALY is high
(2) what are the consequentialists arguments against age mattering? (veatch) offer an objection -
CORRECT ANSWER✅✅we should look at individuals, not groups.
-such policies may create anxiety about aging, anxiety in family members, elders can be productive
citizens
(7) what is a potential deficit of QALY as regards macro allocation? (Lockwood) - CORRECT
ANSWER✅✅someone who believed that macroallocation in health care should be determined wholly
on the basis of directing funds to where they can generate the maximum number of QALYs might well
conclude from these figures that given a fixed health care budget, it would be rationally appropriate
actually to transfer funds from such relatively high cost per-QALY, albeit life-saving, forms of treatment
as renal dialysis, to such things as hip-replacement operations, right up to the point at which the waiting
lists had been eliminated- even if this meant providing no long-term dialysis at all!
(3) what are the justice based reasons against age mattering ? (veatch) offer an objection. - CORRECT
ANSWER✅✅the logic Is that justice requires resources be used to provide opportunities to have needs
met. elderly people are often exactly the demographic who requires the most medical attention. they
deserve to atlas be treated identically to those younger people who are medically in equal need
