United States Health Care: Why We Should Support It

II. What exactly does the law entail?

A.) Working together, Congress and Obama worked to pass Affordable Care Act legislation in March of 2010.

B.) The law has two main goals: to maximize coverage, and minimize costs.

1.  “The Affordable Care Act builds a bridge to 2014 when a new competitive insurance marketplace will be established. The new marketplace will include state-run health insurance exchanges where millions of Americans and small businesses will be able to purchase affordable coverage, and have the same choices of insurance as Members of Congress.” (Health Care Reform, 2010)

2. This quotation was taken from the White House’s website, thus showing that when considering this legislation, we need to look at direct sources of information, not heresay and other forms of rhetoric that might taint this law (Halverson 22, 2007)

III. Why do so many people seem to oppose this law?

A.) The American people ultimately fear that this legislation will lead to further government intervention, and that this intervention will lead to more invasive policies bordering on socialism and communism.

1. “False – one independent group even called this myth the “lie of the year.” The Affordable Care Act puts people, not health insurance companies or government, in charge of health care. The new law strengthens the existing employer-based health insurance market while making the market fair for consumers by implementing landmark consumer protections. Families and individuals that don't have access to affordable coverage can receive tax credits to help them purchase coverage in the private health insurance market. There is no government-sponsored, public, or "single payer" plan in the law.” (Health Care Reform, 2010)

2. Clearly, the idea that our health care policy will lead to other forms of government intervention is false.

3. The legislation is merely implemented to regulate the health care market, to keep health insurance companies from taking advantage of millions of Americans, and ultimately to protect Americans.

B.) Essentially, Americans have been fed a host of lies and myths about the health care policy. Moreover, without correcting these lies and informing the people accurately, The Affordable Care Act will never be fully accepted in this nation

IV. Why should we support this bill?

A.) There are enormous economic benefits to such a program.

1. The problem with universal health care, however, lies in the fact that above all concerns, the main goal of insurance companies within the United States is to make a profit. Insurance companies seek to provide satisfactory care without major financing and costs of their clients. 

2. On the other hand clients seek plans that provide the most care without paying a fortune (Reinhard 1, 2008). These opposite goals thus result in the major fiasco between insurance companies and their clients, which has in turn lead to monumental costs on both ends of the spectrum.

3. In other words, rebalancing how funds are allocated will ultimately help the economy, and help the nation with its management of funds. If the private sector of healthcare would run more efficiently, the public and government-run sectors would in turn improve as well.

B.) Besides the economic advantages, there are also a host of social benefits to such a program.

1. If everyone was part of the same health care policy, a larger sense of community and “certain civic responsibilities” would emerge (Universal Access 3, 1995).

2. Harvard’s Law review panel named this idea the “communitarian theory,” or in other words the concept that constituents will start to understand that disease and health are issues that affect everyone, even you my fellow representatives (Universal Access 3, 1995). This effect will in turn make universal health care not simply a matter of economics, but also a moralizing issue. 

V. Conclusion

A.) We all know that the debate over universal health care is far from being finished. Nevertheless, we can make the assumption that a change needs to be made.

B.) One of the most important pieces of information you can gather from this speech is the importance of education. 

1. Often opponents of the bill have conjured outlandish stories and myths about the healthcare legislation.

2. It is thus important to stay informed, and to understand the true dynamic of this law.

C.) We also cannot forget why so many critics are opposed to this law.

1. Much of this law requires a rearrangement of monetary funding. Obviously opponents are not going to be thrilled with a policy that might have them making less money than before. 

2. We need to remember that money is ultimately at the heart of this debate, not necessarily the moral or social implications of universal health care.

D.) We need to ultimately do everything we can to maintain this policy, ensures its implication, and ensure its survival in American Federal Government Policy. 

Works Cited

Halvorson, George. Retrieved October 8, 2011. “Think You Know European Healthcare? Sure There’s Universal Coverage, But More Personal Responsibility Than You Realize.” Modern Healthcare. February 19 2007: 22-23. LexisNexis Academic. EBSCO. 

I chose this article because it confounds common myths about the healthcare legislation passed in this nation. Often Americans fear that American healthcare will become subsidized healthcare like in Europe. This article clarifies that anxiety. 

Health Care Reform in Action. (n.d.). Retrieved October 8, 2011, from USA.gov website: 

     http://www.whitehouse.gov/healthreform/healthcare-overview#healthcare-menu

I chose this source because it provided direct information about the healthcare legislation passed in this nation. I wanted to locate a direct and more primary source for this information, and prove to my audience that when looking that the information generated by the government, the health care policy is not as outlandish as opponents of it propose. 

Reinhard, Uwe E. Retrieved October 8, 2011.“Reforming the Health Care System: The Universal Dilemma.” American Journal of  Law and Medicine. 1993: 46-58. LexisNexis Academic. EBSCO.

I chose this source because it explains the economic advantages of the healthcare policy. The article also exposes the economic motivations that often encourage health insurance companies to maintain the unfair policies they do. 

“Universal Access to Healthcare.” Retrieved 8 October 2011. Harvard Law Review. 1995: 1-8. LexisNexis Academic. EBSCO.

I chose this article because it explains the social implications of passing healthcare reform. Although most Americans focus on the fiscal effects the Affordable Care Act will impose on this country, this article examines the social effects healthcare legislation will have on the nation.