Introducing the Universal Health Care Debate

For the last 15 minutes of class on Monday, we discussed the universal health care debate that has risen recently in the United States. What follows in this and some subsequent blog entries is some very general information to introduce the issue for our study purposes.



Why is Health Care an Issue At All?





1. The Uninsured



To begin, there are simply many people who are not presently covered. There is dispute over the exact number, but somewhere between 30 million and 47 million people are without health insurance in the United States. The former number does not include illegal immigrants or young Americans who choose not to purchase health care. Any way you look at it, 30 million or roughly 10% of the population is a significant number.



If they require medical care, they will get it, as it is illegal for care to be refused to someone simply because they have no insurance and can't afford to pay. However, in these cases the standard of care declines and often people choose to avoid visiting a doctor until they require emergency care. In other words, they do not generally participate in the routine checkups recommended for detecting life threatening illness early and other preventative care practices.



2. The Rising Cost of Insurance Premiums



Medical care is expensive and as such the United States has seen the cost of medical insurance climb at an alarming rate. The average cost of an employer supported health plan for a family of four is just over $12000 a year.



There are projections that health care costs will rise faster than economic growth over the next number of years.



3. Loss of Insurance for Pre-Existing Conditions



An insurance company can refuse to renew your insurance once you have been diagnosed with a life threatening illness. This, of course is problematic when people are looking for additional treatment.



4. Medical Malpractice Insurance On the Rise



Due to the fact that there is no cap on court awards for medical malpractice insurance, people have received seemingly disproportionate cash awards for "pain and suffering". Everyone pays when insurance companies have to shell out millions for court settlements. Premiums can rise quickly and some doctors either stop practicing, stop performing certain procedures or risk it all and go without insurance.

Between 2000 and 2002, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates that premiums for doctors went up 15%. In one Florida county for general practitioners, malpractice insurance went up to $175000 for the year. Rising malpractice premiums may also encourage physicians to practice "defensive medicine," performing more tests and procedures than necessary in order to reduce exposure to lawsuits. Both rising malpractice premiums and defensive medicine practices may contribute to the increase in health insurance premiums.


See the link below, read the arguments posed there and do some of your own research on the topic of health care. Over the next two classes in the lab, learn as much as you can about the topic. Put together a set of notes on what you have learned. These notes should include the following headings:

http://www.balancedpolitics.org/universal_health_care.htm

1. Where is the health care debate going?

Track the bills that are in the House of Representatives and the Senate. What do they offer? Who supports them?

2. What does public opinion say about health care?

Find public opinion polling results on questions concerning health care and how that opinion is changing over time. For example, to what extent to Americans support a government operated health option? How has that support changed over the last six months?

3. What are the three strongest arguments on both sides?

In your research, decide on the three best arguments on each side and justify why you think they are the most important.

4. How are people debating this issue in the media?

Check out the ads being run across America right now both in support and in opposition to changes in health care. Is there a pattern? Who is running these ads? Identify the best and worst ads. Do these ads help or hurt the debate? Are they addressing the best arguments their respective side has to make?

The Star Spangled Banner

Today we discussed (and some of us sang) the Star Spangled Banner, which was originally written by Francis Scott Key. It was written by Key in response to seeing the American flag as it flew at the dawn of a new day after an intense nighttime British naval bombardment during the War of 1812.

It was quickly set to music. Specifically, the popular British drinking song
"Anacreon in Heaven." was used as a fit with the lyrics. Eventually, it became the nation's official anthem in 1931.

Before 1931, other songs were used to represent American patriotism in some official way. Most popularly, "My Country, 'Tis of Thee", whose melody was derived from the British national anthem, served as a de facto national anthem of the United States before the adoption of "The Star-Spangled Banner".

Remember the Alamo!

Review the article that appears in the last post and be prepared to write a little pop quiz on Tuesday, September 15. To make sure you are prepared, answer the following:

What is the author's thesis? Do they reveal a bias of their own? What is this bias? What are the main examples that the author uses to prove his thesis?

Bias? What Bias?? We Report, You Decide - Friday, September 11

On Friday's class, I introduced the topic of historical bias. Ideally, the historian and the journalist have much the same code; only the journalist deals with the here and now and the historian deals with the past. This professional code requires that the writer must do their best to keep their personal attitudes and feelings separate from the matter they are covering. This is a wonderful ideal, but in practicality, no one can completely separate themselves and what they believe to be true and real from the way in which they account for, discuss, and analyse historical subjects.



So as such, I will be asking you to be careful when reading material and always assume a bias exists. Conversely, when I ask you to do the work of the historian, I expect that you will attempt to minimize your own bias as much as you can. More on this as we go on in the course...



Our discussion on this topic was advanced using the American Civil War as the backdrop.



I began by asking you to draw a general conclusion about the war. The class came to a consensus that the Civil War brought about the end of slavery. Based on this statement I asked if it followed logically then that the original aim of the war was to end slavery. The class agreed.

Now I am asking you to challenge that assumption... Be it resolved that the original aim of the war was NOT to end slavery. Agree or disagree.

Your homework is to read Lincoln's first inaugural and decide whether or not there is any evidence to settle the matter. In other words, did Abraham Lincoln think that his election as president gave him a mandate to end slavery?

Be prepared to discuss this in class on Monday.


As well.... I also want you to read the story of claimed historical bias at the site of the Alamo.


http://www.statesman.com/specialreports/content/specialreports/forgottenplaces/15alamo_rs.html

What is the author's thesis? Do they reveal a bias of their own? What are some of the ways we can test for bias? Be prepared to discuss these issues briefly in class on Monday, September 14 as well.

What is history? Thursday, September 10

The first class featured an introduction to the classic question, "What is history?"



Through some discussion, we determined that history is the study of the past and how it affects the future. So what are the implications of this statement? It suggests that those people and happenings that affect the future or have a significant impact on the nation are historically worthy of study while others are not worthy of such study.



Does that mean that, for example, the diary of an "ordinary" person is not worthy of historical study?



This depends on your perspective. Perhaps it is the diary of a young woman whose son has gone off to fight in the Civil War and the diary includes entries that discuss the events of that war which include his account of the third day Confederate assault on Gettysburg. There could be much to learn about the attitudes of everyday people towards the war. There could also be things that help us to better understand how the world was different for these people and the reality they lived in.



Therefore, evaluating what is historically significant is not always as easy as it sounds.



Knowing the purpose of your study is also critical. In this case, we are studying a nation and this has implications for the requisite parts that we divide our study into... Conventionally we divide a nation's history into two main components -- political history and social history. As well, we also have other categories -- military history and economic history, but these usually are dealt with under the framework of the political or social history. For example, a particular military action has its own story, but it is most often discussed in concert with what precipitated the military response in the first place. Or economic history might be intertwined with the social impact of a particular event, like the 1929 stock market crash.



For a more detailed analysis, read the following link --



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_history



Our study of the United States will be divided up into the aforementioned historical categories. My purpose will be to not only familiarize you with America's history, but also have you participate in the process of historical analysis and writing... More on that later.

The Closing of the Cold War

See the links below to examine the chronological events of the final phase of the conflict.

1979-1985

1985-1991

From The New World Order to 911

Following the end of the Cold War, the direction of American foreign policy comes into question. The collapse of the Soviet Union forces a new compass and foundation for the direction of the nation.

The Gulf War answers the question as to whether or not America will require a military presence in the future, but what the thesis of American policy is remains in flux.

Examine this period of time between the Gulf War and September 11. Where is America headed? Can you see the coming War on Terror? Where is the country going domestically?

Put together a short two page report on the questions raised above. Due Monday, June 8, 2009.