Abstract
In this paper I put forward an ethical argument for the provision of extensive patient choice by the British National Health Service. I base this argument on traditional liberal rights to freedom of choice, on a welfare right to health care, and on a view of health as values-based. I argue that choice, to be ethically sustainable on this basis, must be values-based and rational. I also consider whether the British taxpayer may be persuadable with regard to the moral acceptability of patient choice, making use of Rawls’ theory of political liberalism in this context. I identify issues that present problems in terms of public acceptance of choice, and also identify a boundary issue with regard to public health choices as against individual choices.
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Wilmot, S. A Fair Range of Choice: Justifying Maximum Patient Choice in the British National Health Service. Health Care Anal 15, 59–72 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10728-006-0032-6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10728-006-0032-6