Health Care: Its What Ails Us Critique - Essay Example

The purpose of the article is to inform Americans about the failure of the healthcare industry and demonstrate the need for universal health insurance. Through a simple format and style, the authors reveal the lack of insurance for many Americans and how the high cost of benefits causes many problems. However, despite some weaknesses, the article uses successful evidence to establish credibility and present universal health care as the solution.

Millions of Americans do not have insurance or are underinsured, which exposes them to illness and premature death. The rising cost of insurance premiums leads many businesses to file bankruptcy.  Moreover, most Americans agree that the health care system is broken, and they also understand that the United States is the only industrialized nation without national health care, which political leaders do not seem to perceive. Some studies indicate that the overwhelming majority of Americans want universal health insurance, a system that makes the government the single billpayer, reduces paperwork costs, gets rid of expensive insurance organizations, and saves millions of dollars in CEO compensation.  In the current system, doctors spend more time filling out insurance paperwork than with patients.

The choice of universal health insurance stems from the recognition of the failure of the industry and its disastrous effects but also a deep understanding of the necessity for people to get help when they need it. The health care issue gets highly politicized during electoral times, and many groups advocate different options all of which are better than the existing system; however, universal health insurance is still the best.  Besides, the lobbies of politicians who depend on financial support from the healthcare industry prevent the project from becoming a reality.

The article has an unusual organization that does not follow the traditional paragraph format. Instead, it is made of short segments of different lengths throughout the whole essay. However, it does contain some specific parts that present different aspects of healthcare. The article adopts the form of a dialogue with questions and answers; the authors address readers as “you” and themselves as “we” as if they engage in an open discussion with them. The format and style of the article are very effective because they allow readers to clearly understand the message through the short segments and feel comfortable as if the authors were present through this conversational approach. Even though the article is relatively short, the authors have thoroughly treated the topic and addressed its most important points. They have clearly shown the failure of the current health care system that has left millions of Americans uninsured, which exposes them to disease and premature death: “An estimated 50 million Americans lack medical insurance, and a similar and rapidly growing number are underinsured. The uninsured are excluded from services, charged more for services, and die when medical care could save them” (Pibel & Gelder). They also demonstrate the negative impact of the broken healthcare industry on businesses and how it leads them to bankruptcy: “Businesses are suffering too. Insurance premiums increased 73 percent between 2000 and 2005, and per capita costs are expected to keep rising” (Pibel & Gelder). These high prices do not allow employers, willing to provide health care assistance to their employees, to compete with those who do not offer this service. The article targets the American people in general and seeks to inform them about the various problems in the current healthcare system.

The authors also expose a variety of facts from organizations specializing in health to inform their readers about the disastrous situation of the industry. Statistics from WHO allow them to establish some credibility and win the trust of their readers: “The World Health Organization (WHO) ranks the U.S. health care system 37th of 190 countries, well below most of Europe, and trailing Chile and Costa Rica” (Pibel & Gelder). Even though the authors do not provide all the information about their sources, they refer to polls, surveys, and other studies: “In polls, surveys, town meetings, and letters, large majorities of Americans say they have had it with a system that is broken and they are demanding universal health care” (Pibel & Gelder).

The authors have succeeded in bringing about a current issue that presents much interest to most Americans. The points they make fit in the debate about universal health insurance as shown in the example of Canada; however, some do not embrace this system. For instance, neither President Barack Obama’s health care program nor Governor Mitt Romney’s proposal represents universal health insurance. Even though the article has been effectively presented, it contains weaknesses because the references are not fully documented.