Since its inception, the pro-life movement has fought just as hard to safeguard the lives of the vulnerable elderly and people with disabilities from euthanasia as to protect the lives of the unborn from abortion. We have long recognized that government-imposed rationing of medical treatment necessary to save life is a form of involuntary euthanasia.
It was for this reason that the pro-life movement played a key role in 1993 and 1994 in defeating the Clinton plan for national health insurance, which would have imposed "premium caps" to limit every American's ability to pay for unrationed health care. These limits would have resulted in the denial of lifesaving treatment in circumstances in which, in the words of then-First Lady (and current Senator) Hillary Clinton, it is "not appropriate - - will not enhance or save the quality of life."
In 1995, when a major Medicare reform bill was before Congress, the National Right to Life Committee fought hard to change Medicare's prohibition on senior citizens' adding their own money so as to get the core Medicare benefits without rationing. In the end, we were unsuccessful, but fortunately the congressionally passed bill was vetoed (for other reasons).
Then in 1997 we succeeded in creating an option in Medicare under which senior citizens could choose to add their own money, on top of the limited government payment, in order to select indemnity health insurance plans that are less likely to deny needed lifesaving treatment - - called "private fee-for-service" plans.
The 2003 Medicare bill just signed effectively expands that ability to cover not just indemnity but also "preferred provider" and most types of managed care plans. The ability also applies to the new prescription drug benefit.