The right to a decent minimum of health care

Philos Public Aff. 1984 Winter;13(1):55-78.

Abstract

KIE: Buchanan examines, and finds inadequate, several philosophical approaches to justifying and specifying the content of a universal right to a decent minimum of health care: utilitarian arguments, Rawlsian ideal contract arguments, and Norman Daniels' equality of opportunity argument. Also rejecting the libertarian hypothesis that there is no right to a decent minimum of care, he contends that the claim that society should guarantee certain health care services can be supported by a pluralistic approach encompassing special right-claims, harm prevention, prudential arguments emphasizing public health benefits, and beneficence.

MeSH terms

  • Altruism*
  • Beneficence*
  • Coercion
  • Contracts
  • Delivery of Health Care*
  • Ethical Theory*
  • Ethics*
  • Health Care Rationing*
  • Human Rights*
  • Humans
  • Moral Obligations*
  • Public Health
  • Public Policy
  • Reference Standards
  • Resource Allocation*
  • Social Justice*
  • Social Responsibility*
  • Social Welfare
  • Socioeconomic Factors
  • Vulnerable Populations