Rational thinking in healthcare

In this New York Times article (July 15th), Peter Singer professor of bioethics at Princeton University, writes comprehensively about rationing in healthcare. Asking some of the most difficult questions and formulating opinion with provocative research from Joseph Doyle (MIT) amongst others.

One concluding remark of particular note:

"The QALY is not a perfect measure of the good obtained by health care, but its defenders can support it in the same way that Winston Churchill defended democracy as a form of government: it is the worst method of allocating health care, except for all the others. If it isn’t possible to provide everyone with all beneficial treatments, what better way do we have of deciding what treatments people should get than by comparing the QALYs gained with the expense of the treatments?"