ABSTRACT
Medical care is very costly and not equitably available. Health care has become an important political issue. A right to health is frequently claimed and embraced by politicians. Recent legislation has put the federal government most directly into the lifesaving business, obliging it to pay for kidney machines for anyone in need. This chapter considers the various issues regarding national health insurance. The pursuit of health needs also to be distinguished from the pursuit of longevity. Thus, with some misgivings, the chapter suggests that the prolongation of life or the prevention of death cannot be a major goal of medicine or of people health policy. Once the distinction is made between health nurture and maintenance on the one hand and disease prevention and treatment on the other, it becomes immediately clear that bodily health does not depend only on the body and its parts.
