Health Care for the Haves and Have Nots: Toward a Just Basis of Distribution

Abstract

Health care seems to be a basic need of all individuals. It goes with such other basic needs as food, clothing, and shelter. This may help explain our national commitment (in such programs as Medicaid and Medicare) to providing adequate health care for the indigent. Despite this commitment, and the great costs incurred in trying to meet it, the problem of providing adequate health care for the medically indigent (the have-nots) at an affordable cost to the taxpayers (the haves) seems to be unsolved. Some see the problem as being one of excessive costs. Some see the problem as being one of inadequate coverage; too many Americans who are medically indigent are not assured of adequate medical care. Some see the problem as being one of quality control; the medically indigent are receiving second-rate medical care. In truth, all of these problems are present. We are providing inadequate health care to an insufficient number of people at an excessive and rapidly increasing cost.