The Problem Of Scarce Resources — IELTS Reading Answers

Section A

“Every health system in an economically developed society is faced with the need to decide (either formally or informally) what proportion of the community's total resources should be spent on health-care; how resources are to be apportioned;”

Section A lists the questions every health system must decide about spending, apportioning resources and prioritising treatments — heading iv.

Section C

“Like education, political and legal processes and institutions, public order, communication, transport and money supply, health-care came to be seen as one of the fundamental social facilities necessary for people to exercise their other rights as autonomous human beings”

Section C says health care 'came to be seen as one of the fundamental social facilities' necessary for exercising other rights — heading i.

Section D

“It is also accepted that this right generates an obligation or duty for the state to ensure that adequate health-care resources are provided out of the public purse. The state has no obligation to provide a health-care system itself, but to ensure that such a system is provided”

Section D says the right generates a duty for the state 'to ensure that adequate health-care resources are provided out of the public purse' — heading iii.

Section E

“The second set of more specific changes that have led to the present concern about the distribution of health-care resources stems from the dramatic rise in health costs in most OECD1 countries, accompanied by large-scale demographic and social changes which have meant, to take one example,”

Section E links concern about distribution to 'the dramatic rise in health costs' plus demographic change and costly elderly consumers — heading v.

the realisation that the resources of the national health systems were limited

“What is new is that, from the 1950s onwards, there have been certain general changes in outlook about the finitude of resources as a whole and of health-care resources in particular, as well as more specific changes regarding the clientele of health-care resources and the cost to the community of those resources”

The passage dates awareness of 'the finitude of resources' to 'from the 1950s onwards', placing it between 1950 and 1980 — option B.

a sharp rise in the cost of health-care

“Thus in OECD countries as a whole, health costs increased”

Health costs 'increased' in OECD countries during the period following the 1950s, so the sharp rise falls between 1950 and 1980 — option B.

a belief that all the health-care resources the community needed would be produced by economic growth

“Looking back, it now seems quite incredible that in the national health systems that emerged in many countries in the years immediately after the 1939–45 World War, it was assumed without question that all the basic health needs of any community could be satisfied, at least in principle;”

Immediately after the 1939–45 World War, countries assumed 'the invisible hand of economic progress would provide' all needed health care — option A.

an acceptance of the role of the state in guaranteeing the provision of health-care

“Although the language of 'rights' sometimes leads to confusion, by the late 1970s it was recognised in most societies that people have a right to health-care (though there has been considerable resistance in the United States to the idea that there is a formal right to health-care).”

By the late 1970s most societies accepted people's right to health care and the state's duty to ensure provision — option B.

Personal liberty and independence have never been regarded as directly linked to health-care.

“In a liberal society basic health is seen as one of the indispensable conditions for the exercise of personal autonomy”

In a liberal society basic health is 'one of the indispensable conditions for the exercise of personal autonomy', so the link has long been recognised.

Health-care came to be seen as a right at about the same time that the limits of health-care resources became evident.

“However, at exactly the same time as this new realisation of the finite character of health-care resources was sinking in, an awareness of a contrary kind was developing in Western societies: that people have a basic right to health-care as a necessary condition of a proper human life”

At 'exactly the same time' as the finite character of resources sank in, awareness of a basic right to health care developed.

In OECD countries population changes have had an impact on health-care costs in recent years.

“The second set of more specific changes that have led to the present concern about the distribution of health-care resources stems from the dramatic rise in health costs in most OECD1 countries, accompanied by large-scale demographic and social changes which have meant, to take one example,”

Rising health costs were 'accompanied by large-scale demographic and social changes', with elderly people becoming major consumers — population change affects costs.

OECD governments have consistently underestimated the level of health-care provision needed.

“The second set of more specific changes that have led to the present concern about the distribution of health-care resources stems from the dramatic rise in health costs in most OECD1 countries, accompanied by large-scale demographic and social changes which have meant, to take one example,”

The passage reports rising costs and demographic change but never says OECD governments consistently underestimated required provision.

In most economically developed countries the elderly will have to make special provision for their health-care in the future.

“The second set of more specific changes that have led to the present concern about the distribution of health-care resources stems from the dramatic rise in health costs in most OECD1 countries, accompanied by large-scale demographic and social changes which have meant, to take one example,”

The elderly are described as expensive consumers of health care, but no claim is made that they must make special provision themselves.