Rationing Is Not a Four-Letter Word: Death Panels, Policy and Ethics

Lunch provided at NOON. Talk begins at 12:10 pm. Healthcare rationing is often portrayed as anathema in the United States. But Dr. Rosoff will argue that we have excellent examples of overt rationing done well that we find acceptable and even laudatory. Moreover, if we redesign our healthcare system to incorporate rationing, it would undoubtedly be generous and thus it would be rare that patients would not receive something they need or even expect. Philip Rosoff, MD, MA, director of the Clinical Ethics Program, serves as chair for both the Hospital Ethics Committee and the Clinical Ethics Consult Subcommittee. His clinical and research interests center around the equitable allocation of scarce resources. He has recently published the book, Rationing Is Not a Four-Letter Word: Setting Limits on Healthcare (MIT Press).