In Sickness and in Health: Analyzing the Ethical Limits of the Marriage between Health Care and the Market in the United States

This dissertation aims to determine what should be the appropriate base ethical limits of health care markets in the United States. I argue that because we do not value health care goods and services as commodities, treating them as commodities available for market sale can only be ethical when heal...

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Main Author: Harter, Thomas D
Format: Others
Published: Trace: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange 2010
Subjects:
Online Access:http://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_graddiss/805
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spelling ndltd-UTENN-oai-trace.tennessee.edu-utk_graddiss-18792011-12-13T16:04:05Z In Sickness and in Health: Analyzing the Ethical Limits of the Marriage between Health Care and the Market in the United States Harter, Thomas D This dissertation aims to determine what should be the appropriate base ethical limits of health care markets in the United States. I argue that because we do not value health care goods and services as commodities, treating them as commodities available for market sale can only be ethical when health care markets accord with at least the principles of honesty, respect for autonomy, and increased access to essential health care goods and services. I begin by establishing the theoretical foundation of my argument by expositing three theories of commodification and ethical markets that critically examine the relationship of goods to the market. Each theory shows how commodification often fails to account for the non-market value(s) we attribute to many goods. I then apply these theories to health care goods and services to show how they are not properly valued merely as commodities, and to lay the foundation of my argument regarding the ethical limits of health care markets. I then argue why honesty, respect for autonomy, and increased access to essential health care goods and services should be considered the base ethical limits of health care markets by examining how each ideally applies to both health care and the market. Lastly, I apply my argument to two health care markets: the pharmaceutical industry and a possible legal organ market. For the former, I show how many of the practices of the pharmaceutical industry violate what I argue should be the base ethical limits of health care markets. For the latter, I show the extent to which a legal organ market in the United States could or would violate these limits. 2010-08-01 text application/pdf http://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_graddiss/805 Doctoral Dissertations Trace: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange health care goods and services health care markets ethical limits values commodification Bioethics and Medical Ethics Ethics and Political Philosophy Other Business
collection NDLTD
format Others
sources NDLTD
topic health care goods and services
health care markets
ethical limits
values
commodification
Bioethics and Medical Ethics
Ethics and Political Philosophy
Other Business
spellingShingle health care goods and services
health care markets
ethical limits
values
commodification
Bioethics and Medical Ethics
Ethics and Political Philosophy
Other Business
Harter, Thomas D
In Sickness and in Health: Analyzing the Ethical Limits of the Marriage between Health Care and the Market in the United States
description This dissertation aims to determine what should be the appropriate base ethical limits of health care markets in the United States. I argue that because we do not value health care goods and services as commodities, treating them as commodities available for market sale can only be ethical when health care markets accord with at least the principles of honesty, respect for autonomy, and increased access to essential health care goods and services. I begin by establishing the theoretical foundation of my argument by expositing three theories of commodification and ethical markets that critically examine the relationship of goods to the market. Each theory shows how commodification often fails to account for the non-market value(s) we attribute to many goods. I then apply these theories to health care goods and services to show how they are not properly valued merely as commodities, and to lay the foundation of my argument regarding the ethical limits of health care markets. I then argue why honesty, respect for autonomy, and increased access to essential health care goods and services should be considered the base ethical limits of health care markets by examining how each ideally applies to both health care and the market. Lastly, I apply my argument to two health care markets: the pharmaceutical industry and a possible legal organ market. For the former, I show how many of the practices of the pharmaceutical industry violate what I argue should be the base ethical limits of health care markets. For the latter, I show the extent to which a legal organ market in the United States could or would violate these limits.
author Harter, Thomas D
author_facet Harter, Thomas D
author_sort Harter, Thomas D
title In Sickness and in Health: Analyzing the Ethical Limits of the Marriage between Health Care and the Market in the United States
title_short In Sickness and in Health: Analyzing the Ethical Limits of the Marriage between Health Care and the Market in the United States
title_full In Sickness and in Health: Analyzing the Ethical Limits of the Marriage between Health Care and the Market in the United States
title_fullStr In Sickness and in Health: Analyzing the Ethical Limits of the Marriage between Health Care and the Market in the United States
title_full_unstemmed In Sickness and in Health: Analyzing the Ethical Limits of the Marriage between Health Care and the Market in the United States
title_sort in sickness and in health: analyzing the ethical limits of the marriage between health care and the market in the united states
publisher Trace: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange
publishDate 2010
url http://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_graddiss/805
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