Les régimes d'équité dans le système de santé du Québec

Access to required medical care and hospital services for everyone, without prior consideration to their social status or biological condition, appears to be the one foremost justification of public intervention in the health sector. In the real world, though, equity could not be attained in an absolute fashion, as equilibrium between infinite expectations and limited resources is very difficult to achieve. A compromise must therefore be formulated and implemented, using the rules and standards that prevail in each culture to settle any disputes between conflicting values. Our aim in this paper is to examine and evaluate those rules and standards in the context of the health-care system of Quebec. We arrive at the conclusion that no particular set of values should predominate. On the contrary, for justice to prevail, the health-care system must integrate a wide range of possibilities, allowing room for market solutions along with bureaucratic solutions, and community power along with individual autonomy.