Justice and the justification of a social policy: The distribution of primary care physicians

A just distribution of primary care physicians in the United States would be one based on patient need. Given the nature of primary care and the distribution of need for primary care, such a principle would yield a pattern of roughly equal distribution of primary care physicians. A justified policy of distribution must take into account not only considerations of justice but other moral, political and economic considerations. It is argued that in the case of primary care physicians a policy of egalitarian distribution is justified. Methods for implementing such a policy are considered. It is argued that a workable policy must include some restriction on physicians' choice of practice location. A method of implementation is suggested.