Joseph – Healthcare rationing goes on all the time, even now, in the US. You just may not realize it. Think about organ donation – there’s rationing. Think about what it takes to get a top doctor ($$$) – there’s rationing (the top docs only see those who can pay top rates, everyone else has to see second-rate or lower). The only thing that will change in terms of rationing is HOW the rationing will be meted out. Currently, it is based on a “bakery line number” in the case of organs, and $$$ for everything else.
R’ Itzik – the case that you describe with insurance companies offering bare-bones policies that just cover government requirements is nearly prophetic. I say ‘nearly’ only because it has already happened. If you are interested in seeing a case-in-point, look no farther than the state of Massachusetts. Start with when the state required every employer to provide health insurance to all employees, and follow the story to where insurance companies cut their coverages to the minimum requirement, to where those bare bones policies now dominate the insurance market to the point where policies with rich benefits almost do not exist in that state. This state is a microcosm of the US after this clause of the Healthcare Reform is passed.