Realizing the International Human Right to Health: The Challenge of For-Profit Health Care

Today, nation-states are struggling to maintain public health insurance coverage and public health protections. Even developed countries with generous programs are reviewing commitments toward health. For many developing countries, meeting the health care needs of their populations is beyond reach. The international human right to health is a useful tool to sort out the obligations that nation-states, regional and local governments, private organizations, and the international community owe individuals in terms of assuring access to health care services and public health protections. This article addresses the outstanding and critical issue in the realization of the international human right to health: how to reconcile the economic reality of providing and supplying health care goods and services through for-profit business modes. Included in this analysis is a critique of free trade agreements in the realization of the international human right to health.