That's the clear implication of his column on Obama's health care plan. He concludes by referring to other countries that have universal health care coverage: "they got hooked [on universal health care]; now they ration. So will we. " Of course, in no cases are people prevented from buying health care with their own money. What Mr. Krauthammer means by "rationing" is that there are some medical procedures that will not be covered by the government's health care plan. In other words, the government doesn't pay for them. By this standard, the government is rationing Mercedes and any other item that people have to pay for with their own money. This is not the usual definition of "rationing," but this is the Washington Post.
--Dean Baker
