Moral Choice and Public Policy

This entry on moral choice and public policy in medical decision making focuses on the irreducible components of the physician-patient relationship as it is the foundational nature of that relationship that determines the moral character of decisions in healthcare. The focus on the physician-patient relationship is historically and fundamentally appropriate, but it is also dated. Medical decision making for the individual, as well as in public policy, is currently determined by additional professionals and entities. Professionals, such as nurses, have a larger role than ever before in the management of patients, both individually and collectively. Entities such as the government, insurance companies, hospitals, and health maintenance organizations also bear responsibility for decisions made for the individual and for the public. However, a discussion that is ...