Why do protesters of the Health Care Reform constantly tout "rationing of health care" as a fear?

The argument about rationing is the promise of the Administration to take $350 billion from Medicare over the next 10 years. Providers are identified as the primary culprit, so what defines care when Providers payments are reduced. The other half of the argument is Obama's support of a single payer health care plan, which is recognized as the Government plan called Medicare, except as applied to all Americans wanting to choose it as their plan under Obamacare. Simply put, those in Medicare are concerned that their current benefits and excellence of care will suffer to finance a similar, lower quality care for all.

If I don't like the way my current insurance company covers services I can shop for another one or pay for services on my own. If the government provides the services those other options are no longer available.

Yes, I understand that the current bill does not end private insurance but it sets in place a process that will lead to a single payer, government sponsored system. Any attempt to deny that is either naive or disingenuous. Therefore concerns over rationing and quota driven health care are appropriate. There is a world of difference.

When I had private insurance I never had any treatment denied to me. The only thing that was demanded was I get generic meds unless the doctor called them and said I needed the brand meds.

Now I'm on MassHealth(Massachusetts state government health program) and they send me to a doctor that is almost 2 hours away(I don't have a car) I can only go to certain hospitals, I have to call the state before I can even go to the emergency room or use an ambulance(and I get penalized if I don't call them, like id be healthy enough to call them when I need an ambulance)

The only good thing is meds are 2 dollars, but not all meds are covered, so I'm stuck paying full price for them if they are not covered. And they can also limit how many pills I get. Like I was suppose to get 30 pills, but the state said I could only have 12.

Part of that rationing is choice by the purchaser.

When you are given options of health insurance by a corporation, the HR department decides what options they will and will not cover. Often if the HR company decides to cut costs they'll cut coverage.

As someone who has a privately purchased insurance plan, I can decide exactly what will and what will not be covered. And the insurance company enters into a contract with me and has not denied any fair claim on my behalf.

Do you think claims are denied because patients aren't sure of what their plan actually covers?

PPO were set up by Democrats so if your mad at PPO insurance then you should be mad at the democrats because they wrote the rules in order to Control cost. There that cost control again. Do you really think that the government has unlimited resources for health care. Lets see Social Security is broke. The transportation system which congress has collected billions of taxes on has bridges falling and killing people. The medicare system is so poorly run that most doctors are refusing to accept it. Need I say more. Please point out to me one Government ran public program that is not in trouble. Ill be waiting The difference is you can change companies, you can not change the government program.

When an insurance company denies a surgery - all they are saying is they won't pay for it - not that you can't have it done and go into personal debt.

When the Fed says you cannot get a surgery - you will not get the surgery - PERIOD.

See the difference ?

What if we hate it either way? Whether the companies do it, or the federal government?

And, if you really believe it is the same, why support the bill? Why let the federal government into your life?

You can't have it both ways! You either support rationing, or you don't.

Let's work on the PROBLEM here!

Just because we oppose this bill doesn't mean we oppose fixing the problem!

There is a HUGE difference, your taxes are going to get higher so that you can help pay for lazy people who don't work but believe they have the right to FREE health insurace. Well..... not too free for me that I carry 2 jobs single mother who would love to spend more time with my 5 year old but soon won't be able to b/c I'll have to work even more to pay for lazy peoples health care!!!!

You can challenge the Insurance companies and now you want to challenge the Govt. Wow! how silly.

so what can the gov offer that current insurance providers cant? it is a reference to canada and france and britain. it can take several weeks to get some procedures. some that you may need quicker than 8 weeks. don't you get it, it is about saving money, right? how else do you save money? how do you cut cost if you do not cut services or meds.