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BEST IELTS Writing Task 2, 5th March
IELTS WRITING TASK 2 (AC + GT)
IELTS WRITING TASK 2 (AC + GT)
In some countries, health care is free, paid for by the state. In other countries, payment is divided between the state and people themselves. Discuss both systems, and say which one is better. Provide reasons for your answer. Include relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.
IELTS Writing Task 2
SAMPLE ANSWER
Health care in most countries is a major social concern. Healthy people live longer, work better, and are generally happier than those who suffer from illness and disease. But since medical care is very costly, just how to finance health care is a worldwide problem. Should the government pay for all health care, or should the people contribute? Should there be a combination of both? Of the many systems of health care, I shall discuss two in this essay: free health care, and a combination of state and personal payment.
Free health care, that is, all medical payments from doctors’ visits to prescriptions to hospital care and convalescence, has long been an ideal of welfare states. It takes away the worry of where money is to come from when medical attention is needed, and it usually means that people seek medical advice before a symptom develops into something worse.
But free health care must be funded by very high taxes. In Denmark, this system has worked well for 40 years. The health of the nation is excellent, the standard of living is high, and people are happy. However, in Great Britain, free health care seems to have got out of hand. Medical rooms are always full, and patients get less quality time with a doctor. Also, patients go to the doctor for minor complaints, which eventually heal of their own accord. Because it is free, people take advantage. Moreover, free health care is a drain on the country’s revenue. However, for all that, under free health care, people get the medical attention they need, without being financially disadvantaged.
IELTS Writing Task 2
Another way of providing health care is for payment to be divided between the state and the people themselves. This system is used where taxes are not too high. For example, in New Zealand, once a welfare state, taxes are no longer high and health care is no longer free, except for hospital care for permanent residents. Otherwise, the state pays a proportion of a doctor’s fees, while the patient pays the rest – almost half and half. Prescriptions are also subsidized.
Due to the relatively high payment for doctors’ visits, many people have private medical insurance to cover costs. Whatever the method of payment, people pay through taxes, medical insurance, and out of pocket. As a result, those in the low socio-economic sector are often reluctant to seek medical help, and are far less healthy than those who can afford to pay.
There seems to be no perfect way to provide health care. Quality free health care means very high taxes. However, the overall health of the nation is usually very good because medical needs are attended to quickly. Conversely, where the government pays a proportion of health care and the public the rest, poorer citizens are medically and financially worse off. Therefore, in the interests of fairness and overall national wellbeing, health care paid for by the state seems preferable to that of a combined system.
IELTS Writing Task 2
