There's this interesting post on reddit: Cigna waits until girl is literally hours from death before approving transplant. Approves transplant when there is no hope of recovery. Girl dies. Best health care in the world.

And here's are some good comments that shows how entrenched Americans are with their distorted picture of healthcare:

righty:

Legit question, not rhetorical smart ass remark...

What are the chances that gov't run health plan wouldn't have made the same decision?

It seems that the girl's chances of survival even with the transplant weren't great. It doesn't seem totally unlikely that the gov't would have provided similar reasoning.

I don't put a lot of faith of gov't. I expect gov't to listen to doctor's the same way they listen to the generals on the battlefield.

phedre:

If you're thinking along the lines of the Canadian healthcare system, the chances are zero.

The government is completely uninvolved in any healthcare decisions here. Doctors choose the best treatments in consultation with their patients and send the bill to the government. That's it, end of story.

khoury:

Isn't it amusing how entrenched we are in the US in this system? We think that if our health insurance companies are taken out of the picture it will be the government that makes the decision. In a properly run system they government has no input. This assumption is taken advantage of by conservative fear mongers. They know Americans can't fathom a system where their doctors have the only and final say.

... and finally, on rationing ...

grassmunk:

Why does cigna even have a say in who gets what care in the first place? What you're saying is it was perfectly alright for cigna to delay treatment while they found doctors who would agree with them to deny coverage while this girl died. What cigna did is exactly what all the old people who think medicare will do: rationing.