Their view: Health care must be rationed

Deane Waldman is the author of “Uproot U.S. Healthcare” and writes for New Mexico’s Rio Grande Foundation, which promotes limited government.

Here’s a portion of what Waldman had to say about government’s role in health care in a recent column:

“The idea of rationing health care sets off alarm bells in people’s heads. For health care goods or services, rationing means to balance a variable, apparently limitless demand with a fixed, diminishing supply. Someone or something must create balance. Without rationing, those first in line would get everything and others would get nothing. Some form of ‘rationing’ is thus unavoidable.

“No matter who is paying for health care, whether it is a for-profit, not-for-profit, a government, or individuals, all of us must balance (ration). This is true in all economic

decisions, not just health care. Demand is unlimited. Supply is not.

“Most people feel both ill informed as well as powerless to make rationing decisions about their medical care. They lack both the necessary information and viable choices. Of course, when someone else is paying the bill, incentives for patients to find the most cost-effective treatment disappear.

“If you want to buy a car, you can check ‘Consumer Reports.’ If you need a hernia repair or are having a baby, the same types of information are not available to you. How can any consumer make an intelligent rationing decision?

“The Healthcare Bill of 2010 does nothing to help us ration our health care. It creates government agencies that will reputedly assess the effectiveness of various health care treatments and approve those they deem cost-effective.”