progressivism, individualism, and the public ... - Telmarc Group

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PROGRESSIVISM, INDIVIDUALISM, AND THE PUBLIC
INTELLECTUAL
clinicians and exacerbates the income disparities among them. In circular fashion, this
increases the focus on revenue and reimbursement, rather than on social justice.
A second factor that may contribute to the imbalance of medical ethics in practice
involves the cost of education and level of student debt....
A third important factor is the US culture of “individualism.” While general western
philosophy has shaped US culture, the unique history of the United States has created a
special emphasis on individualism, entrepreneurial capitalism, and personal
responsibility. Specifically regarding health care, many other western nations have some
form of universal coverage supported by their government and treat health care as a
public good. In the United States, health care only intermittently has been treated as a
public good and an intense debate regarding the promotion of government health
programs vs the philosophy of individual responsibility and allowing market forces to
work is ongoing."
The authors recognize the unique character of the United States and then as classic
Rawlsians they reject it in a backhanded manner. The US has not only created the special
emphasis on individualism, entrepreneurial capitalism, and personal responsibility but
has built its culture, society and success on those pillars. They are at the core of our
society and they are what make us what we are, they are the success of the United States.
The authors as true Rawlsians, are vehemently opposed to those core principles. That
should be a terrifying thought.
6.4.3 A Rawlsian Application: Health Care
Health care as described by many of the proposed plans from Congress is costly and the
only way to pay for it is to ration, namely allocate limited resources. The allocation
procedure must be based upon some set of accepted principles, not necessarily a moral
set, but some logical set to some group of people. Enter the Harvard philosopher Rawls
and his Theory of Justice. Rawls seems to invent what he call justice out of whole cloth
to justify what he feels is the correct way to allocate resources, whatever they may be.
They could be tags to the town swimming pool, or life saving surgery for an ill person.
The Rawlsian approach has then been applied by physicians at NIH particularly the
current White House Chief of Staff's brother, also an advisor to the current President. An
analysis of this paper is worthy of doing at this time to see what will most likely be
incorporated into the interpretation of many of the proposed Congressional laws.
Rawls has proposed a theory of justice that is a statement of what many proponents of
antitrust theory ion the mid-fifties and sixties promulgated. The essence of Rawls’ theory
is composed of three elements;
Original Proposition: There exists a means and method for a society to establish a
Contract amongst and between themselves. This Contract thus created in this society of
the just is one that maximizes the return on every transaction to the least of the
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