This is why you don’t put government in control of your health care.

And these are just state-level programs. Imagine what will need to be rationed when the federal government tries to control the health care of more than 300 million people.

A growing number of states are sharply limiting hospital stays under Medicaid to as few as 10 days a year to control rising costs of the health insurance program for the poor and disabled.

Advocates for the needy and hospital executives say the moves will restrict access to care, force hospitals to absorb more costs and lead to higher charges for privately insured patients.

No duh. Which is why conservatives have been warning against government-run health care for many decades. When government has to provide for everyone, it needs to ration what it can provide. And even then services are more expensive and place more burdens on those lucky enough to be outside the system.

Hawaii, for example, will now only cover 10 days of hospital care. After that? Tough crap. Arizona will be slightly more liberal, covering 25 days per year. After that hospitals will get stuck with the bill, driving up costs for all the other patients and insurance plans.

For the record, private insurance almost never limits the length of hospital stays. But then private insurance charges premiums and only has to cover those who are on the rolls. Government-run health care ends up covering everyone sooner or later, and as we’re seeing that means health care rationing. It’s an inevitable end result.