Name Ailish O’Beirne

Class ENW 100

Assignment Multimodal Essay

Date 12/13/19

The Healthcare System in the United States Needs to Change

Millions of Americans are dying each year because of their lack of health care. Medical

insurance costs an excessive amount of money for families, and for some it is simply

unaffordable. The United States is the only modernized Western nation that does not offer

publicly funded health care to all of their citizens, and this fact is embarrassing. America’s own

citizens are suffering because of the lack of actions politicians are taking toward this growing

issue. Health care should be considered a right for all citizens, not just a luxury for those who can

pay. Universal Health care should be implemented in the United States because it eliminated the

difficulty of dealing with privatized insurance, it requires hospitals to provide the same standard

of service and it will help the millions of Americans who cannot afford healthcare.

Universal health care removes the difficulty of privatized health insurance. Hospitals

have to deal with many separate insurance agencies. Millions of dollars are spent paying for

professionals whose jobs are purely to deal with the insurance companies, not even mentioning

the delay in health care as well to make sure one’s insurance plan covers it. In addition, several

insurance companies have their own policies and coverage plans that it makes it very difficult for

doctors to advise certain medical plans because they may not allow certain treatment

plans,“‘Some insurance companies can veto ​a doctor’s orders if they feel the treatment isn’t
necessary or consider it experimental’, says Shernoff. ‘They do a lot of denial for newer

treatments, especially cancer treatments.’” (1) The life or death medical treatment plans should

be determined by a doctor, who has gone through many years of training in the medical field, not

to the insurance age who are not an expertise in the specific area. Many doctors even feel that

their treatment options are limited because of insurance, “Too much time is spent on

insurance-related bureaucracy. That same survey found that 20% of provider time is spent on

non-clinical paperwork. More than two-thirds [of doctors] (69%) feel that their autonomy is

sometimes or often limited and their decisions compromised.“ (4) This places the lives of many

Americans in the hands of insurance agents who do not know what they’re talking about. These

insurance agents only care about one thing, and that is money. They only care about the amount

of money they will make off a certain person, rather than what is best for their health.​ “​The profit

motive of corporations does not lend itself to caring for the sickest among us, as insurance

companies only profit when people are healthy, or when care is denied.” (2) A person’s health is

not a type of business, it is a life or death situation of a person. A person who has a family, who

could be a provider for their children, or just a young child. They shouldn’t be treated the same

as an object or a corporation. Insurance is not an easy expense for a family to pay, “Families pay

an average of $28,000 per year for a private plan covering a family of four.” (2) This is an

exorbitant amount of money that should be used in plenty of other aspects of life, such as food,

education or hospitality. Dealing with different insurances is a hassle in the medical field, and

with a single payer health care system, this issue will be eliminated, resulting with the primary

focus being the well being of the patient.

 A Universal Health Care System in the United States would require that doctors and

hospitals provide the same standard of service to everyone. There are many cases that have been

reported about doctor’s prioritizing the health care and services for those patients who have more

money to pay for these treatments. As a doctor, the focus should be on the health of any patient,

not just the patients who have more money. “​Universal health care also equalizes service, with

no doctors or hospitals being able to target and cater to wealthier clients. That means everyone

gets the same level of care, which ultimately leads to a healthier workforce and longer life

expectancy.” (5) In total, the same standard of care for everyone would lead to a healthier

country in total. The United States being one of the most advanced countries in the world, ranks

37th in the world for best healthcare. (6) The best country being France, who runs primarily on a

publicly funded healthcare system. With this type of system being placed, every person would be

treated equally, and the U.S. as a country could try to maintain its status of being the best country

in the world, because 37th in health is simply unacceptable. For a country that praises equality

and dismisses discrimination, this policy would further this, ​“​Ideally, with a health care system

under government regulation, everyone will have access to quality treatments at low costs.” (7)

This being the way it should be for any person, no matter what their financial status is.

Universal Health care will help American citizens exponentially. In the United States

millions of citizens suffer yearly without insurance, even resulting in death, “More than 26,000

Americans die each year because of lack of health insurance” (8). This statistic is simply

unacceptable, insurance is simply unaffordable for so many Americans. They are reluctant to go

to the doctor because of the prices, and simply will not go. This leads many to miss a crucial

diagnosis, and will not detect their illnesses until it is potentially too late. Sometimes it is not too
late and the illness is caught right in time, however nothing can be done because of the exorbitant

prices, ​“The number of uninsured Americans reached 47 million in 2006, and it continues to rise.

For many of the uninsured, the lack of health insurance has dire consequences. The uninsured

face medical debt, often go without necessary care, and even die prematurely.” (8) The fifth

amendment states “No person shall be . . . deprived of life, liberty or property” (The Constitution

of the United States of America). This unfair health care in the United States simply is depriving

so many Americans of their right to life. A Universal Health Care system in the United States

would save millions of American citizens, and that is the price any government should be willing

to pay.

The rhetorical appeals of the research I have conducted make all of the claims viable and

not to be taken lightly. The ethos portion is particularly strong, because all of the authors are

experts in their field. To name a few, a New York based journalist who has spent more than 30

years writing about health and health policy, a PubMed author with 20+ years experience in

freelance writing about health and medicine a writer with 20 years senior-level corporate

experience in economic analysis and business strategy, who specializes in how the economy

affects the people and much commentary submitted by students and physicians for a national

health program at SUNY upstate medical university. All of these professionals have an expertise

in the field of health care in the united States. For the logos portion, there are many statistics to

back up these claims. For instance, “More than 26,000 Americans die each year because of lack

of health insurance”(8), and ​“The number of uninsured Americans reached 47 million in 2006,

and it continues to rise. For many of the uninsured, the lack of health insurance has dire

consequences. The uninsured face medical debt, often go without necessary care, and even die
prematurely”(8). These are real statistics used to back of the claims of these professionals. The

pathos portion talks about how fellow americans are dying purely because they cannot afford

healthcare. The cost is exorbitant and some refuse treatment for deadly diseases because they

cannot pay. No one should be denied their right to life because of cost. Lastly, the Kairos portion

is applicable because these statistics are current, and the numbers only increase and increase

because the price of insurances are also being raised. The rhetorical appeals of this issue only

prove that this issue should be taken care of.

In conclusion, the United States needs to establish a Universal Health care system. In a

survey I conducted with my peers, 70% of those who live in the United States believe that the

healthcare system in the United States should not be kept as the way it is, and 60% believe a

Universal Health care plan should be implemented, and 100% of the participants who live in a

country with a Universal health care system like the way their system is. The American citizens

want a change, the experts in the matter want a change. All that is left is for the United States

government to take action.