Hospice care amongst the elderly is not uncommon, as it specifically focuses on improving and supporting the lives of those who are either terminally ill or unable to support themselves. Over one million individuals are admitted into hospice care centers every year, and the numbers have only increased with time. However, this increase in patient quantity is accompanied with a higher risk of elder abuse within the hospice industry as a whole, as demonstrated by the five million older Americans who are abused every year. 1 Elder abuse within hospice settings is a public health issue that is not widely discussed. The abuse can appear in many forms and in all locations of patient care, from the home environment to hospice facilities. Elder abuse is wide ranging and includes physical, emotional, and sexual abuse, as well as neglect and abandonment. Older individuals, especially those who depend on care from others, are especially vulnerable to such abuse. In this literature review, we aim to uncover the truth about elder abuse in various healthcare settings. We begin with current research findings and general knowledge about elder abuse. Next, we address nonprofit versus for-profit hospice centers, as well as the responsibilities of the healthcare team to speak out against abuse. In doing so, we then propose direct, actionable solutions that are in the process or being implemented or should be implemented in order to prevent further abuse of the elderly.

In our paper, we encompass the topic of socioeconomic disparities intrinsic to drug pricing and look at ways to ensure that every individual in the United States can access antibiotics equally and equitably. In the United States, a multitude of individuals find themselves struggling with high, out-of-pocket costs for necessary antibiotics or medications.  These issues are generally caused by factors surrounding monopolistic drug markets, high costs for development, and the severity of disease that an individual is facing. We explore these challenges from a plethora of perspectives, such as; the role of specialty pharmacies, limited distribution networks, and the usage of psychotropic medications among youth with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). High prices and restricted access of certain antibiotics for conditions like Hepatitis C highlight the systemic and intrinsic issues within the pharmaceutical industry and how it affects individuals who suffer from this disease or diseases similar to it. On a similar topic to that, ongoing shortages of ADHD medications continue to show the consistent and heavy impact of supply constraints amongst the pharmaceutical industry in the United States. We discuss potential solutions, including but not limited to, accelerating the approval of basic drugs, implementing ceiling prices to prevent high costs, and better integrating health-system specialty pharmacies. By concentrating on the need for policy reforms within the United States and collaboration amongst the various stakeholders that remain involved with drug pricing disparities, this study aims to offer a varied approach in reducing drug pricing disparities and making necessary medications accessible to every individual in the United States, regardless of socioeconomic or health status.