413. Who Gets the Ventilator?

4/15/2020 by Freakonomics Radio

Web player: https://podplayer.net/?id=102209510
Episode: https://chtbl.com/track/288D49/traffic.omny.fm/d/clips/aaea4e69-af51-495e-afc9-a9760146922b/14a43378-edb2-49be-8511-ab0d000a7030/4dc01382-3f38-4db9-8855-ab9e016247a9/audio.mp3?utm_source=Podcast&in_playlist=d1b9612f-bb1b-4b85-9c0c-ab0d004ab37a

Should a nurse or doctor who gets sick treating Covid-19 patients have priority access to a potentially life-saving healthcare device? Americans aren’t used to rationing in medicine, but it’s time to think about it. We consult a lung specialist, a bioethicist, and (of course) an economist.

I had no idea that this was set out in state law and is a decision made after a complicated mathematics formula.