Philosophy, Public Health Panel Examines Right to Health Care

Do all people have the right to health care? If so, what roles do government and other institutions play in ensuring access to that said right? On Thursday, Nov. 5, “The Moral Basis of Care: Understanding the Right to Health” event organized by the Bates Philosophy Forum and Public Health Initiative invited students to discuss these issues with distinguished faculty. The panel featured professors Frank Chessa, Susan Stark, and Heidi Taylor, who each brought unique perspectives on health care. Each professor was given 10 minutes for their individual presentation. Then, the event opened up to questions from the audience of Bates students. Frank Chessa, Director of Clinical Ethics at Maine Medical Center, began by discussing health care spending in the United States. He argued that the country’s poor health outcomes are not from a lack of funding. “The problem isn’t that we don’t spend money on health care,” Chessa said.

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