Question

Read the attached article "Who Should Ration?" by Philip Rosoff, and in 2 - 3 paragraphs, summarize the problems of bedside rationing that the author raises. For what reasons does the author think that rationing decisions might not be best left solely in the hands of physicians?

Answer 1

By Philip Roof, A provocative argument that the best way to deliver high-quality healthcare to Americans is to institute a comprehensive and fair system of rationing.

Bedside rationing is the withholding by a physician of a medically beneficial service because of that service's cost to someone other than the patient.

Rationing means that you are limited in what you are allowed to purchase. It may surprise you to learn that rationing takes place today in healthcare. Healthcare rationing is used by health insurers, the government, and individuals to save money. Some would even argue healthcare rationing supports the greater good.

Doctors are no longer held in such high esteem as they were decades ago. Even our own Commander-in-Chief, President Obama, alluded to the fact that doctors have financial incentive to do more surgeries. The public is losing their trust in us. They see us as driven for profit.