Vaccine mandates

What are the available sources of medical information?

What are the reasons to trust medical institutions?

They're supposed to have robust governance processes
The medical profession is highly technical, therefore most people are not qualified to make informed decisions
They have access to relevant data
They might have access to information that is not available to the general public

What are the reasons to doubt medical institutions?

The governance process seems to be broken down
- Universities, medical journals, peer review process
  - People have established careers and they have an incentive not to contradict their previous findings and statements
- Tenure issues
  - People with tenure are supposed to be able to speak unpopular opinions without fear of losing their jobs
  - In practice, there isn't a lot of dissent in those universities, there's a lot of groupthink
    - One reason is the social factor
    - Another reason is dependence on outside funding which comes from large corporations and/or government agencies
There are bad incentives
Insufficient Transparency: Inadequate dissemination of information or a lack of clarity regarding treatment alternatives, possible adverse effects, and extended-term results can evoke concerns about medical choices.
Government agencies (such as CDC):
- Highly politicized
- Hospitals and companies are big donors (to political parties)
Profit motives
News and tech platforms
- Hospitals and companies (pharmaceutical and insurance) are big advertisers
Covid exposed systemic issues in medical establishment
What are the bad reasons to doubt medical institutions?
When something new happens it's hard to make any good assessments even with all of the resources and expertise
Misinformation and conspiracy theories can foster doubts about government actions

What are the reasons to trust alternative medical sources?

If medical institutions lose trust
The crowd can crowd-source a lot more information
Alternative medicine draws from cultural/traditional practices
Alternative medicine usually emphasizes less invasive medical treatments
Previously alternative treatments such as meditation have recently been proven to be effective in a peer-reviewed setting
Mind-body connection and personal experiences as a method of trust
More emphasis on patient empowerment
More individualized

What are the reasons to doubt alternative medical sources?

Under the assumption that vaccines work to slow the spread of illnesses, what are the arguments that support vaccine mandates?

The needs of the public can sometimes call to undermine certain bodily autonomy rights
Economic benefits to everyone as healthcare costs would be lower
Higher chance of minimizing fatality and illness rates
To have positive effects on hospital capacities

Should governments push for health equity?

We want everybody to have access to basic health services
Reduces the quality of high-end care
In European countries that have universal health care, it's much easier to get medical services
Countries that have universal healthcare usually have longer wait times to receive medical services
Bureaucracy inefficiencies can be a problem when supply is limited
The issue arises when there is a limited supply of medications or services, in such cases there are 3 options:
- Random distribution
- Market-based pricing
- Merit-based system