Health care is an economic good.

by | Mar 20, 2023 | economics

essay question: “Health care is an economic good.”
Explain what is meant by this statement and critically discuss it. Using the concept of opportunity cost, examine the implications of the statement for decisions about health and health care. Give
examples to illustrate your answer.

Sample solution

Dante Alighieri played a critical role in the literature world through his poem Divine Comedy that was written in the 14th century. The poem contains Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso. The Inferno is a description of the nine circles of torment that are found on the earth. It depicts the realms of the people that have gone against the spiritual values and who, instead, have chosen bestial appetite, violence, or fraud and malice. The nine circles of hell are limbo, lust, gluttony, greed and wrath. Others are heresy, violence, fraud, and treachery. The purpose of this paper is to examine the Dante’s Inferno in the perspective of its portrayal of God’s image and the justification of hell. 

In this epic poem, God is portrayed as a super being guilty of multiple weaknesses including being egotistic, unjust, and hypocritical. Dante, in this poem, depicts God as being more human than divine by challenging God’s omnipotence. Additionally, the manner in which Dante describes Hell is in full contradiction to the morals of God as written in the Bible. When god arranges Hell to flatter Himself, He commits egotism, a sin that is common among human beings (Cheney, 2016). The weakness is depicted in Limbo and on the Gate of Hell where, for instance, God sends those who do not worship Him to Hell. This implies that failure to worship Him is a sin.


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God is also depicted as lacking justice in His actions thus removing the godly image. The injustice is portrayed by the manner in which the sodomites and opportunists are treated. The opportunists are subjected to banner chasing in their lives after death followed by being stung by insects and maggots. They are known to having done neither good nor bad during their lifetimes and, therefore, justice could have demanded that they be granted a neutral punishment having lived a neutral life. The sodomites are also punished unfairly by God when Brunetto Lattini is condemned to hell despite being a good leader (Babor, T. F., McGovern, T., & Robaina, K. (2017). While he commited sodomy, God chooses to ignore all the other good deeds that Brunetto did.

Finally, God is also portrayed as being hypocritical in His actions, a sin that further diminishes His godliness and makes Him more human. A case in point is when God condemns the sin of egotism and goes ahead to commit it repeatedly. Proverbs 29:23 states that “arrogance will bring your downfall, but if you are humble, you will be respected.” When Slattery condemns Dante’s human state as being weak, doubtful, and limited, he is proving God’s hypocrisy because He is also human (Verdicchio, 2015). The actions of God in Hell as portrayed by Dante are inconsistent with the Biblical literature. Both Dante and God are prone to making mistakes, something common among human beings thus making God more human.

To wrap it up, Dante portrays God is more human since He commits the same sins that humans commit: egotism, hypocrisy, and injustice. Hell is justified as being a destination for victims of the mistakes committed by God. The Hell is presented as being a totally different place as compared to what is written about it in the Bible. As a result, reading through the text gives an image of God who is prone to the very mistakes common to humans thus ripping Him off His lofty status of divine and, instead, making Him a mere human. Whether or not Dante did it intentionally is subject to debate but one thing is clear in the poem: the misconstrued notion of God is revealed to future generations.

 

References

Babor, T. F., McGovern, T., & Robaina, K. (2017). Dante’s inferno: Seven deadly sins in scientific publishing and how to avoid them. Addiction Science: A Guide for the Perplexed, 267.

Cheney, L. D. G. (2016). Illustrations for Dante’s Inferno: A Comparative Study of Sandro Botticelli, Giovanni Stradano, and Federico Zuccaro. Cultural and Religious Studies, 4(8), 487.

Verdicchio, M. (2015). Irony and Desire in Dante’s” Inferno” 27. Italica, 285-297.

Sample Solution

The concept of “opportunity cost”, broadly defined, states that when we make decisions about how to use our limited resources (time and money, for example), the opportunity cost is what we miss out on by not using those same resources in a different way. When it comes to making decisions about our health and health care, this can be particularly relevant as it allows us to consider both the direct costs associated with a given decision as well as any potential lost opportunities when deciding whether or not to pursue certain treatments or preventive measures.

Sample Solution

The concept of “opportunity cost”, broadly defined, states that when we make decisions about how to use our limited resources (time and money, for example), the opportunity cost is what we miss out on by not using those same resources in a different way. When it comes to making decisions about our health and health care, this can be particularly relevant as it allows us to consider both the direct costs associated with a given decision as well as any potential lost opportunities when deciding whether or not to pursue certain treatments or preventive measures.

For instance, if an individual has $10 and must decide whether they should spend that money on going out for dinner or ordering a prescription medication they need to treat their health condition, the opportunity cost would refer not just to the direct monetary costs; rather it would also include any other benefits they could have received from either option such as enjoyment of eating at a particular restaurant or improved quality of life due to taking their medication. This approach allows people more insight into which choice may provide them with bigger gains overall.

On a larger scale, governments must also consider opportunity costs when constructing public policy related healthcare – while allocating funds towards developing new medications might seem like an effective use resources , sacrificing other investments such infrastructure development transportation improvements could ultimately lead greater burden patients receiving treatment . Similarly , implementing regulations limit access certain treatments doctor discretion order cut down medical expenses may deny citizens life-saving options unavailable through cheaper alternatives .

In conclusion , by understanding concept “opportunity cost” better informed decisions can made related healthcare ; rather simply looking at immediate costs associated various policies actions one takes , true value each option explored taking into account other possible outcomes resulting from different spending allocations . By utilizing this framework more comprehensive look can taken preventative care strategies prescriptions treatments used ensure optimal benefit entire population while minimizing waste scarce resources available across populations .

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