Rationing Health Care and the Role of the ?Acute Principle?

EDUARDO RIVERA LÓPEZ

Perspectives in Moral Science. Contributions from Philosophy, Economics, and Politics in Honour of Hartmut Kliemt

Frankfurt School Verlag

Lugar: Frankfurt am Main; Año: 2009; p. 431 - 439

In section I, I explain Kliemt?s view on rationing health care and, more specifically, the foundations of the acute principle. Then I argue that the acute principle is not supported by our basic moral intuitions (section II). In section III, I apply the previous argument to the case of rationing, arguing for the necessity of a compromise among intuitions supporting the acute principle and other moral intuitions. In the final section, I try to show that a feasible system of public health care services is conceivable. In doing so, I make use, with some relevant modifications, of Kliemt?s own ideas.