by Warren O. Brennan

Created on: October 16, 2009

Over the last several months, debate over healthcare reform has been heated to say the least. Unfortunately, opponents to reform have, in many instances, resorted to scare tactics and mistruths to stall progress.

The purpose of this article is to debunk the myth that, should health care reform be enacted, rationing of care would take place.

Not a Government Take Over- Despite the ranting of pundits on cable news networks, no one is seriously talking about the government taking on the entire health care system. While some have long been in favor of moving to a single payer plan-where the government foots the bill for all treatment and doctors become government employees- that option is nowhere on the table. Instead, the discussion currently taking place in the halls of Congress is concerned with health insurance reform. Under proposed reform measures, individuals would keep paying for private insurance (which would be more regulated in terms of denial of coverage, minimal benefits, ect.). They would also have the opportunity to by into a public plan run by the government, if they so choose.

Doctors, specialists, hospitals, and labs would remain private and not taken over by the government. Simply put, not much would change. The government would not have the control over the market in terms of care. In reality, they couldn't ration care even if they wanted to. The private structure would remain intact, giving individuals the same options in doctors and coverage that they currently have.

No Change in Amount of Care-In order for there to be a reason to ration care, there would first have to be either a) A decrease in the number of doctors, or b) A dramatic increase in the amount of people seeking care. There is no eveidence that either would take place.

The notion that doctors would quit tomorrow rather than accept insurance from a government run insurance plan is preposterous. Doctors would continue to work as they do now, with the only change being the quality of health insurance they accept from their patients. The United States would not suffer from the lack of medical professionals that has plagued many nations around the world. This is due more to our educational system that it is to our medical system. We have a surplus of Doctors, not a shortage, as the theory of rationing care would suggest. For this reason, groups like the American Medical Association have endorsed reform. What we would see is some increase in use of our nation's medical system.

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