For my third project I chose to look at why healthcare should be free. I looked into reasoning and made three projects that reflected the reasoning behind my opinion. This was definitely a challenging project for me but I enjoyed learning new things. Unlike my previous projects, this was a topic I was not very familiar with. I had to do a lot more research and I learned so much. I really enjoyed the new experience and it was very interesting.
I decided to look into this topic because I know it affects people all across the world. It's a very real and prominent topic so I thought it would be interesting. I'm also very interested in healthcare because its the field I want to work in when I'm older. Because of these reasons I decided that I wanted to take a side and defend it. I researched both sides but eventually took the side that healthcare should be free.
For my research I looked into the creation of healthcare, efforts that have been made so far, and personal experiences. Each were important to a specific subject area and proving my reasoning. I took the side that healthcare should be free and I made my point to prove it.
I decided to look into this topic because I know it affects people all across the world. It's a very real and prominent topic so I thought it would be interesting. I'm also very interested in healthcare because its the field I want to work in when I'm older. Because of these reasons I decided that I wanted to take a side and defend it. I researched both sides but eventually took the side that healthcare should be free.
For my research I looked into the creation of healthcare, efforts that have been made so far, and personal experiences. Each were important to a specific subject area and proving my reasoning. I took the side that healthcare should be free and I made my point to prove it.
English
For my english project I decided to create a story about how lack of healthcare can affect people. My story tells the tale of two people who cross paths. In the end both struggle with the healthcare system and dealing with the cost of medical care. My piece is inspired by the true story of a woman named Alice. I read her story while researching and I thought she would be the perfect topic to construct a story around. Although most of this tale is fiction it is inspired by fact and does have many real elements. My piece is meant to hopefully move someone and show the affects that lack of healthcare can have on society.
For this project I really had to look into reasoning and why healthcare should be free. My research process let me look into my side of this argument and really dive into it. I got to exemplify how this issue affects real people. Reasoning was displayed in my project because it was the purpose behind my story. The whole reason I wrote this story was to prove my point to others and to show why healthcare should be free. I needed reasoning to add the level of emotion I did to my project.
Below is my English piece.
Alice
“You’ve got to be kidding me, again?? Did you really lose your job again” I said angrily.
“It's not my fault,” cried George. “They laid half of us off.”
“What are we going to do…What about healthcare? I can't get treatment, it's not affordable” I said. I had been battling metastatic breast cancer for years at this point. I thought god would finally give my husband and I a break but instead were stuck now with no income.
“How are we going to survive?” I asked in a solemn tone. George looked into my eyes. I could see all the pain he was going through. ‘Maybe my reaction was a little out of line’ I thought. I walked to the back of the living room and sat down on the couch. We locked eyes and I knew we were thinking the same thing. How are we going to pay the treatment bills? How are we going to afford rent? We were already very poor from multiple rounds of chemo. The loads of medical bills piled up like a mountain. My chest began to grow tighter and tighter. I decided to just lay down and try to sleep through it. Maybe it would go away. I laid down on my side of the bed and George followed. We pulled over the covers, facing separate directions, not even sparing a glance. I was so mad, not at him but at the world. Why did we have to endure this? I just wanted the hurt to stop. I buried myself between the covers. Wimpers turned to cries and then cries turned to sobs. My chest tightened again and it felt like I was dying. I woke up George. His groggy eyes and dimmed tone told me he had been sleeping this whole time.
“What's going on?” He whispered.
“I'm dying…” I said.
“What?” He questioned.
Suddenly the dimly lit room started to go black. The walls were spinning and I felt my cold body hit the bed. I had no control over my own body. My legs were numb and my view went completely black.
After what felt like hours in a dream state my vision started to come back. I was moving, why was I moving? I sat up but found myself strapped to a table.
“Hey, hey, stay calm ma’am” a quiet male voice said.
“What about my kids? What about George? I need George” I exclaimed.
“My name is Steven, it's all going to be okay ma’am” he said. I continued to freak out. After some time I came to the realization that I was being moved into the hospital via ambulance. I kept screaming but nothing worked to get me out. Steven seemed scared. His bloodshot eyes were staring in the other direction and his body language was tense. He pulled out a phone and began typing. I turned my head and began reading the words that appeared on his screen.
‘ No this can't be right, she's a mom, she doesn't deserve to die. I thought I was cut out for this…why is she affecting me so much? She's just sitting there…she knows she's dying. Why is she okay with dying??? I can’t do this anymore. I don't want to be in a world where innocent people struggle. I can't just watch them die.’
It's all coming to an end…I thought about my life. It was a wonderful life. I was blessed with kids, a wonderful husband, many memories and beautiful experiences. I remembered that day when I was a little girl. I grew up on a farm with my parents in the middle of Michigan. The breeze was blowing my hair and I ran. I don't know why but I ran. I ran through the woods behind the barn then into the fields. For the first time in my life my soul felt free. The trees rustled in the distance and I could hear the birds chirping. I laid down, my body felt weak. All sensations exited my brain and I stared up into the sky.
“I am free,” I whispered. Now I was still in the ambulance and for one last time I wanted to feel free.
“ Hold my hand,” I told steven. “ I…am…free” I whispered with what little energy I had left. My eyes began to close and I knew it was coming to an end.
Steven
No…No, she can't die. She was such an amazing human. I don't understand why this is happening. Why do good people die? She was fine one moment and then gone the next. I’m supposed to get through this. I'm an EMT for crying out loud. What is wrong with me? As the ambulance slowly arrived at the hospital dark clouds were closing in. They wheeled her limp body out of the vehicle and I watched as they zipped the body bag up. I didn't know why she affected me so much. I wasn't typically like this with patients. I kept thinking about death, specifically my death. What will happen when I die? Will anyone really be sad? I texted my boyfriend Jacob. Maybe he could help. He tried to console me but my thoughts were still racing. I was afraid, I'd never felt like this before. I decided it was maybe time to get some help. The hospital campus was huge and I knew there was a psychiatrist building somewhere. I checked the map and followed the path to a large gray building. I walked in and started a conversation with the lady sitting at the front desk
“Um, excuse me, I would like to see the options for psychiatric treatment” I mumbled.
“Yes, of course we can get you started on a plan, we could fit you in with Michelle weekly if you were looking for counseling options” She told me.
“ How much?” I asked.
“How much?” she repeated with a questioning tone.
“Yes, I don’t have insurance” I said ashamedly.
“Oh…it’ll be about $120 per appointment” she said.
“Thank you for your help” I said as I walked away.
How could it be so expensive? I worked for a freaking hospital. Not even the hospital where I work could provide me with anything. I began crying. It felt like no one cared. People are dying because of the cost, look at poor Alice who was afraid to call the ambulance because she knew it would affect her financially. Maybe she would have made it. I can't do this anymore. I can't even pay for my own medical care. This is what it means to be poor in America. If you don't have money, you don't have happiness. I think it's my time.
Goodbye world. Goodbye coffee. Goodbye cool breezes. Goodbye work. Goodbye love, Goodbye happiness. Goodbye forever.
For this project I really had to look into reasoning and why healthcare should be free. My research process let me look into my side of this argument and really dive into it. I got to exemplify how this issue affects real people. Reasoning was displayed in my project because it was the purpose behind my story. The whole reason I wrote this story was to prove my point to others and to show why healthcare should be free. I needed reasoning to add the level of emotion I did to my project.
Below is my English piece.
Alice
“You’ve got to be kidding me, again?? Did you really lose your job again” I said angrily.
“It's not my fault,” cried George. “They laid half of us off.”
“What are we going to do…What about healthcare? I can't get treatment, it's not affordable” I said. I had been battling metastatic breast cancer for years at this point. I thought god would finally give my husband and I a break but instead were stuck now with no income.
“How are we going to survive?” I asked in a solemn tone. George looked into my eyes. I could see all the pain he was going through. ‘Maybe my reaction was a little out of line’ I thought. I walked to the back of the living room and sat down on the couch. We locked eyes and I knew we were thinking the same thing. How are we going to pay the treatment bills? How are we going to afford rent? We were already very poor from multiple rounds of chemo. The loads of medical bills piled up like a mountain. My chest began to grow tighter and tighter. I decided to just lay down and try to sleep through it. Maybe it would go away. I laid down on my side of the bed and George followed. We pulled over the covers, facing separate directions, not even sparing a glance. I was so mad, not at him but at the world. Why did we have to endure this? I just wanted the hurt to stop. I buried myself between the covers. Wimpers turned to cries and then cries turned to sobs. My chest tightened again and it felt like I was dying. I woke up George. His groggy eyes and dimmed tone told me he had been sleeping this whole time.
“What's going on?” He whispered.
“I'm dying…” I said.
“What?” He questioned.
Suddenly the dimly lit room started to go black. The walls were spinning and I felt my cold body hit the bed. I had no control over my own body. My legs were numb and my view went completely black.
After what felt like hours in a dream state my vision started to come back. I was moving, why was I moving? I sat up but found myself strapped to a table.
“Hey, hey, stay calm ma’am” a quiet male voice said.
“What about my kids? What about George? I need George” I exclaimed.
“My name is Steven, it's all going to be okay ma’am” he said. I continued to freak out. After some time I came to the realization that I was being moved into the hospital via ambulance. I kept screaming but nothing worked to get me out. Steven seemed scared. His bloodshot eyes were staring in the other direction and his body language was tense. He pulled out a phone and began typing. I turned my head and began reading the words that appeared on his screen.
‘ No this can't be right, she's a mom, she doesn't deserve to die. I thought I was cut out for this…why is she affecting me so much? She's just sitting there…she knows she's dying. Why is she okay with dying??? I can’t do this anymore. I don't want to be in a world where innocent people struggle. I can't just watch them die.’
It's all coming to an end…I thought about my life. It was a wonderful life. I was blessed with kids, a wonderful husband, many memories and beautiful experiences. I remembered that day when I was a little girl. I grew up on a farm with my parents in the middle of Michigan. The breeze was blowing my hair and I ran. I don't know why but I ran. I ran through the woods behind the barn then into the fields. For the first time in my life my soul felt free. The trees rustled in the distance and I could hear the birds chirping. I laid down, my body felt weak. All sensations exited my brain and I stared up into the sky.
“I am free,” I whispered. Now I was still in the ambulance and for one last time I wanted to feel free.
“ Hold my hand,” I told steven. “ I…am…free” I whispered with what little energy I had left. My eyes began to close and I knew it was coming to an end.
Steven
No…No, she can't die. She was such an amazing human. I don't understand why this is happening. Why do good people die? She was fine one moment and then gone the next. I’m supposed to get through this. I'm an EMT for crying out loud. What is wrong with me? As the ambulance slowly arrived at the hospital dark clouds were closing in. They wheeled her limp body out of the vehicle and I watched as they zipped the body bag up. I didn't know why she affected me so much. I wasn't typically like this with patients. I kept thinking about death, specifically my death. What will happen when I die? Will anyone really be sad? I texted my boyfriend Jacob. Maybe he could help. He tried to console me but my thoughts were still racing. I was afraid, I'd never felt like this before. I decided it was maybe time to get some help. The hospital campus was huge and I knew there was a psychiatrist building somewhere. I checked the map and followed the path to a large gray building. I walked in and started a conversation with the lady sitting at the front desk
“Um, excuse me, I would like to see the options for psychiatric treatment” I mumbled.
“Yes, of course we can get you started on a plan, we could fit you in with Michelle weekly if you were looking for counseling options” She told me.
“ How much?” I asked.
“How much?” she repeated with a questioning tone.
“Yes, I don’t have insurance” I said ashamedly.
“Oh…it’ll be about $120 per appointment” she said.
“Thank you for your help” I said as I walked away.
How could it be so expensive? I worked for a freaking hospital. Not even the hospital where I work could provide me with anything. I began crying. It felt like no one cared. People are dying because of the cost, look at poor Alice who was afraid to call the ambulance because she knew it would affect her financially. Maybe she would have made it. I can't do this anymore. I can't even pay for my own medical care. This is what it means to be poor in America. If you don't have money, you don't have happiness. I think it's my time.
Goodbye world. Goodbye coffee. Goodbye cool breezes. Goodbye work. Goodbye love, Goodbye happiness. Goodbye forever.
History
For my history project I decided to make a timeline. My timeline looks into the early phases of healthcare and specifically in the U.S. I believe that to move into the future we have to understand our past. Thats why I wanted to look into the earlier stages of healthcare. Below is the timeline key which explains each bubble and connection. Below the key is my actual timeline which I created.
Timeline Key
General Information
Yellow bubbles: Significant figures
Green bubbles: A general event that factored into the healthcare picture
Blue bubbles: Bills, proposals, acts, etc.
Dark green dashed line: This line represents the relationship between President Theodore Roosevelt and the U.S. taking a hands off approach. During this time Roosevelt was independently advocating for a healthier society and for national government to have a part in it. Although his efforts did not succeed they were the first of their kind.
Solid purple line: This solid purple line shows the connection between Healthcare cost increasing and the CCMC being established. The CCMC was originally established as a result of fluctuating medical cost in the 1920’s.
Solid red line: The solid red line is representing the relationship between Henry Sigerist and the Wagner-Murray-DIngel bills. The Committee for the Nation's Health (later known as the Social Security Charter Committee) was the leading lobbying group for the bill. One of its members on the forefront of the operation was Henry Sigerist himself.
Dotted orange line: The dotted orange line represents the anti-german/anti-communist approach taken by American citizens. Although the first sights of opposition to free healthcare because it was Germany’s system occurred in 1917, it persisted all the way into the cold war. During President Harry S. Truman's time in office, Americans were very much against Germany and communism. World War 2 had just ended and the U.S. was still recovering. Truman proposed a plan to provide free healthcare but anti-communist groups saw it as him trying to act like communist countries or Germany.
Solid orange line: This line shows the connection between the AFL opposing the AALL’s proposal and WW1. The main reason the AFL opposed the AALL’s proposal is because they saw it as an effort to break unity in America by giving healthcare power to the states. During WW1, they were very focused on the war and keeping America together so they disagreed with leaving it up to the states.
Individual Bubbles Explained
Theodore Roosevelt
President Theodore Roosevelt, during the Progressive Era, advocated for health insurance as he recognized the importance of a healthy and prosperous population for a strong nation. However, it is noteworthy that the majority of reform efforts occurred independently from the government. In the following years, conservative leaders succeeded Roosevelt and delayed the potential involvement of the national government in social welfare management for approximately two decades.
Henry Sigerist
During this period, Henry Sigerist resided in the United States. He held a prominent position as a medical historian at Johns Hopkins University and played a significant role in shaping medical politics throughout the 1930s and 1940s. Sigerist was a fervent advocate for a national health program and mandatory health insurance. Numerous dedicated students of Sigerist went on to become influential figures in the fields of public health, community and preventive medicine, and health care organization. Notably, individuals such as Milton Romer and Milton Terris played instrumental roles in establishing the medical care section of the American Public Health Association. This section served as a pivotal platform for like-minded individuals dedicated to reforming the healthcare system.
Truman’s Support
Truman assumed the presidency after FDR's death and his term was marked by the Cold War and Communism. He championed national health insurance, proposing a single comprehensive plan that covered all classes of society. Despite opposition from anti-Communist forces, Truman emphasized that his plan was not "socialized medicine" and allowed doctors to choose their payment method. However, the plan faced strong opposition from the AMA, American Hospital Association, American Bar Association, and the nation's press. The Republicans took control of Congress in 1946, further hindering Truman's efforts.
Johnson and Medicare/caid
In 1958, Rhode Island congressman Aime Forand presented a new proposition to provide coverage for hospital expenses for elderly individuals who were on social security. As expected, the AMA launched a massive campaign to depict a government insurance plan as a threat to the relationship between patients and doctors. However, the focus on the elderly shifted the terms of the discussion for the first time. Seniors showed significant grassroots support, and the pressure grew into a crusade. This marked the first instance in the entire history of the national health insurance campaign where grassroots support compelled the issue onto the national agenda. In response, the AMA introduced an "eldercare plan" which offered voluntary insurance with broader benefits and physician services. In turn, the government expanded its proposed legislation to include physician services, resulting in the creation of Medicare and Medicaid. This three-part plan involved necessary political compromises and private concessions to doctors (reimbursements based on their customary, reasonable, and prevailing fees), hospitals (cost plus reimbursement), and Republicans. It encompassed the Democratic proposal for comprehensive health insurance ("Part A"), the revised Republican program of government-subsidized voluntary physician insurance ("Part B"), and Medicaid. Finally, in 1965, President Johnson signed this legislation into law as part of his Great Society Legislation, marking the culmination of 20 years of congressional debate.
US Takes a hands-off approach
During the late 1800s to 1912, the United States took a hands-off approach when it came to subsidizing voluntary funds or mandating sick insurance. The responsibility was largely left to the individual states and private organizations to address. While there were some voluntary funds available to provide assistance in cases of sickness or death, there were no legislative or public programs in place during this time period. It was not until the Progressive Era in the early 20th century that efforts were made to improve social conditions for the working class. However, unlike European countries, there was not strong support from the working class for broad social insurance in the US. The labor and socialist parties' backing for health insurance or sickness funds was not as unified as in Europe. As a result, the initial proposals for health insurance in the US did not emerge through political debates sponsored by anti-socialist groups, as was the case in Europe.
WWI and anti-German fever
In 1917, the United States joined World War I, which led to a surge in anti-German sentiment. The government sponsored articles that criticized "German socialist insurance," and opponents of health insurance condemned it as a threat to American values, labeling it a "Prussian menace." In California, the California Social Insurance Commission advocated for health insurance and even proposed legislation in 1917. Similar efforts were made in New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Illinois to promote health insurance. However, during the Red Scare that followed the war, the government sought to eradicate radicalism, and opponents of compulsory health insurance linked it to Bolshevism, using anti-Communist rhetoric to suppress it. This effectively halted the national debate on compulsory health insurance until the 1930s.
Healthcare cost increase
The debate surrounding healthcare underwent a transformation in the 1920s, which had a significant impact on its nature when it resurfaced in the 1930s. During this later period, the focus shifted from stabilizing income to financing and expanding access to medical care. The rising costs of healthcare for workers were now considered a more pressing issue than wage loss due to sickness. The increase in healthcare costs during the 1920s was primarily due to the middle class's increased use of hospital services, which led to a rise in hospital costs. As a result, medical care, particularly hospital care, became a more significant expense in family budgets than wage losses.
AALL Bill 1915
The American Association of Labor Legislation (AALL) took the initiative in 1906 to advocate for health insurance. As a progressive group, their aim was not to dismantle capitalism, but rather to bring about reforms. In 1912, they established a committee on social welfare, which organized its inaugural national conference in 1913. Despite having a broad scope, the committee decided to focus on health insurance and developed a model bill in 1915. In essence, this bill provided coverage for the working class and individuals earning less than $1200 annually, including their dependents. It encompassed medical services from physicians, nurses, and hospitals, as well as sick pay, maternity benefits, and a death benefit of fifty dollars to assist with funeral expenses. The significance of this death benefit would become apparent later. The costs were intended to be shared among workers, employers, and the state.
AMA supported AALL Proposal
During the year 1914, reformers aimed to involve physicians in the creation of a bill, and the American Medical Association (AMA) provided support for the AALL proposal. They were able to find influential physicians who were not only sympathetic but also willing to actively assist in securing legislation. In fact, some of the AMA's leading physicians wrote to the AALL secretary expressing their desire to be of every possible assistance. By 1916, the AMA board approved a committee to collaborate with AALL, and together they formed a united front advocating for health insurance. However, times have certainly changed since then.
AFL opposed AALL Proposal
In the past, the president of the American Federation of Labor consistently criticized mandatory health insurance, arguing that it was an unnecessary reform that would impose excessive government control over individuals' well-being. The president expressed concerns that a state-run insurance system would undermine the unions' responsibility of offering social benefits, thereby weakening their influence. This apprehension was primarily driven by the desire to preserve the strength of unions, especially during a time when collective bargaining was not yet legally recognized.
Private insurance industry opposed AALL Proposal
The early 20th century saw opposition from the commercial insurance industry towards the efforts of reformers. The working class expressed great concern over the possibility of a "pauper's burial," leading to the insurance business focusing on policies for working class families that provided death benefits and covered funeral expenses. However, the reformer health insurance plans also included coverage for funeral expenses, resulting in a significant conflict. The reformers believed that by including death benefits, they could fund a substantial portion of the health insurance costs by redirecting the funds wasted on commercial insurance policies, which required a large number of insurance agents for marketing and collection purposes. Nevertheless, this proposal would have undermined the multi-million dollar commercial life insurance industry, leading them to oppose the national health insurance proposal
The CCMC
The Committee on the Cost of Medical Care (CCMC) was established due to concerns about the cost and distribution of medical care. This privately funded group was comprised of fifty experts from various fields, including economists, physicians, public health specialists, and major interest groups. The CCMC's research found that there was a need for more medical care for everyone, and they published their findings in numerous reports over a five-year period. They recommended that more national resources be allocated to medical care and suggested voluntary health insurance as a means to cover these costs. However, there was no consensus on compulsory health insurance within the committee. The AMA treated their report as a radical document advocating socialized medicine, which was met with criticism from conservative sources.
Wagner-Murray-Dingell Bills: 1943 and onward through the decade
Wagner's bill changed its name from the Federal Grants-in-Aid Act to the National Health Insurance Act. It was first introduced in 1943 and became the famous Wagner, Murray, and Dingell Bill. It called for mandatory national health insurance, as well as a payroll tax. The Committee for the Nation's Health (later known as the Social Security Charter Committee) was the leading lobbying group for the bill. Its members included Senators Murray, Dingell, the leader of the Physician's Forum, Henry Sigerist, and others. There was massive opposition to the bill, and opponents launched a blistering red baiting campaign against the committee, claiming that its key policy analyst, I.S Falk, was a link between the ILO in Switzerland and the U.S. government. They accused the ILO of being "an awesome political machine seeking world domination." They even suggested that the US Social Security Board functioned as a subsidiary of the ILO.
Art
For my art project I decided to create a collage that represented the early stages and creation of healthcare. Each item has significance and I chose it for a specific reason. For example, the flag of Germany represents the anti-Germany/anti-communist side that opposed free healthcare because it was a practice in Germany. Another example is the two presidents, Teddy Roosevelt and Harry Truman. Both were influential in the creation of healthcare and they pushed for free healthcare during their time.
This project exemplifies reasoning because its meant to show why healthcare was created and why it should be free. All these items represent why healthcare should be free so it exemplifies my point.
Below is a picture of my collage.
This project exemplifies reasoning because its meant to show why healthcare was created and why it should be free. All these items represent why healthcare should be free so it exemplifies my point.
Below is a picture of my collage.