Amanda Hagan
Creating Equality Through Universal Health Care
Skiadas, English Language 4
3-11-13
WELL-WRITTEN AND WELL-RESEARCHED, AMANDA.
TURN ON TRACK CHANGES BEFORE MAKING REVISIONS. LISTEN CAREFULLY TO INSTRUCTION.
HOOK: A young mother of two small children who works at a convenience store has a
bacterial infection on the inner surface of her heart. She doesn’t have any insurance to pay for
care, and she earns too much to qualify for Medicaid. She would have been fine if she had gotten
care earlier. Instead, a mass from her heart travelled to her brain and killed her. She died because
she postponed care, because she didn’t have insurance (Bell). Sadly enough, this is not an
uncommon type of situation. THESIS: Universal health care should be implemented in the
United States to create UNIVERSAL IDEA: equality for all citizens. It is not only a right of all
people, but also an economic stimulator and a global movement.
(MOST IMPORTANT) TOPIC SENTENCE: Every individual has a right to life,
liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. This is difficult though if the individual is suffering from an
illness or injury that goes untreated because they are lacking health insurance. EVIDENCE: For
example, George and his sister, Tina, had this problem. According to Dr. Debra Richter, who
treated them, they were diabetic since childhood, but it went untreated due to the family rarely
having insurance. As teenagers, neither of their employers offered them health insurance. They
earned too much to be eligible for Medicaid, and couldn’t buy private health insurance, so they
went without insulin, syringes, and glucometer sticks. At age 20, George went blind and had an
average blood sugar level of 200. At 21 he died of multiple organ failure after qualifying for
Medicaid. Tina’s first and only child died of gestational diabetes after 5 months and never left
the hospital. A year later Tina died of a heart attack at age 25 despite bypass surgery. Dr. Richter
states, “I see stories like these every day, but the public never hears them because they are
anecdotal. The cause of death says kidney failure, but they really died from lack of insurance”
(quoted in Bell). COMMENTARY: The story of George and Tina, along with many others,
comes from right here, the land of the free. But every day people are denied the basic rights to
live and pursue happiness because they are so sick and hurt, but have no means to treat and
overcome it. With universal health care, all citizens would have UNIVERSAL IDEA equal
capability to remain healthy and create wonderful, productive lives for themselves and their
families. EVIDENCE: Also, in the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human rights, it
states that “everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being
of oneself and one’s family, including… medical care” (“Should”). COMMENTARY: So right
there it is stated clearly that every human being deserves to have health care. As a nation that
takes pride in being one of the best, how can everyone look the other way as this country ignores
this right of all people?
TOPIC SENTENCE: Universal health care also has the great opportunity to stimulate
our economy’s downward spiral. EVIDENCE: Like other government spending on goods and
services, health care spending creates jobs and income. The government is the last resort
consumer with the collapse of private spending. In 2009, the stimulus package included $87
billion for Medicaid payments to state governments, $25 billion toward helping unemployed
workers extend their employment, and $19 billion for health information technology. Much more
could be done though with Obama’s reform that covers the 46 million people who remain
uninsured. This plan would allow uninsured individuals to buy into the public system with
subsidized payments for low-income households and those without ties to the labor force
(Weisbrot). COMMENTARY: Government spending on health care allows citizens to have
more money in their pockets than they otherwise would. Without having to pay for costly
medical bills, people would be able to buy more, therefore boosting the economy. Universal
health care also encourages UNIVERSAL IDEA equality for those already receiving insurance
for their employer by having big businesses provide health care at least equivalent in quality to
that provided by the government (Weisbrot). EVIDENCE: Also in 2009, it was reported that the
Senate would be limiting the amount of money spent out of pocket by even the wealthiest
families – a total of $11, 900 for a family and $5,950 for an individual per year. Lower-income
households would be expected to pay less though, and these caps were estimated to virtually
eliminate medical bankruptcy. With smaller amounts of money, providers would be willing to
give families time to pay it off or possibly negotiate discounts (“Is”). COMMENTARY: The
lesser amounts and longer time lines make medical expenses more manageable for all. For those
facing harder times, they wouldn’t have to stress as much about cutting out essential things such
as education or even food to avoid bankruptcy. Even people that aren’t necessarily “low-income”
families though would be able to enjoy the benefit of not having to dole out large payments to
insurance companies. These plans for universal health care would push away the threat of
medical bankruptcy, and create a more plentiful nation.
(LEAST IMPORTANT) TOPIC SENTENCE: Across the globe nations are realizing
that a universal health care system is necessary for long-term economic development.
EVIDENCE: China, Mexico, Thailand, Great Britain, Canada, India, Chile, Vietnam, the
Philippines, Colombia, Rwanda, Ghana, and other countries either already have, are working on,
or are planning to have universal health care systems. In Mexico, leaders were alarmed that
many families would pull children out of school or sell productive assets like cattle in order to
pay medical bills. According to Dr. Julio Frenk, former health minister in Mexico and Dean of
the Harvard School of Public Health, before the health care push, the Mexican government had
discovered that annually 4 million people were being driven to bankruptcy by illness, causing an
enormous drag on the economy. The new insurance plan now covers more than 50 million
people, closing the gap left by the traditional insurance system funded by payroll taxes (Levey).
COMMENTARY: Both highly developed and less developed countries have recognized the
importance of universal health care, and America is being increasingly left behind. As a country
that typically campaigns for equality, such as with access to education, this is surprising. Aside
from individual households, universal health care would also benefit the entire nation by
positively affecting the economy as was the case in Mexico.
CONCESSION: Many opponents of universal health care argue that the pecuniary dangers of
the system would outweigh any possible benefits. EVIDENCE: They point out the increase of
$4.7 trillion from last year in the cost of making Social Security and Medicare solvent for the
next 75 years and also the slower than expected growth in the economy. They also assert that if
proposed health programs were to fail, that income taxes on all Americans would rise to
unprecedented levels, which would crush growth and actually make health care less affordable
(Lawrence). COUNTERARGUMENT: On the contrary, aside from stimulating the economy in
the short-term, universal health care also has the capability of reducing future federal budget
deficits. EVIDENCE: It is predicted that health reform legislation could produce a net reduction
of $143 billion between 2010 and 2019 in federal deficits as a result of direct spending and
revenues. Over the next two decades reform could reduce the deficit by over $1 trillion through
cutting uncompensated care costs and terminating unwarranted subsidies. Doctors, hospitals, and
other providers are rewarded for delivering high quality care and funding research into what
works (Is). COMMENTARY: Rising health care costs are a major factor of this country’s debt.
By reducing costs, the debt ceases to pile up and the national deficit is reduced by the increased
income of the citizens.
(STRATEGY: RETURN TO A SCENE OR ANECDOTE FROM THE INTRO) A
young mother of two small children who works at a convenience store has a bacterial infection
on the inner surface of her heart. She has federal health care so she goes to the doctor to receive
care and is fine. Universal health care can save lives and even save the economy with the
increase in money available to families. With the implementation of this system, America could
rise to a better state of being as a whole and become a truly UNIVERSAL IDEA equal nation.
Works Cited
Bell, Howard. “Case Study: The Uninsured.” New Physician. Sept. 2000: 18+. SIRS Issues
Researcher. Web. 20 Mar 2013.
“Is the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) good for America?”
Obamacare/Health Care Laws. ProCon.org. 5 Feb 2013. Web. 12 Mar 2013.
Lawrence, Bryan R. “Our Promises Are Killing Our Potential.” Washington Post. 25 Jan 2013:
A.17. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 20 Mar 2013.
Levey, Noam N. “U.S. Lags in Global Healthcare Push.” Los Angeles Times. 12 May 2012: A.1.
SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 20 Mar 2013.
“Should all Americans have the right (be entitled) to health care?” Right to Health Care.
ProCon.org. 5 Feb 2013. Web. 12 Mar 2013.
Weisbrot, Mark. “Obama Plan Will Benefit Every Working American.” McClatchy Newspapers.
26 Feb 2009: n.p. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 20 Mar 2013