James is a 29-year-old man who incurred a spinal cord injury at C3 in a diving accident while on his company outing in Aruba. After several days in a coma from hitting his head on a rock, he woke up...

James is a 29-year-old man who incurred a spinal cord injury at C3 in a diving accident while on his company outing in Aruba. After several days in a coma from hitting his head on a rock, he woke up to the shock of having no movement from his neck down. James worked as an investment banker before his injury and saved a substantial amount given his 80-hour work week and single status. Most of these funds he placed in 401k retirement accounts. James has medical insurance; however, his medical bills are mounting, and the social worker recommends that he apply for state disability to receive additional coverage for long-term services that he will need but are not covered by his private insurer. James decides to do so and then realizes that to become eligible he must spend down his present dollar assets, including his 401k accounts. He is furious and yells at the social worker, “You’ve got to be kidding me. Do you think just because I’m crippled I don’t want to retire comfortably? This is grossly unfair.”

Given what you have studied in this chapter, what sources of support, and at what cost to his personal savings, do you think would meet the demands of a just allocation of resources for him and others like him?