Promoting Equity in Health Care through Human Flourishing, Justice, and Solidarity

Area of Science:

• Bioethics
• Health Economics
• Public Health Policy

Background:

• Current health care resource allocation models often rely on rights-based arguments.
• There is a need for alternative ethical frameworks to address health equity.
• Amartya Sen's capabilities approach offers a foundation for discussing needs and freedoms.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a non-rights-based ethical argument for health care resource allocation.
• To promote health equity through a framework grounded in beneficence and justice.
• To define health equity based on the freedom to pursue health and well-being.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of Amartya Sen's equality of capabilities approach.
• Development of a framework defining health care as a fundamental human need.
• Construction of a non-rights approach based on human flourishing, justice as a disposition, and solidarity.

Main Results:

• A non-rights-based argument for health care resource allocation is established.
• Health equity is defined as the freedom to pursue health goals and well-being.
• The framework integrates beneficence, justice, and solidarity for equitable resource distribution.

Conclusions:

• A non-rights-based approach offers a robust ethical foundation for health care resource allocation.
• Prioritizing human flourishing, justice, and solidarity can advance health equity.
• This framework supports a more just and equitable distribution of health care resources.