Policy experts call fear of medical rationing unfounded

Policy experts say people are rightly concerned about the nation's healthcare costs, but they should not worry that health reform will lead to a system of medical rationing anytime soon. Those fears, the experts say, seem to stem from talk of a government-run health plan or proposals for government-sponsored research to determine which medical treatments are most effective. But few health policy experts see the likelihood of lawmakers' adopting a new system in which government bureaucrats decide whether someone's grandfather can get his hip replaced.