Justice & healthcare system

Unit 6A Assignment

Objectives: The students are expected to:

• Demonstrate a basic understanding of libertarian, utilitarian, and egalitarian theories of justice.
• Critically assess the arguments for a just health care according to the different theories of justice.
• Develop an awareness of the issues of justice in health care

Instructions: Answer the following questions. After completing your assignment, save and submit it as a Word document using your first name, last name, and unit number as file name.  For example, John Smith will save his assignment as “John Smith 6A”  (The “6A” stands for Unit 6A).

To better answer the following questions, refer to your textbook and to the first 35 minutes of the YouTube Video.

1. Is health care a right? Why or why not? To answer this question, you may use the libertarian or egalitarian or utilitarian theories of justice to defend your answer. (Refer to textbook and YouTube Video)

2. Should the government provide free health care to its citizens? Why or why not? To answer this question, you may use the libertarian or egalitarian or utilitarian theories of justice to defend your answer.

3. What is justice? How do you describe a just health care?

4. Compare and contrast the libertarian theory of justice with the egalitarian theory of justice as applied to health care. Which theory do you find more compelling? Why? (Refer YouTube video and textbook)

5. How do you ration care to patients using the utilitarian approach? (Refer to textbook)

6. In his essay, “The Right to a Decent Minimum of Health Care”, (pp. 743 ff. of textbook) Allen Buchanan points out that the claim that everyone is entitled to some minimal level of health is implausible. Why? What does he mean by “enforced beneficence” as applied to health care? How does it work?