FEW AMERICANS, IF given the choice, would deny themselves or their loved ones access to lifesaving medical technology and care even if the cost is high and the chance for recovery is uncertain. The idea of limiting or rationing health care to hold down costs or to make health care available to more people has little appeal. A 1994 Newsweek poll confirmed this when it found that 78 percent of survey participants objected to limiting their choice of doctors and hospitals for the purpose of reducing costs and broadening access to health care. In addition, 60 percent of those polled rejected limits on their use of specialists and technology.

Despite strong objections to health care rationing, rationing has become a reality in some fields of medicine. One such field is organ transplants. Every year the number of people who require organ transplants far outstrips the...