ABSTRACT
The field of economics focuses on how goods and services are allocated in society. The simplest view of this allocation or distribution of goods and services is that people with more money have increased access to more and/ or higher quality goods and services. This is commonly called the free or private market system, which is the foundation of our capitalistic economy. This method of allocation based on money involves both an economic and a philosophical perspective. This chapter focuses on the economic perspective, but as will be seen, the philosophical perspective determines the structure of the allocation system and our perception of how well it works. This chapter analyzes whether this allocation method is applicable to the health field, where goods are things we use such as wheelchairs, glasses, and prescription drugs, and services include both diagnostic and treatment activities of some type of health care provider.
