Law Commons^™

Life Style, Health Status, And Distributive Justice, Robert L. Schwartz

Faculty Scholarship

The newest and most original scapegoat upon which we can place the blame for the high cost of health care are those whose life style choices puts their health or lives at risk. Of course, if our health care cost and access problems are a consequence of unhealthy choices made by autonomous individuals, we are relieved of the obligation of figuring out how to reform our health care delivery system. In that case, the solution to our health care problem is obvious - we merely need to impose appropriate penalties on those who make costly, immoral and unhealthy life style …