Data Bases • Custom Term Papers • Free Term Papers • Free Research Papers • Free Essays • Free Book Reports • Plagiarism? Links • Top 100 Term Paper Sites • Top 25 Essay Sites • Top 50 Essay Sites • Search 97,000 Papers @ DirectEssays.com • Search 101,000 Papers @ ExampleEssays.com • Search 90,000 Papers @ MegaEssays.com Free Essays • Term Paper Sites • Chuck III's Free Essays • Free College Essays • TermPaperSites.com • My Term Papers • Get Free Essays • Essay World • Planet Papers	Search Lots of Essays Back to Subjects - Speech None Provided5 None Provided5 Specific Purpose: To Persuade my audience that the United States needs to adopt universal health care. Central Idea: Americans current health care system is faulty and needs to be changed to Universal Health Care for all citizens. I. Have you ever went without health insurance between jobs, or while working part time or because you just couldn’t afford it? No having health insurance is a big risk in a time where medical costs are sky high, Prescription drug prices are outrageous and when your paying your family doctor $50 for a office visit. Fifty dollars represents a full 8 hours of work for many Americans. A. Health care reform is needed in America. Service for pay medical treatment leaves uninsured citizens going without health care, or seriously in debt. B. Today I want to tell you why adopting universal health care is the answer to the question of health care reform. II. I have had many negative encounters with the health care system. A. At one time because of being a part time student and employee, I could not get insurance though my parents, my work, or my school. I was not eligible for Medicaid, and found the cost of private insurance was completely out of my budget. 1. This was a bad mistake. I was born with neutropenia, a blood disease that affects the immune system I get sick very easily, and my body has a hard time fighting off any infections and trying to stay healthy without insurance soon became impossible B. Suddenly I found myself in serious debt from missing work, doctor’s office visits, and paying outrageous prescription costs. I am still paying off medical bills for lab work, and other tests and emergency room visits. III. Today I want to discuss the reasons why our current health care system is ineffective, the benefits of changing to universal health care, and we will also look at Hawaii’s effective plan for universal health care in that state. (TRANSITION) First I want to discuss the problems of our current health care system. I. The current problems with America’s health care system. A. The high cost of medical services in America. 1. “Nearly half of the more than 1 million Americans who filed for bankruptcy protection last year did so at least in part because they could not cope with medical bills or other financial consequences of illness or injury.” Norton’s Bankruptcy Adviser. Found on Universal Health care Action Network. 2. Managed care and HMO Health providers are often hated by consumers because they second-guessed doctors' decisions and required pre-approval for specialist visits and routine procedures in order to cut medical costs. a. Top HMO executive’s salary averaged 2 million dollars in 1997. B. People with health insurance often receive, and have access to better medical treatment then uninsured. 1. Families USA reports uninsured Americans with chronic conditions such as heart disease, hypertension, and arthritis receive half the number of lab tests of persons with health insurance, and are more likely to go without medicines essential to maintaining health. C. The poor are most likely to be uninsured. 1. The working poor are above the financial cut for Medicaid but cannot afford, or do not have access to health coverage. The uninsured working poor often find themselves farther behind due to medical bills 2. What is health care like for the homeless? Imagine having a breast removed and being told to change the bandages in a shelter. Imagine walking around with AIDS looking for a shelter that will allow for all day bed rest. Imagine being turned away from a stay in the hospital with only a one-day prescription because your condition was not serious enough for admittance and then being turned away from the shelter because your condition was to serious to risk infecting others. (From The Homeless Grapevine.) Transition. (Now that we know why our current health care system fails, lets look at how universal health care is would provide the best care) II. Universal Health Care would provide cost effective access to medical treatment for all A. Universal Health Care reduces overall cost of health insurance 1. Universal health care does not spend health care dollars for non-health items, such as marketing costs, prior authorization teams, billing clerks and investor profits. 2. Savings from reducing the administrative costs of our present system are adequate to cover the currently uninsured and underinsured. The World Health Organization reported that in 1995 the United States spent almost $3000 dollars per person on health care. Canada spent half that amount. 3. In Universal health care Doctors and hospitals, as well as pharmaceutical and medical device companies must negotiate their fees and charges with the government agency in charge of financing the plan. This especially lowers the cost of prescription drugs. B. Universal health care benefits all people equally. 1. There would no longer be the threat of financial ruin associated with a long-term illness that exceeds the lifetime payment of your plan. 2. If you change jobs, you don't need to consider whether health benefits are included 3. Even if you stay healthy, you can benefit by having a nearly unlimited choice of doctors, instead of the limited choice now offered by HMOs Transition (Now that we have looked at the benefits of universal health care, lets look at Hawaii’s plan for health care reform that is a step in the right direction.) III Hawaii’s plans for universal health care. A. Hawaii’s health program integrates medicade with state program for uninsured B. The department of Health and Human Services reports that Hawaii will save money on health care because they offer a sliding scale premium for individuals above poverty level. 1. Twenty-five dollar co-pay required for all in-patient surgery and services. Transition (Now we have looked at why Americas health care fails, why universal health care is needed, and even how Hawaii’s health care system works, 1. Today we have looked at our current system of health care in America, why it needs reform, how universal health care benefits all Americans and have looked at Hawaii’s plan for universal health care. 2. Health care reform is definite needed in America. High costs, and lack of insurance make health care unavailable for many people. 3. Universal health care would provide care for all Americans and even lower the costs of medical care. 4. Hawaii has made a step in the right direction, in providing state wide health care, and it is backed by the dept of health and human services. 5. Please take a look at our current health care system and how faulty it really is. Universal health care is by far the choice we need to make for fair, honest health care that’s available for all in this country. Bibliography: WORKS CITED Hawaii Universal Health Care System. Dept Health and Human services. May 17 1997, Non-profit Network. http:// www.nonline.com/proHC.htm National Survey of Family Well-being. Press Release. The Urban institute http://www.urban.org/news/pressrelpr990125.html Universal Health Care Action Network. Quotes. http://www.uhcan.org Getting Less Care. FAMILY’s USA- National org. for Health Care Consumers. March 7, 2001 About.com http:// Word Count: 1147
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