--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A truly moral health care system should…" description: "\"A truly moral health care system should start out by covering all of its citizens with basic health care. It would not be seduced by its technology and..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/13a/richard-lamm-10220_basic_a-truly-moral-health-care-system-should_579990.jpg" --- # A truly moral health care system should start out by… ![“A truly moral health care system should start out by covering all of its citizens with basic health care. It would not be seduced by its technology and fancy buildings.” quote by Richard Lamm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/13a/richard-lamm-10220_basic_a-truly-moral-health-care-system-should_579990.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/13a/richard-lamm-10220_basic_a-truly-moral-health-care-system-should_579990.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/13a/richard-lamm-10220_basic_a-truly-moral-health-care-system-should_579990.jpg) > “A truly moral health care system should start out by covering all of its citizens with basic health care. It would not be seduced by its technology and fancy buildings.” [Richard Lamm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-lamm/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A just health system must prioritize universal basic coverage over flashy technology or architecture. **In simple terms:** Provide basic care for all before luxury upgrades. Key Takeaway Ensure universal basic coverage first. Themes health equity public policy resource allocation Mood concerned determined Type policy ethical When to use this quote - government budgeting - hospital planning - community health programs - public debates Key Concepts universal health care social justice technology critique Questions to Reflect On - How can we balance basic coverage with necessary tech advances? - What safeguards prevent luxury spending from crowding out essential services? A Different Perspective May neglect needed innovation for the poor. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Buildings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/buildings/) [Care](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/care/) [Health](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/health/) [Health care](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/health-care/) [Health care system](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/health-care-system/) [Moral](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moral/) [System](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/system/) [Technology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/technology/) ## Related quotes > [So much does the moral health depend upon the moral atmosphere that is breathed, and so great is the influence daily exercised by parents…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-smiles/so-much-does-the-moral-health-depend-upon-the-moral-atmosphere-that/) [Samuel Smiles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-smiles/) > [In the interest of the ethical and moral health of the country, the writer, the poet, the artist, the thinker, must hold a mirror…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clarence-major/in-the-interest-of-the-ethical-and-moral-health-of-the-country-the/) [Clarence Major](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clarence-major/) > [We shall not defeat any of the infectious diseases that plague the developing world until we have also won the battle for safe drinking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/we-shall-not-defeat-any-of-the-infectious-diseases-that-plague-the/) [Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/) > [Every three seconds in the developing world, a child dies needlessly due to lack of basic health care and other things we all take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-danes/every-three-seconds-in-the-developing-world-a-child-dies-needlessly/) [Claire Danes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-danes/) > [An individual can be truly moral only when they are their own master. From the moment when they awaken to a comprehension of that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lis-e-reclus/an-individual-can-be-truly-moral-only-when-they-are-their-own-master/) [Elisee Reclus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lis-e-reclus/) > [Women know the financial, social and physical costs of not having access to basic health care.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-plimpton/women-know-the-financial-social-and-physical-costs-of-not-having/) [Martha Plimpton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-plimpton/) > [Only he who knows God is truly moral.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-wilhelm-joseph-schelling/only-he-who-knows-god-is-truly-moral/) [Friedrich Wilhelm Joseph Schelling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-wilhelm-joseph-schelling/) > [Restricting access to such a basic health care service, which 99% of sexually experienced American women have used and 62% of American women are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-fluke/restricting-access-to-such-a-basic-health-care-service-which-99-of/) [Sandra Fluke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-fluke/) > [“In a truly moral society, most of our current laws would not exist.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-templet/in-a-truly-moral-society-most-of-our-current-laws-would-not-exist/) [Michel Templet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-templet/) > [Most thoughtful people would agree that morality in the absence of policing is somehow more truly moral than the kind of false morality that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/most-thoughtful-people-would-agree-that-morality-in-the-absence-of/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [My personal feeling, if I can interject a political note, is that I don't think it is right that basic health care is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-cranston/my-personal-feeling-if-i-can-interject-a-political-note-is-that-i-don/) [Bryan Cranston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-cranston/) > [It is as hard and severe a thing to be a true politician as to be truly moral.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-bacon/it-is-as-hard-and-severe-a-thing-to-be-a-true-politician-as-to-be/) [Francis Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-bacon/) > [I think even the poorest people in the great country that is the United States should be entitled to basic health care,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-d-higgins/i-think-even-the-poorest-people-in-the-great-country-that-is-the/) [Michael D. Higgins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-d-higgins/) > [A truly moral nation enacts policies that encourage personal responsibility and discourage self-destructive behavior by not subsidizing people who live irresponsibly and make poor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-truly-moral-nation-enacts-policies-that-encourage-personal/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Universal coverage, not medical technology, is the foundation of any caring health care system.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-lamm/universal-coverage-not-medical-technology-is-the-foundation-of-any/) [Richard Lamm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-lamm/) ## More by Richard Lamm > ['Diversity' is a wonderfully seductive word. It stresses differences rather than commonalities. Diverse people worldwide are mostly engaged in hating each other - that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-lamm/diversity-is-a-wonderfully-seductive-word-it-stresses-differences/) [Richard Lamm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-lamm/) > [History shows, in my opinion, that no nation can survive the tension, conflict and antagonism of two competing languages and cultures. It is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-lamm/history-shows-in-my-opinion-that-no-nation-can-survive-the-tension/) [Richard Lamm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-lamm/) > [Sprawl is the American ideal way to develop.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-lamm/sprawl-is-the-american-ideal-way-to-develop/) [Richard Lamm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-lamm/) > [I have no permanent enemies - only people I have yet to persuade.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-lamm/i-have-no-permanent-enemies-only-people-i-have-yet-to-persuade/) [Richard Lamm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-lamm/) > [I believe we all must face the fact of death. It is both gift and curse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-lamm/i-believe-we-all-must-face-the-fact-of-death-it-is-both-gift-and-curse/) [Richard Lamm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-lamm/) > [All we know about the new economic world is that nations which train engineers will prevail over those which train lawyers. No nation has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-lamm/all-we-know-about-the-new-economic-world-is-that-nations-which-train/) [Richard Lamm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-lamm/) > [Sprawl is the American ideal way to develop. I believe that what we're developing in Denver is in no appreciable way different than what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-lamm/sprawl-is-the-american-ideal-way-to-develop-i-believe-that-what-we-re/) [Richard Lamm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-lamm/) > [I've had some major disappointments. The quality of life in Denver is worse than when I took over, and I'm embarrassed about that. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-lamm/i-ve-had-some-major-disappointments-the-quality-of-life-in-denver-is/) [Richard Lamm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-lamm/) > [We can make the United States a 'Hispanic Quebec' without much effort. The key is to celebrate diversity rather than unity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-lamm/we-can-make-the-united-states-a-hispanic-quebec-without-much-effort/) [Richard Lamm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-lamm/) > [It was almost a desecration to put a building on the Boulder Turnpike, which is now U.S.-36 and is almost backyards and even junkyards…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-lamm/it-was-almost-a-desecration-to-put-a-building-on-the-boulder-turnpike/) [Richard Lamm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-lamm/) > [America has to ask itself not what it wants, but what it can afford... The New Deal, in my mind, has become a raw…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-lamm/america-has-to-ask-itself-not-what-it-wants-but-what-it-can-afford/) [Richard Lamm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-lamm/) > [I believe for some high-technology medicine, like transplants and kidney dialysis, age should be a consideration in the delivery of that technology. In a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-lamm/i-believe-for-some-high-technology-medicine-like-transplants-and/) [Richard Lamm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-lamm/) > [God is not an American. Nature did not design Americans to be prosperous forever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-lamm/god-is-not-an-american-nature-did-not-design-americans-to-be/) [Richard Lamm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-lamm/) > [Amnesty is a big billboard, a flashing billboard, to the rest of the world that we don't really mean our immigration law.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-lamm/amnesty-is-a-big-billboard-a-flashing-billboard-to-the-rest-of-the/) [Richard Lamm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-lamm/) > [I feel very strongly that the Democratic Party has, in the past, been the party of the future. I think when you look at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-lamm/i-feel-very-strongly-that-the-democratic-party-has-in-the-past-been/) [Richard Lamm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-lamm/) [Explore all 67 Richard Lamm quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-lamm/) ## More Basic quotes > [It turns out that this part of the brain is one of the first areas that's attacked by Alzheimer's disease. So we can now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-o-keefe/it-turns-out-that-this-part-of-the-brain-is-one-of-the-first-areas/) [John O'Keefe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-o-keefe/) > [The most successful cultural diplomacy strategy integrates people-to-people or arts/culture/media-to-people interactions into the basic business of diplomacy. The programs in Afghanistan, Egypt, and Iran…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia-p-schneider/the-most-successful-cultural-diplomacy-strategy-integrates-people-to/) [Cynthia P. Schneider](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cynthia-p-schneider/) > [I'm not very interested in people. I recognize it in myself - there is a basic indifference toward people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/i-m-not-very-interested-in-people-i-recognize-it-in-myself-there-is-a/) [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) > [Once I get out onstage, it's the same sort of basic production that it is anywhere else. But I might be a little bit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phoebe-snow/once-i-get-out-onstage-it-s-the-same-sort-of-basic-production-that-it/) [Phoebe Snow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phoebe-snow/) > [I firmly believe that if members of Congress fail to perform their most basic duty in passing a budget, then they do not deserve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-schrader/i-firmly-believe-that-if-members-of-congress-fail-to-perform-their/) [Kurt Schrader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-schrader/) > [Conservatism is about the basic rights of individuals. God created us. As far as the government goes, the Founding Fathers based the Constitution off…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-wurzelbacher/conservatism-is-about-the-basic-rights-of-individuals-god-created-us/) [Joe Wurzelbacher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-wurzelbacher/) > [During three decades from 1947 to 1977, the nation implemented what might be called a basic bargain with American workers. Employers paid them enough…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-reich/during-three-decades-from-1947-to-1977-the-nation-implemented-what/) [Robert Reich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-reich/) > [With post offices and postal workers already on the ground, USPS could partner with banks to make a critical difference for millions of Americans…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-warren/with-post-offices-and-postal-workers-already-on-the-ground-usps-could/) [Elizabeth Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-warren/) > [We hope that the elected officials will respond positively to a ground swell of letters, phone calls, e-mails and visits from parents. The law…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/we-hope-that-the-elected-officials-will-respond-positively-to-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Had Elizabeth Bennet known how wildly Darcy's heart beat for her, 'Pride and Prejudice' would barely have made it into a short story. Their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mariella-frostrup/had-elizabeth-bennet-known-how-wildly-darcy-s-heart-beat-for-her/) [Mariella Frostrup](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mariella-frostrup/) > [I think it's impossible to maintain a good, strong, muscular physique without taking some supplements. Between the protein shakes and the multivitamins that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-gatt/i-think-it-s-impossible-to-maintain-a-good-strong-muscular-physique/) [Joseph Gatt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-gatt/) > [The Icesave matter is complex and it is understandable that the issue has been oversimplified by many. Unfortunately some of the basic facts of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johanna-siguroardottir/the-icesave-matter-is-complex-and-it-is-understandable-that-the-issue/) [Johanna Siguroardottir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johanna-siguroardottir/) > [“The late-afternoon light was thick and orange and she passed four different couples taking photos of themselves on the same cobblestoned block, all their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-lacey/the-late-afternoon-light-was-thick-and-orange-and-she-passed-four/) [Catherine Lacey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-lacey/) > [Why do we do basic research? To learn about ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-gilbert/why-do-we-do-basic-research-to-learn-about-ourselves/) [Walter Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-gilbert/) > [Most of all, I am struck by an irony central to the lot of a purebred dog: As it attains the hallmarks of its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-hanff-korelitz/most-of-all-i-am-struck-by-an-irony-central-to-the-lot-of-a-purebred/) [Jean Hanff Korelitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-hanff-korelitz/) Browse all 478 Basic quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "A truly moral health care system should start out by covering all of its citizens with basic health care. It would not be seduced by its technology and fancy buildings.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Richard Lamm" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-lamm/a-truly-moral-health-care-system-should-start-out-by-covering-all-of/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Basic" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-lamm/a-truly-moral-health-care-system-should-start-out-by-covering-all-of/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/13a/richard-lamm-10220_basic_a-truly-moral-health-care-system-should_579990.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/13a/richard-lamm-10220_basic_a-truly-moral-health-care-system-should_579990.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/13a/richard-lamm-10220_basic_a-truly-moral-health-care-system-should_579990.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“A truly moral health care system should start out by covering all of its citizens with basic health care. It…” — Richard Lamm", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Richard Lamm", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-lamm/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "A truly moral health care system...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-lamm/a-truly-moral-health-care-system-should-start-out-by-covering-all-of/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-lamm/a-truly-moral-health-care-system-should-start-out-by-covering-all-of/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```