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What do you mean by 'rationing of care'?



Rationing is usually done by "slotting", budgeting services offered.

There will be an estimate of the number of MRIs needed that year. They'll then buy enough MRI machines to do that many. People will be assigned "slots" or appointments when they need an MRI. If more people need them than were budgeted then the slot you get is further into the future, weeks or months, or longer.

This is done even with critical ICU services too, but it isn't set in stone at the start of the year. If cardiac ICU fills up they usually take budget away from MRI etc and add to things that's afford a waiting list and rebalance at the end of the year.

What is NOT allowed is to go over the overall allowed budget without going back to the government for permission. If the waiting needs to be shortened in some areas then it will be lengthened elsewhere, or "optional" things like sex-change and penis enlargement put off for next year entirely.

An example of rationing: an exchange student from Sweden lived with us for a year, and during that time his sister broke her wrist. She got free surgery to repair it ... scheduled over a year in the future.

It hurt, and she couldn't lift even 5 lbs, but they were short money elsewhere and her hand wasn't going to fall off so she was put on a long waiting list. Had they though there was a risky of permanent injury the wait would have been only a couple of months, permanent disability a couple of weeks, etc. She ended up coming to the US to have the surgery done and visit her brother.
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