Although the administration has disclaimed responsibiliy from this and has experessed their intentions to disregard it, that political response must not be allowed to distract from the IMPORTANT LESSON:
This was “Breast Care Rationing” came from PRECISELY the type of “expert panel” that MUST BE employed in any type of system that is NOT BASED ON CAPITALISM. Nota Bene: This does not apply ONLY to health care, However, this is a good opportunity for education.
By its very nature, an increasingly high tech field, there will ALWAYS be shortages of services and products in the medical area. Some mechanism MUST and WILL be employed to allocate these. The beauty of the capitalist system is that allocation is done automatically, according to pricing mechanisms (Supply/Demand Curves) instead of employing necessarily political considerations. This mechanism forces the most economically efficient solution. In this country and almost every capitalist country the “most efficient” solution is modified by legal constrictions. The more constrictions, the less economically efficient the solution, and the greater the role of government bueaucrats. Additional bureaucrats ALWAYS impose additional costs. (Atomic power would easily be the least costly way to produce electricity if it weren’t for the layers of bureaucracy and regulation that have been forced on that industry in the name of psychological comfort. I do not claim all such cost increases are bad, simply that they exist.)
In government run health care, the bureaucrats WILL DEFINITELY use considerations other than pricing. The reason for his is that the first thing that bureaucrats do is ELIMINATE or severely constrict the price mechanisms. That necessarily changes the supply/ demand solutions, which in turn necessitates a different method of allocating resources. SOMEONE must decide how to allocate the scarce resources (”free” resources are ALWAYS scarce by the laws of supply and demand). Since no one is willing to take that responsibility themselves, some faceless (and for the politicians preferably nameless) group will inevitably be employed, so the politicans and bureaucrats can all point fingers at someone else. Since life and death decisions are involved, it is PROPER even if inflammatory to call these groups “Death Panels”.
Whether the subject is Breast Cancer screenings, Prostate Care, Long Term Care, H1N1 vaccines, and all other medical situations, that allocation will be done. The group making these decisions will be released from liability by the government. Their decisions could well be based on age (see Ezechiel Emmanuel), sex (see China), race (see South Africa), religion (see NAZI), politics (see USSR), existing conditions (heart health), obesity (defined how?), personal habits (smoking), hobbies (skydiving?), employment (See Kennedy), genetics, convenience (see abortion), desireability (Miss America vs Janie Slobgrass), and NO ONE KNOWS what else, but it is CERTAIN that politics will play a part in this process.
Are you in the politically favored groupings? How long will you remain politically favored? Who decides?
Here is a lesson for America. TRUST THIS FOR CERTAIN: if this “Breast Screening Rationing” had come AFTER America had government care in place, this WOULD HAVE happened. Instead of the administration backing away, they would have said, “well, the board of experts has spoken, taking into account all the relevant information.” Witness how politicians all wipe their hands of distress created by the EPA or FDA or FEMA or FannieMae or Fed decisions! “We didn’t do it” they all holler - “it was that stupid agency”.
Take this lesson to heart, America.