How the past matters for the future: a luck egalitarian sustainability principle for healthcare resource allocation

Abstract

While it is plausible that we should take the possible negative dynamics of healthcare allocation decisions into account, we may not need a principle of sustainability for this. Munthe, Furmagelli, and Malmqvist are correct that luck egalitarianism focuses on the past, however, this prominent theory of distributive justice can still take into account the interests of those who will be affected by our allocation decisions. This is the case because present allocation may unjustly affect people in the future. Indeed luck egalitarianism may plausibly consider it unjust if we do not take future people's interests into account.