II. Skip through the text

A) Choose one of the sides in a political debate.

Remember to justify your choice.

B) Find out more about this hotly debated political topic.

C) Write down your recommendations concerning possible solutions.

Health care debate

According to the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences, the United States is the only wealthy, industrialized nation that does not ensure universal coverage. There is currently an ongoing political debate centering around questions of access, efficiency, quality, and sustainability. Whether a government-mandated system of universal health care should be implemented in the U.S. remains a hotly debated political topic, with Americans divided along party lines in their views of the U.S. health system and what should be done to improve it.

Those in favor of universal health care argue that the large number of uninsured Americans creates direct and hidden costs shared by all, and that extending coverage to all would lower costs and improve quality.

Opponents of government mandates or programs for universal health care argue that people should be free to opt out of health insurance and that government programs would require higher taxes, increase bureaucratic inefficiencies, increase utilization, and reduce health care quality. Opponents also argue that the current level of government involvement in U.S. health care contributes to higher costs, and point to free-market solutions to increase efficiency, stimulate innovation, and make consumers rather than third parties more responsible for cost decisions.

Both sides of the political spectrum have also looked to more philosophical arguments, debating whether people have a fundamental right to have health care provided to them by their government.

Date: 2016-05-24; view: 278; Нарушение авторских прав