Friends,

This week we examine health inequality in America — and what can and should be done about it. Just click below.

Among the questions I’ll be addressing are: Why and how are inequalities of income, wealth, power, and race related to health? Next, assuming that good health care is a limited resource, what’s the best means of allocating it — through the so-called “free market,” through rationing, through government subsidies, or some other means?

More specifically, I’ll be asking how poor and lower-income families can achieve better health? Which inevitably raises the question whether we should move toward a single-payer health care plan — and if so, how? And finally, how is the range of politically acceptable health policy solutions likely to change as a result of the pandemic?

Recommended readings (just click on the link):

• Kimberly Amadeo, “What Is Universal Health Care?” The Balance, December 6, 2022

• Dionna Cheatham and Iris Marechal, “Respiratory health disparities in the United States and their economic repercussions,” Washington Center for Equitable Growth, July 12, 2018

• Dan Gorenstein and Leslie Walker, “Coronavirus Conundrum: How To Cover Millions Who Lost Their Jobs And Health Insurance,” NPR, May 4, 2020

• Linda Villarosa, “Why America’s Black Mothers and Babies Are in a Life-or-Death Crisis,” The New York Times, April 11, 2018