Posted by: McQ on Wednesday, August 13, 2008 The UK continues to have discussions about rationing that, of course, aren't taking place here because we haven't gotten to that point in the conversation. But as I've been saying forever, when unlimited want meets a finite supply, some sort of rationing must take place. It cannot be avoided regardless of the system. Libby Purves of the TimesOnline makes another great point that needs to be factored in as well: We now classify as illnesses things that once were accepted as mere misfortune: infertility, addiction, old age, gloom, shyness or childish overexuberance, unusual physical appearance. In many ways this modern solicitousness is admirably humane; economically it is a nightmare. No budget can ever stretch to meet every need with the ideal and latest treatment.When you pay for it, you ration care yourself. You place priorities on treatment and do those things that you can afford. You decide. When someone else pays for it, they place priorities on treatment. National healthcare, of course, takes the latter position as the "paying" decision maker, not you. You are simply one of the hive who will be told what is or isn't available to you in terms of treatment. As medicine advances, we find more and more things to treat (or at least claim many of them are treatable in that manner). But the budget is only going to be so large. So it is, of necessity, going to have to prioritize its spending where it gets the most bang for the buck. That's going to be a "one-size-fits-all" list because it must be. And my guess is, left off of that list are going to be many, many treatments that those that have the illness or disease are going to believe should be on there. Universal health coverage means nothing more than everyone works off the same list. People need to make sure they understand that very clearly when it is presented as a panacea to replace the present system. |
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