Published 3 November 2008, doi:10.1136/bmj.a2386
Cite this as: BMJ 2008;337:a2386

Letters

Healthcare rationing

Priority setting needs strong leadership

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

The articles on rationing health care provide a good overview of the present situation.^{1 2 3} Daniels and Sabin’s article provides some firm ground if you think that priority setting is inevitable (and it is).² Tough decisions are needed, and Daniels and Sabin’s approach could help commissioners gain legitimacy and resist the legal, media, and commercial challenges that cause politicians to intervene. Although these articles are wide ranging, some important issues are only touched upon.

The commercial sector knows that using patient groups and the media can allow pricing at what the market will bear. Donaldson et al show that health care is not a true competitive market.³ Health technology agencies, such as the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence in England, often fail to make a realistic connection between making national decisions on behalf of local budget holders and balancing the opportunity costs. There is something odd about having a . . . [Full text of this article]

¹ Edwin House, Centrum 100, Burton upon Trent DE14 2WF

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Susan Dorr Goold and Nancy M Baum
BMJ 2008 337: a2047. [Extract] [Full Text]

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BMJ 2008 337: a1850. [Extract] [Full Text]

Moving forward on rationing: an economic view

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