Is Inequality Bad For Our Health?

by Norman Daniels, Bruce Kennedy, Ichiro Kawachi

In this election year, health care again proves to be one of our nation's most urgent issues. Daniels, Kennedy, and Kawachi shift the focus of the debate, forcing us to take a closer look at how our health is affected by social injustice and inequality. Arguing that it isn't enough to increase access to doctors, they call for improving social conditions-such as poverty, lack of education and affordable housing, and harmful work environments-that damage our health. By urging us to work toward equality of opportunity for all, the authors situate health care reform among the larger social problems we must face.

The authors' argument for reform in early childhood development, nutrition, work environment, and distribution of income is certain to spark debate. The editor of The New England Journal of Medicine and World Health Organization officials respond.

The New Democracy Forum is a series of short paperback originals exploring creative solutions to our most urgent national concerns.

"A civic treasure. . . . A truly good idea, carried out with intelligence and panache." --Robert Pinsky

Genres: Philosophy

112 pages, Paperback

First published October 10, 2000

Reviews

[Matthew Noe · Rating 3 out of 5]

I helpful overview of how inequality impacts the health care enterprise, built on a foundation of Rawlsian philosophy. Parts of this have remained useful since it was published nearly 2 decades ago, but the ACA has outdated much of it. The truly depressing part? These arguments are still failing in the US, where individualism crushes a common theory of justice every time.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting viewpoints (and counterview points) on healthcare in the US (and a bit of comparison to England, Costa Rica, Denmark, etc.) and both what it says and what it means for the nation's poor and societal growth as a whole. Obviously it's an academic non-fiction book. That said it's still a little bit dry. I personally find the topic fascinating and think it could be spiced up to be both academic AND interesting.