Gender Justice and the Health Care System

This study explores the gendered nature of U.S. health care policy and recent debates over health care reform. The author develops a philosophical framework of gender justice, and evaluates current health care policies in terms of this framework. An exploration of issues in women's health, including health care delivery, insurance availability, and research into health problems affecting women, reveals that current health care policies are deeply flawed. The book also examines recent policy changes at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) designed to ensure the inclusion of women in medical research and drug trials. The gender justice analytic framework is also used to evaluate ideas for reforming the health care system, including universal coverage, managed care enrollment, reorganization of Medicaid, and the guarantee of a basic benefits package.