Abstract

This chapter explores the issue of equity in the organization and distribution of health care. Beginning with a discussion of various presidential attempts to establish greater equity, it examines what Paul Starr calls “the American health care trap” as well as the reasons why America, alone among postindustrial democracies, has failed to enact a universal health insurance program. Then, with a focus on recent work in the field, it considers how we might find our moral and political compass amidst the complex network of actors and institutions that determine how we organize and distribute health care.

INTRODUCTION

In Chapters 11 and 12, we discussed the virtue of care in doctor-patient relationships. But what of equity, or fairness, in the organization and provision of health care? This chapter critically examines the requirements of justice in the allocation and distribution of health care services.