Rationed Healthcare?

[Sandpiper]

When Universal Healthcare is discussed, the right wing always trots out the old favorite canard that Universal Healthcare leads to "rationed healthcare."

How in the world can they say this with a straight face? We already have rationed healthcare in this country. If you belong to an HMO or PPO, you have a rationed healthcare plan. You also have to go through gate keepers to get medical care.

The only people in this country who truly have a free choice as to their healthcare are those who can pay cash, up front, for any medical procedure they wish.

[damntexdem]

1. They're really worried about rational healthcare.

We have irrational healthcare in the U.S. It's not rationed -- it's allocated irrationally.

[ewagner]

2. The way things are going

Rationed healthcare will become a reality shortly.

How?

There will be two classes of healthcare: Those with insurance and those without insurance.

Those without insurance will be considered "welfare cases" with fixed fees for care set by government negotiation. As those government funds become more and more scarce (remember the Grobver Norquist plan to "starve the beast"?) Doctors and "gate-keepers" will have to prioritize health care procedures....so if a smoker is diagnosed with lung cancer, treatment may be deemed futile and the prescribed solution will be pain killing drugs and nothing else...

euthanasia isn't far around the corner....essentially it will be "You're too poor to live....goodbye".