Public Values, Health Inequality, and Alternative Notions of a “Fair” Response

Elizabeth Rigby, University of Houston - Main
Erika Blacksher, University of Washington - Seattle Campus
Claire Espey, Columbia University

Abstract

The fact that disadvantaged people generally die younger and suffer more disease than those with more resources is gaining ground as a major policy concern in the United States. Yet, we know little about how public values inform public opinion regarding policy interventions to address these disparities. This paper presents findings from an exploratory study of the public’s values and priorities as they relate to social inequalities in health. Forty-three subjects were presented with a scenario depicting health inequalities by social class and were given the opportunity to alter the distribution of health outcomes. Participants’ responses fell into one of three distributive preferences: (1) prioritize the disadvantaged; (2) equalize health outcomes between advantaged and disadvantaged groups; and (3) equalize health resources between advantaged and disadvantaged groups. These equality preferences were reflected in participants’ responses to a second, more complex scenario in which tradeoffs with other health-related values—maximizing health and prioritizing the sickest—were introduced. In most cases, participants moderated their distributive preferences to accommodate these other health goals, particularly in order to prioritize the allocation of resources to the very sick regardless of their socio-economic status.