“Smart” rationing is possible

The barriers to fair rationing are fewer than we think, according to Dr David Eddy, senior adviser for health policy and management at Kaiser Permanente, a large managed care organisation in the United States. Addressing a conference in London, Rationing in the NHS: Time to Get Real , Dr Eddy said that rationing has always taken place in all healthcare systems, but what we currently have in the NHS is “dumb rationing.” The conference, which was attended by 250 delegates, was organised by the BMA, the King's Fund, the College of Health, and …