Bunuel wrote:
The primary hospital in the town of Riverton has been criticized for declining to accept patients who do not have insurance or who have insufficient insurance to cover their medical care at the hospital. Responding to the criticism, the mayor of Riverton has denounced the hospital for discrimination and demanded that the policy be revised. The mayor has also encouraged the city council to pass an ordinance requiring hospitals to accept all patients, regardless of insurance coverage. The city council has declined, however, arguing that as a private business the hospital has the right to refuse customers who are unable to pay for hospital services.
Which of the following assumptions can be inferred from the city council’s argument that the hospital has a right to decline treatment to patients?
(A) The majority of residents in the town of Riverton have sufficient insurance coverage, so there will be very few patients who are refused service.
(B) The city council believes that anti-discrimination laws do not cover a hospital refusing service to patients who are unable to pay for their medical services.
(C) The uninsured and insufficiently insured patients will be covered by state and federal funding, so the hospital will ultimately not need to turn patients away.
(D) There is a large hospital in a town very near to Riverton that accepts all patients regardless of their insurance coverage.
(E) The mayor is a member of a different political party than most members of the city council, so they tend to oppose him on every recommendation he makes.
OFFICIAL EXPLANATION
Overview: Question presents a scenario in which a large hospital in the town of Riverton has an established policy of turning away patients with no insurance or with insurance that is insufficient to cover their medical needs. The mayor of Riverton has taken a stand against this practice and has asked the city council to pass an ordinance that requires hospitals to accept all patients, regardless of their insurance coverage. The city council has refused on the grounds that the hospital is a
private business and should not have to serve those who cannot pay. The student is asked to consider which assumption among the answer choices can be inferred from the city council’s argument.
The Correct Answer:B Although the passage does not directly mention anti-discrimination laws, it does mention that the mayor perceives the hospital’s policy to fall under these laws and thus explains his reason for taking the matter before the city council. The city council’s decision, then, indicates that they do not believe any laws forbidding discrimination apply to a hospital that is refusing service to uninsured or underinsured patients.
The Incorrect Answers:A There is nothing in the city council’s decision or in the passage to indicate that the majority of residents in Riverton already have sufficient coverage. In fact, the outcry raised against the hospital suggests otherwise, so answer choice (A) cannot be correct.
C, D There is no information in the passage to suggest that the city council bases its decision on the possibility of government funding or on another hospital accepting patients. The passage does mention that the hospital under discussion is the “primary” one, indicating that there might be others, but there is no suggestion regarding a hospital in a nearby town or about its policies concerning uninsured patients. Therefore, answer choices (C) and (D) cannot be correct.
E Although the city council might very well be composed mostly of members who support a different political party than that of the mayor, it is impossible to deduce from the passage that the council is so composed or that this contributes to the city council’s decision regarding the hospital. Answer choice (E) is clearly incorrect.
close
28 Jun 2021, 08:00
25%
(medium)
19%
(02:13)
wrong 
