Tag: healthcare

By Logan Scisco

One domestic issue that extempers will always encounter during the dreaded “social issues” rounds is the state of health care in the United States.  Navigating through the maze of health insurance coverage, why health care costs are high, and how the shortage of health care in the country can be solved can become a nightmare for even the most well read and skilled extemper.

Health care is a pressing social issue that is currently facing the United States.  According to the Census Bureau in 2006, 47 million Americans lack health insurance.  These 47 million Americans represent 15.8 percent of the population and the lack of health care coverage is linked to rising health care costs that are burdening the American economy and the American consumers who are fortunate enough to enjoy private or public health care coverage.

With a presidential election due in November 2008, health care has become the top domestic issue of the campaign.  Senator Hillary Clinton, Senator Barack Obama, and John Edwards, the three leading Democratic contenders for president, have released their plans to expand health care coverage in the United States and create a universal health care system.  The Republican Party has been mute on the issue of universal health care coverage but its leading candidates such as former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney have acknowledged that change needs to be introduced into the American health care apparatus.

A full extemp topic brief on health care in the United States could span thirty to forty pages.  In order to make this topic brief manageable for extempers and for this brief book I have zeroed the focus on United States health care to a few critical issues:  how healthcare is provided for in the United States, the problems of health care in the United States, the pluses and minuses of universal health care coverage, and the different health care plans that have been proposed thus far by leading presidential contenders.

Note:  For a good explanation of the various issues facing the American health care system look at Yoni Schneller’s chapter on health care in VictoryBriefs Extemp Topic Brief books.  His write up can be found in volume one of those briefs (originally published in 2000) if they are still available for sale.

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