“Please help save my life”: A Look at the Ethics of Crowdfunding Platforms for Medical Bills

With the growing cost of medical treatment and insurance in the United States, many patients have turned to alternative means of financing their medical bills. One of these methods is using crowdfunding websites like GoFundMe, where people can start campaigns asking for donations to pay their bills. About a third of all campaigns on GoFundMe are created to subsidize healthcare costs. However, this recent trend has also brought a lot of criticism. Many people believe the system these platforms create is exploitative and unfair. By analyzing the problem through a utilitarian lens, we find that…