[Health care politicians are not concerned about maximum health gain per crown]

A survey among 150 members and deputy members of County Health and Social Welfare Committees in Norway showed little support of the idea of maximizing health gain when allocating scarce resources among different patient groups. The majority would distribute resources equally between groups that were equally ill but differed in respect of life expectancy and degree of potential improvement in health. A procedure for setting priorities is called for which makes it possible to weigh the severity of the condition against the effect of treatment, and strike a balance between these two factors in quantitative terms.