Jane S. Bellet, MD, FAAD
I am a professor of pediatrics and dermatology, seeing mostly children with vascular birthmarks, but some adults as well (those with nail problems or who sweat too much).
What is right? What is fair? What is just? How can I be a good person? A good doctor?
As a pediatric dermatologist, questions of “fairness” arise every day. Is it right that some patients will get certain treatments because their health insurance pays for it, while others will not? Is it right that self-pay patients will end up paying more than someone with health insurance? What can I do to make this right, or at least better? How can the American health care system do this better? Is it even ethical the way things are currently arranged?
All of these are questions that I ask myself every day and ones that I do not have good answers for. I am hoping to gain more insight and knowledge as to how to approach these questions more rigorously and systematically. The concepts of fairness, equity, reciprocity and moral relevance are ones that I am interested in understanding better.