Tax Prof Neil Buchanan (George Washington) has joined FindLaw's Writ, the editorial page of the FindLaw website, as a featured columnist.  His column appears every other Thursday, and today's inaugural column is Rationing Health Care: We Have Always Done It, We Do It Now, and We Always Will:

As the debate over health care reform has become increasingly degraded over the past few weeks, one of the claims that has been treated as a serious complaint about the Democrats' plans — unlike, say, the claim that the plans include "death panels" — has been the assertion that their proposals will result in the rationing of health care. …

The bottom line? There is not, has never been, and can never be, enough medical care to cover everyone in every situation. Rationing is a fact of life. Current health care proposals in Congress would change the rules for rationing, bring them into the light, and create accountability for the decision makers. If we do not adopt those proposals, we will go back to the chaotic form of rationing that has been killing far too many of us for far too long.