We recommend an alternative system—the complete lives system—which prioritises younger people who have not yet lived a complete life, and also incorporates prognosis, save the most lives, lottery, and instrumental value principles.
In Sarah Palin’s now famous “Death Panel” piece she explained that nationalized health care inevitably leads to rationing because there is no way to cover everyone and hold down the costs at the same time. While everybody jumped all over Governor Palin for exaggerating, she recommended we read this article, published in January of 2009 in The Lancet, by the President’s “Health Czar,” Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel (brother of the White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel), advocating the “Complete Lives System.” As you will see Dr. Emanuel thinks allocation of scarce medical interventions should be prioritized to young people, productive people and otherwise be allocated by lottery. Read on.
From The Lancet, January 31, 2009
By Govind Persad, Alan Wertheimer, Ezekiel J Emanuel
[Sarah recommended 9-8-09, 8-14-09]
