Ética y políticas de salud en Costa Rica

Abstract

In this article I examine the set of ideas that led to a “reform” of Costa Rica ́s health system during the 1990s, in order to expose the underlying ethics. This exercise is also useful to show how resources ́ distribution for public health services is not lineal or easy to understand. Three contrasting ethics have been used to promo these neoliberal reforms: utilitarianism, mercadology, and equalitarian liberalism. These approaches have been used indiscriminately by the Caja Costarricense de Seguro Social, showing important divergences between what is said and what is done.