Health Care Technology and the Inevitability of Resource Allocation and Rationing Decisions Part I

Abstract

Factors contributing to intensified public concern about resource allocation to health care programs in the U.S. are analyzed. These factors include the aging of the population, the growing incidence of chronic illness and disability, the emergence of sophisticated medical technologies, and attendant increases in the costs of medical care. Evans sees the need for careful technology assessment and for improvements in the ways that allocation decisions are made and implemented. (KIE abstract)