An ethical perspective on health care insurance reform

Abstract

Much recent analysis of health care insurance reform emphasizes economic and policy issues. In contrast, this Article examines health policy issues from the viewpoint of medical ethics. The critical ethical "problem" in health care today is that ability to pay determines the availability and quality of care. This Article discusses three types of proposed solutions: health care insurance reform, health care financing reform, and health care cost reform. It sketches an ethical framework for evaluating health policy and presents seven specific propositions that an ethical analysis of health care reform proposals raises. This Article concludes that remedying the unethical treatment of certain classes of patients requires both health care financing reform and health care cost reform; health care insurance reform will not suffice.