title: Ethics and health care in capitalism.
abstract: Rising health-care costs can cause problems in a capitalistic society because they can result in the diversion of funds from new product development. Presently, $500 billion is spent on healthcare, and there are signs that certain treatments are being reduced because of expense. This overall cost reduction will probably impact dentistry most because dentistry is viewed as more discretionary than medical healthcare. Rewarding for systematic prevention in the office is the most ethical solution if treatment funds are reduced.
authors.affiliation: Medical College of Virginia, Richmond.
authors.forename: J W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Wittrock
mesh_terms: D003729:Dental Care / Q000191:economics*; D004990:Ethics, Dental; D015276:Health Care Rationing / Q000191:economics*; D011056:Political Systems; D011314:Preventive Health Services; D014481:United States