Moral Arguments for Universal Health Care

Health care reform is always about more than morality and values, butif it lacks a moral foundation, it will not stand the test of time. Dr. Olson provides a moral foundation expressed in eight standards derivedfrom his study of ethics, systems theory, and health policy research. Fromthese normative standards he derives a vision of universal health care asboth a public policy of protecting and promoting the health of an entirepopulation, and a system for organizing, fi nancing, and delivering highquality care, which is affordable and accessible to everyone based ontheir need. Universal health care is fi nanced fairly to ensure sustainabilitythrough shared responsibility with personal choice of health care providersand/or health care plans. This unifying vision for health care reform ispluralistic with respect to the design of systems to implement it. The author provides several moral arguments from divergent ethicaltheories, which converge to support his vision of universal health careand its specifi c elements. In the process, he illustrates how to reason tomoral conclusions based on clear thinking about both values and relevantfacts. He also shows why and how ethical discourse is both relevant andnecessary to the formulation, implementation, and evaluation of healthcare policy. Discussion of the controversy over medically necessary careand an ethical analysis of the Affordable Care Act are unique features ofthis book.