I am very much a child of the sixties.

I wanted to make the world better, especially for those who are disadvantaged in one way or another.

My research involves health care cost in the United States and what some of the ethics issues are related to rapidly increasing health care costs.

We spent $4.4 trillion on health care in the United States.

That was about 18.2% of our GDP We have some individuals who will say human life is priceless.

My response is, are you saying that you're willing to pay unlimited sums of your own money in order to save someone else's life?

Or you expect other people to spend unlimited sums of money in order to save your life?

Those are two very different ethical propositions.

We can spend any amount of money we want on health care, but we need to realize that we're excluding other kinds of social goods that make legitimate demands on us that are outside the health care field.

If health care costs are not controlled, then the consequences are that individuals who are in the lower half of the economics spectrum find it more and more difficult to have access to adequate health care.

We want to expand access to health care, because even though we have the Affordable Care Act, it's still the case that there are about 30 to 32 million Americans who are totally without health insurance.

I would hope to make many health professionals more thoughtful about both clinical ethics issues that they face on nearly a daily basis and the broader issues of health care justice.

Unlike things in the private sector, our health care system is basically a result of public investment.

No single individual can do very much by way of changing health care policy in the United States.

But physicians and nurses and other health care professionals have a lot of respect in the United States and collectively They are capable of influencing legislators who are responsible for shaping directly health care policy in the US.

Being a University Distinguished Professor is a great honor.

Only a small number of professors actually achieve that honor.

It says that I have done good research that has been helpful.

I feel a great sense of gratitude, accomplishment, worthiness, like I've lived a good life... yeah.