Justice and the right to a decent minimum of healthcare

Throughout time, caring for those who were unable to provide for themselves was based on the virtues of charity, compassion, and benevolence rather than on the ethical principle of justice. In America, and other industrialized countries, the primary barrier to healthcare is the widespread lack of adequate insurance reimbursement. This raises questions about who should receive what share of the nation's scarce healthcare resources, irrespective of insurance status. This article argues that the debate about social justice has been driven by inequalities in access to healthcare and health insurance. This debate is fueled by dramatic increases in healthcare costs. Wound care clinicians are important stakeholders in this debate as they are likely to speak for the patient who has been literally or politically silenced because of age, chronic illness, or poverty.