Rhetorical Discourse
Op-Ed:
The Uninsured vs. The Insured: An Extreme American Problem
A young, American woman named Trina Bachtel was having health problems while pregnant; clinics she visited would decline her help because she was uninsured. The only way for her to receive the attention she needed was to pay $100 per visit, which she didn’t have. When she eventually found a hospital, 30 miles away, it was too late. Both her and the baby had died (Krugman).
Jan Casagrandes is a single mom in Germany. At the age of 33 she had a giant thyroid tumor. After two operations and radiation she was cured and her health insurance covered it all for her. “She had the best care she could imagine,” her sister Sabina exclaimed. Because of her surgery, she was unable to take proper care of her little daughter. Her health insurance paid for someone to come and take of her and her daughter until she was well again (Knox).
Over 47 million Americans were uninsured in 2012, 29.7% of them between the ages 18 to 34. America currently uses a private healthcare system, which tends to be outrageously expensive for many people.
In comparison, almost no one is uninsured in European countries because they use a public healthcare system. This system allows and requires all citizens to be insured for very little or even free. This results in a strong healthcare where almost everyone is taken care of.
To have the healthcare system that Europe has, the people are taxed considerably more than the people are in America. But their universal healthcare systems provide high-quality healthcare to all residents, at a much lower cost than what people in the US spend on healthcare (Neel). One main reason they have not adopted this system is because people in America are not in favor of the higher taxation. We are, however trying to improve our system through the creation of ObamaCare or Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA).
Although ObamaCare/PPACA might be a solution for the US’s healthcare system, a healthcare modeled after Europe’s would be much more effective.
Though ObamaCare is close to the ideology of a European healthcare system, it is not quite what our country needs to excel. Because America has such a terrible healthcare system, I believe we need to discard our current system and adopt a system that is modeled after the European’s.
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act or ObamaCare aims to increase the quality and affordability of health insurance and lower the uninsured rates. ObamaCare will aid the tens of millions of uninsured get access to health insurance and improve the healthcare system to get better service.
But to receive these services, ObamaCare will create higher taxes, mostly on the higher-earners, it mandates that all people have to obtain healthcare coverage by January 2014, and if you still can’t afford it you will have to get an exemption or pay a fee, Medicaid, Medicare, and the Children Health Insurance Program uses Federal and State funding, and because it has to cover all sick people the prices increase.
European healthcare is far superior to the US’s in almost everyway. All their people are insured, they receive better healthcare plans, higher quality healthcare, and much more affordable because the costs are very low or even free. Each individual can choose which coverage they most prefer but it is required by law, that everyone is covered. Most people receive insurance through their jobs, along with insurance for their families too. Children are insured on their parent’s plans till they are 18. “It’s really good because it is a package. It’s a package many Americans might envy.” (Nichole- Knox)
“7.5 million European citizens are, by and large, quite happy with the system.” (Rovner) A system that works for all of Europe and puts them on the top of the list for healthcare in the world, the European insurance industry is the largest in the world, 33% share of the global market. This data shows that not only does it work for the people but also for the world.
Most of Europe’s healthcare systems are based on the principle of social solidarity. “We look after each other when we’re sick, and that is very precious to us in Britain and other parts of Europe too,” Sir Michael Rawlins, who runs the National Institute for Heath and Clinical Excellence, said. “And that’s what we find so difficult to understand about your system—you don’t have that.”
“In the states, I think you grow up knowing that no one’s going to help you do anything. If you want healthcare, go get it.” (Knox) America is very individualistic unlike Europe, “You are so used to having this individualistic way of thinking, and that’s why you don’t have these social [safety] nets. You still have this pioneer mentality where everyone has to take care of themselves.” (Rovner)
Not only is the European healthcare system superior to the US’s, it offers a great model for the US to follow. We could change and tweak ObamaCare to make it reflect the European system. Their countries are thriving in the healthcare system, and for our country to thrive to, which it desperately needs to do, we should follow in these countries footsteps. I believe that if we make this change, we will no longer have 45,000 uninsured Americans dying every year.
A young, American woman named Trina Bachtel was having health problems while pregnant; clinics she visited would decline her help because she was uninsured. The only way for her to receive the attention she needed was to pay $100 per visit, which she didn’t have. When she eventually found a hospital, 30 miles away, it was too late. Both her and the baby had died (Krugman).
Jan Casagrandes is a single mom in Germany. At the age of 33 she had a giant thyroid tumor. After two operations and radiation she was cured and her health insurance covered it all for her. “She had the best care she could imagine,” her sister Sabina exclaimed. Because of her surgery, she was unable to take proper care of her little daughter. Her health insurance paid for someone to come and take of her and her daughter until she was well again (Knox).
Over 47 million Americans were uninsured in 2012, 29.7% of them between the ages 18 to 34. America currently uses a private healthcare system, which tends to be outrageously expensive for many people.
In comparison, almost no one is uninsured in European countries because they use a public healthcare system. This system allows and requires all citizens to be insured for very little or even free. This results in a strong healthcare where almost everyone is taken care of.
To have the healthcare system that Europe has, the people are taxed considerably more than the people are in America. But their universal healthcare systems provide high-quality healthcare to all residents, at a much lower cost than what people in the US spend on healthcare (Neel). One main reason they have not adopted this system is because people in America are not in favor of the higher taxation. We are, however trying to improve our system through the creation of ObamaCare or Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA).
Although ObamaCare/PPACA might be a solution for the US’s healthcare system, a healthcare modeled after Europe’s would be much more effective.
Though ObamaCare is close to the ideology of a European healthcare system, it is not quite what our country needs to excel. Because America has such a terrible healthcare system, I believe we need to discard our current system and adopt a system that is modeled after the European’s.
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act or ObamaCare aims to increase the quality and affordability of health insurance and lower the uninsured rates. ObamaCare will aid the tens of millions of uninsured get access to health insurance and improve the healthcare system to get better service.
But to receive these services, ObamaCare will create higher taxes, mostly on the higher-earners, it mandates that all people have to obtain healthcare coverage by January 2014, and if you still can’t afford it you will have to get an exemption or pay a fee, Medicaid, Medicare, and the Children Health Insurance Program uses Federal and State funding, and because it has to cover all sick people the prices increase.
European healthcare is far superior to the US’s in almost everyway. All their people are insured, they receive better healthcare plans, higher quality healthcare, and much more affordable because the costs are very low or even free. Each individual can choose which coverage they most prefer but it is required by law, that everyone is covered. Most people receive insurance through their jobs, along with insurance for their families too. Children are insured on their parent’s plans till they are 18. “It’s really good because it is a package. It’s a package many Americans might envy.” (Nichole- Knox)
“7.5 million European citizens are, by and large, quite happy with the system.” (Rovner) A system that works for all of Europe and puts them on the top of the list for healthcare in the world, the European insurance industry is the largest in the world, 33% share of the global market. This data shows that not only does it work for the people but also for the world.
Most of Europe’s healthcare systems are based on the principle of social solidarity. “We look after each other when we’re sick, and that is very precious to us in Britain and other parts of Europe too,” Sir Michael Rawlins, who runs the National Institute for Heath and Clinical Excellence, said. “And that’s what we find so difficult to understand about your system—you don’t have that.”
“In the states, I think you grow up knowing that no one’s going to help you do anything. If you want healthcare, go get it.” (Knox) America is very individualistic unlike Europe, “You are so used to having this individualistic way of thinking, and that’s why you don’t have these social [safety] nets. You still have this pioneer mentality where everyone has to take care of themselves.” (Rovner)
Not only is the European healthcare system superior to the US’s, it offers a great model for the US to follow. We could change and tweak ObamaCare to make it reflect the European system. Their countries are thriving in the healthcare system, and for our country to thrive to, which it desperately needs to do, we should follow in these countries footsteps. I believe that if we make this change, we will no longer have 45,000 uninsured Americans dying every year.
Speech:
Project Reflection:
For this project we learned about rhetorical discourse, we learned about different type of rhetoric and how it is used. We mainly focused on how rhetoric was used and is still used in our country. We focused on identifying logical fallacies, how to recognize Aristotelian appeals, identifying a sources bias, and realizing our own ideology and bias. Once we learned about all of these important tools, we choose a topic that we felt passionate about and that we wanted to voice our opinion about, we then wrote an op-ed and a verbal piece to show and express our ideology and bias.
I learned many things about rhetoric, ideology, and the American experience. I learned how rhetoric is used in our everyday life and how to identify it, I learned what types of rhetorical discourse is used and how it can be used. I learned how to identify different ideologies, why people choose and how people choose their ideologies; I learned how to express an ideology and how to identify my bias. The main thing I have learned about the America experience is how rhetoric has been and is continuously used to express the ideology and bias of a certain topic and that is how the people of America get their information.
I connected to this project because I am a young American wanting to learn about my country and what has gone on and continues to go on here. I enjoyed learning about a variety of topics, which helped me connect to it because in one way or another it connected to my life. Learning about topics such as healthcare, gun control, military spending, government spending, and many other things happening in our country today helped me stay engaged and wanting to learn more which again helped me connect to this project.
One thing that I found difficult and challenging about this project was choosing a topic, there were a variety of topics that I wanted to express my opinion about but we could only choose one which made it hard for me to decide. Finally, I decided to talk about the difference between European and American healthcare because I visit Sweden every year and could see the differences. Another challenging thing was figuring out how to express my views through a speech so that people could feel what I was feeling. If I had to do this project again I would have spent more time practicing my speech to give it with a lot more emotion.
I discovered that I have a lot of perspectives that I didn’t even know I had, this project really opened my eyes to different things going on in our country that I was oblivious to prior. I enjoyed working through these new perspectives of mine with my class, my teacher, my friends, and even my family. I liked being able to voice my new opinions and show/express why I had then. Altogether this project really opened my eyes to a lot of new ideas.
I learned many things about rhetoric, ideology, and the American experience. I learned how rhetoric is used in our everyday life and how to identify it, I learned what types of rhetorical discourse is used and how it can be used. I learned how to identify different ideologies, why people choose and how people choose their ideologies; I learned how to express an ideology and how to identify my bias. The main thing I have learned about the America experience is how rhetoric has been and is continuously used to express the ideology and bias of a certain topic and that is how the people of America get their information.
I connected to this project because I am a young American wanting to learn about my country and what has gone on and continues to go on here. I enjoyed learning about a variety of topics, which helped me connect to it because in one way or another it connected to my life. Learning about topics such as healthcare, gun control, military spending, government spending, and many other things happening in our country today helped me stay engaged and wanting to learn more which again helped me connect to this project.
One thing that I found difficult and challenging about this project was choosing a topic, there were a variety of topics that I wanted to express my opinion about but we could only choose one which made it hard for me to decide. Finally, I decided to talk about the difference between European and American healthcare because I visit Sweden every year and could see the differences. Another challenging thing was figuring out how to express my views through a speech so that people could feel what I was feeling. If I had to do this project again I would have spent more time practicing my speech to give it with a lot more emotion.
I discovered that I have a lot of perspectives that I didn’t even know I had, this project really opened my eyes to different things going on in our country that I was oblivious to prior. I enjoyed working through these new perspectives of mine with my class, my teacher, my friends, and even my family. I liked being able to voice my new opinions and show/express why I had then. Altogether this project really opened my eyes to a lot of new ideas.