Radiology
April, 2003
Rationing in Health Care: Changing the Patterns of Health Care
By Richard M. Friedenberg, MD
Managed care has been our first attempt at cost-efficient medicine. It has achieved many of its goals and in many ways has improved upon the cost-effectiveness of third-party insurance. However, it has failed totally in producing universal health coverage, and as a nation, we cannot afford to allow this to continue. More than 1.4 million Americans lost their health insurance last year, with our uninsured population exceeding 41 million (18). Health care insurance rates increased 12.2% in 2001 and 8.1% in 2002, and they are projected to increase 13.6% in 2003 (18). It is time for a change. We have two choices; we can attempt a blend of private insurance and government subsidies or go directly to a single-payer system.
http://radiology.rsnajnls.org/cgi/content/full/227/1/5 (controlled access)
Comment: To see a call for universal coverage in this leading journal for radiologists is a major step forward. We do have the two choices mentioned, but the better one would eliminate the source of much of the grief in our system today – the private insurance plans. But Dr. Friedenberg is certainly correct when he says that it is time for a change.