Health Overhaul (PP15)

Read the article below on the pros and cons of the proposed healthcare overhaul in the US. What compromises should the government make, or not make, to pass the bill. Defend your position.

Article from Yahoo! News.

Organ Allocation (PP14)

Policies that guide the distribution or allocation of organs have always been controversial. Please read the articles below and discuss how organs should be allocated in the US and why?

Ethics of Organ Transplants (About.com summary)
The Waiting Game (PBS)
Distributing Donor Organs (PBS)
United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS)
About Organ Allocation (Transplant Living)
Organ Allocation Issues (Miracosta College)
Controversies in Organ Donation (Nephrology, Dialysis, Transplantation Journal)
Infant Heart Transplant Controversy (US News)
Human Organs for Sale (New Internationalist)
Do US Hospitals Push Organ Black Market (CBS News)
So What About Mickey Mantle (Wordpress Donate Life Blog)
Natalie Cole Kidney came From Deceased Fan (CNN)
Jobs Travel to Transplant Mecca Shows System Flaws (Bloomberg)
Britain to Outlaw Most Private Organ Donations (Yahoo! News)

Medical Regulation (PP13)

Read the background articles (below) on controversial Mississippi Medical Examiner, Steven Hayne. Should the government do more to regulate the credentials and behavior of health practitioners working with the dead? Why or why not? What are the underlying philosophical issues in this particular situation. Defend your position.

Articles:
From Reason Online -
One
Two
Three
From Slate -
One

Health Care Systems (PP12)

Compare and contrast the healthcare systems discussed in Frontline's Sick Around the World documentary. Explain which system has done the best job of balancing private interests and public good and why.

Health Care Reform (PP11)

Is healthcare a fundamental right or is it a privilege? Defend your position.

Health Care Rationing (PP10)

Read the article Why We Must Ration Health Care by Peter Singer. Does the author make a good case for rationing? Why or why not?

Alternative Medicine (PP9)

Should publicly funded health programs pay for alternative services and treatments that have not been tested in controlled clinical settings? Why or why not?