Justice and Healthcare

Catalog description

This course will provide an overview of Justice and Health Care. We will begin with a close look at a number of philosophical perspectives on distributive justice, including John Rawls' Theory of Justice, Utilitarianism, Equality of Opportunity, various theories of Equality, and the concept of Triage. Students will then apply these perspectives to issues in access to healthcare/health insurance coverage, genetic enhancement, and the distribution of risks and benefits of medical research. The second part of the course will focus on the effects of managed care on contemporary medical practice in the US. In particular, students will examine how managed care arrangements alter the physician-patient relationship, the factors which have led to the development of managed care reimbursement systems, state and federal health care plans, and in particular the Oregon Plan.