Olsen, Jan Abel () (Institute of Community Medicine) Ricardson, Jeff (Centre for Health Program Evaluation) Dolan, Paul (Sheffield Health Economics Group) Mentzel, Paul (Pacific Lutheran University)
Abstract
This paper discusses the moral relevance of accounting for various personal characteristics when prioritising between groups of patients. After a review of the results from empirical studies, we discuss the ethical reasons which might explain – and justify – the views expressed in these studies. The paper develops a general framework based upon the causes of ill health and the consequences of treatment. It then turns to the question of the extent to which a personal characteristic – and the eventual underlying ethical justification of its relevance – could have any relationships to these causes and consequences. We attempt to disentangle those characteristics that may reflect a potentially relevant justification from those which violate widely accepted principles of social justice.
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Publisher Info
Paper provided by Oslo University, Health Economics Research Programme in its series HERO On line Working Paper Series with number
2002:17.
Length: 23 pages Date of creation: 30 Jun 2009 Date of revision: Handle: RePEc:hhs:oslohe:2002_017
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Find related papers by JEL classification: I18 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Government Policy; Regulation; Public Health I31 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Welfare and Poverty - - - General Welfare
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