Abstract
In this paper I argue that, since institutions must reflect the societies in which they are placed, a socialist health-care system cannot be understood unless democratic socialism—which would assure all of basic necessities of existence, full education and health-care to all members of the community—is not incompatible with a flourishing market for other products. In contrasting single with multiple tiered health care systems, I suggest that a single tiered system in which all have equal access to health care and none can buy more, is most consistent with the ideals of democratic socialism.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References and Footnotes
Daly, M. (1994) Introduction.Communitarianism: a New Public Ethics Wadsworth Publishing, Belmont, CA
The history of the labour movement in the United States is peripheral to our topic. Interested readers are referred to a number of standard works dealing with this subject. See, for example: Beard, M.R. (1968).The American Labor Movement: A Short History Greenwood Press, New York, NY. Blum, A. (1972).A History of the American Labor Movement American Historical Association, Washington, DC. Sorge, F.A. and Friedrich, A. (1987).Sorge’s Labour Movement in the United States: A History of the American Working Class from 1890–1896 (transl. Kai Schoenhals), Greenwood Press, New York, NY.
Navarro, V. (1989). Why some countries have national health-insurance, others have a national health service and the U.S. has neither.Social Science and Medicine 28(9), 887–898.
This point is made by John Dewey throughout much of his work. See especially: Dewey, J. (1991). The public and its problems. In,John Dewey: the Later Works Vol. 2. ed. by J.A. Boydston and B.A. Walsh, Southern Illinois University Press Carbondale, IL. I have developed this concept further in Loewy, E.H. (1996)Moral Strangers, Moral Acquaintance and Moral Friends: Interconnectedness and its Conditions, SUNY Press, Albany, NY.
In work elsewhere I differentiate between first order or primary needs and define these as those goods or services which underwrite biological existence (food, water, shelter, warmth and so forth) and social or secondary needs (conceived as education and health care). See: Loewy, E.H. (1990) Commodities, needs and establishing healthcare: a communal perspective. In,Changing Values in Medical and Healthcare Decision Making, ed. by U.J. Jensen and G. Mooney, John Wiley and Sons, Chichester and Loewy, E.H. (1989)Suffering and the Beneficent Community: Beyond Libertarianism, SUNY Press, Albany, NY.
This quote is from Daniel, N. (1985).Just Health Care, Cambridge University Press, New York, NY.
Loewy, E.H. (1993). First or second class? Is building health care systems like running an airline?Business and Professional Ethics Journal 12(3), 69–82.
Loewy, E. H. (1996). Guidelines, Managed Care and Ethics.Archives Internal Medicine,156, 2038–2040.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Loewy, E.H. What would a socialist health care system look like? A sketch. Health Care Anal 5, 195–204 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02678378
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02678378