Why Health-Related Inequalities Matter and Which Ones Do
The author outlines and defends two egalitarian theories, which yield distinctive and complementary answers to why health-related inequalities matter. The first is a brute luck egalitarian view, according to which inequalities due to unchosen, differential luck are bad because unfair. The second is a social egalitarian view, according to which inequalities are bad when and because they undermine people’s status as equal citizens. These views identify different objects of egalitarian concern: the brute luck egalitarian view directs attention to health-related well-being, while social egalitarianism focuses on health-related capabilities that are central to a person’s status as a citizen. The author argues that both views are correct and should jointly guide priority-setting in health.