Why Healthcare Should Be Free? Research Paper

• Specific Purpose: To persuade my audience that health care should be free for everyone.
• Thesis Statement: Given the current state of health care, the US should adopt a system that covers all citizens.
• Organizational Pattern: Monroe’s Motivated Sequence.

Introduction

1. Has anyone here ever been uncovered by health insurance when seeking a new workplace or working part-time?
2. In a time when it feels something has gone wrong, what we rely on is health care that is affordable – why not make it free?
3. Think about how much risk you take with no health insurance, especially when an average visit to a doctor costs you more than $60 (Fay par. 8).
4. Today, I would like to speak about the reasons a free health care system is the solution to the situation we are witnessing.

Body

The current health care issues in the US are drastic and affect us all

1. The costs of health care services are sky-high.
   1. More and more Americans cannot pay for their health care.
      1. In 2007, the percentage of bankrupt persons due to uncovered medical bills was 62% (Tamkins par. 2).
      2. Many of them were insured but lost their money due to coverage gaps.
   2. Health insurance costs are excessively high.
      1. Health insurance can take, e.g., $150 a month.
      2. One of the reasons for it is that top health insurance CEOs’ salaries sum up to tens of millions (Eastwood par. 1).
      3. Other reasons are excess lab testing and malpractice (Wagner par. 17).
   3. Those living below the poverty line will probably stay uninsured.
      1. The ACA was aimed at reducing the percentage of uninsured (“Key Facts About the Uninsured Population” par. 1).
      2. Still, many people remain uninsured because they still cannot afford it.

Transition: Surely our health care system needs improvement, but there is a tangible solution to it.

Let us see how we can benefit from a free health care system

1. Free health care would suit all US citizens.
   1. The system would not be entirely free, but the costs would be reduced (Nicholson par. 2-6).
   2. It would also concern tests and prescription drugs.
   3. Every citizen would be covered by health care.
   4. Health care would be provided when you seek a new job or do not suffer chronically.

Transition: The benefits of free health care being observed, let us see how free health care has been applied to practice.

Massachusetts health program provides health care to nearly all citizens

1. Free insurance was given to those beyond the poverty level (Pallarito par. 1-4).
2. Young adults seeking a job were insured.
3. Death rates were declined by 4.5%.

Transition: A free health care system can literally save lives.

Conclusion

1. Today, I have discussed why the US needs free health care, the benefits of it and how it was implemented by Massachusetts.
2. A reformed health care system is what America needs.
   1. The unaffordability and uninsuredness make your fellow citizens suffer.
   2. You will probably live longer if you are a Massachusetts resident – but the reform should cover the entire country.
3. Honest health care that is affordable for everyone is the step that will unite us on the way to our dream.

Works Cited

Eastwood, Brian. Top health insurance CEO pay exceeds $10 million in 2014. 2015. Web.

Fay, Bill. Doctor Visit Costs. n.d. Web.

“Key Facts about the Uninsured Population.” The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. Kaiser Family Foundation. 2015. Web.

Nicholson, David. “The world needs free healthcare for all, says the ex-NHS boss.” The Guardian. Guardian News and Media Limited. 2014. Web.

Pallarito, Karen. “Massachusetts health care reform law lowered death rates, study finds.” CBSNews. CBS Interactive Inc. 2014. Web.

Tamkins, Theresa. Medical bills prompt more than 60 percent of U.S. bankruptcies. 2009. Web.

Wagner, Neil. Health Insurance: Millions Spent on Salaries, Not Care. 2010. Web.