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The US Social Security and Health Care

	Health Care Healthcare Crisis: Who's at Risk? A brief history of American Health Care. --- On this page pay attention to the links on the left. Health Care. --- It tells about different plan types and two federal programs: Medicaid and Medicare. The last two are for those who cannot afford health insurance. The page has many extra links on the topic. The Price of Medicine in America Is The Government Responsible For Health Care? By Julie Rovner, NPR. Social Security General Social Security, Part 1. --- A VOA text on the history of the Social Security system. Social Security, Part 2. --- The second part stresses challenges the Social Security system faces today. Introduction to Social Security Social Security Overview Social Security. --- Encyclopedia Article by MSN Encarta. Social Welfare. --- The page gives a snapshot on Social Security. It abounds in links on the topic. The Social Safety Net. --- The chapter examines public welfare and health care. *PDF -- You need Adobe® Reader® installed to view a PDF document. It is available for free from the Adobe web site. A different program, smaller in size (about 2MB), is here. Social Security Issues Trust Fund FAQs Four Questions and Answers about the Social Security Trust Funds, the National Debt, and Sound Fiscal Policy Social Security Reform. --- An on-line journal for senior population. The page highlights the issues on the social security reform.

The WebQuest on Health Care

Introduction

he United States spends more on health care than any other country in the world and the health care costs continue to rise. Government figures show that in 2004 health care spending reached 1.9 trillion dollars, equaling 16 percent of the U.S. gross domestic product. It means the USA spends more money per person on health care than any other country in the world, about $5,300 annually. In comparison, Switzerland spends about 35-hundred dollars ($3,500) per person per year, Japan about $2,000 and Turkey as little as $446 per person each year.

Overseas governments play a much stronger role in financing health care services. Their citizens are obliged to help pay for it through taxes. In return, all are usually covered by national health insurance.

The United States provides similar systems, Medicare and Medicaid, but only for its elderly and low-income people. Working Americans are usually covered by employer-sponsored private insurances.

In this WebQuest you and your teammates will study the ways America provides health care for its people through health insurance, Medicare and Medicaid.

Most of the introduction text is taken from "U.S. Health Care: World's Most Expensive" by Zlatica Hoke, VOA,
Washington, D.C., 28 February, 2006.

Question

• What is the US health care system like?

To answer this question the group will be divided into two teams. Each of the teams will have assignments to complete. Read carefully the Process and Resources below.

Process and Resources

Being assigned to a team or choosing the team you like, you are to complete the tasks below.

Some of the articles might challenge you in terms of unknown words. Please, feel free to use one of the online dictionaries or one at hand.

Here are step-by-step instructions to follow when looking into your tasks.

1. BACKGROUND. The whole group should read the articles about the health care in general and problems it faces. You might want to open the questions for guided reading.
• Click to open some questions to guide you through reading. Click to close the questions.
  • Is it possible that a person can be denied health care in case of emergency?
  • What kind of healthcare system does the United States have?
  • How is the healthcare system funded?
  • What are reasons for the high cost of American health care?
  • How do employers react to the rising health care cost?
  • "Americans now [2008] spend more on health care than for housing or food. Government estimates show that by 2020, health spending will exceed 22 percent of the nation's gross domestic output."
    What do Democrats propose to tackle the issue?
  • How do American doctors help to slow the increase in costs?

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• Read "The US Healthcare System."
• Read "Healthcare in the United States." By Samuel D Uretsky, PharmD.
• Read or listen to "U.S. Health Care: World's Most Expensive."
• Read or listen to "U.S. Health Spending: Looking for a Cure." By VOA Special English.
• Read or listen to "Rising Health Care Costs One of 'Biggest Challenges'."
• Read "U.S. Society > Health Care."
  • Optional reading - "Health care in the United States."


2. TEAM WORK. Click the envelope that belongs to your team. The envelopes contain the task to complete.

TEAM ONE	TEAM TWO

3. LOOKING INTO AN ISSUE: THE UNINSURED. The whole group should look through the texts below and discuss the issue.
   1. Look through the texts about the uninsured Americans and sum up the main ideas. You might want to open the questions for guided reading.
      • Click to open some questions to guide you through reading. Click to close the questions.
        • What are the reasons for lack of health insurance among Americans?
        • What are the consequences for the people without health insurance?
        • How many Americans were uninsured in 2006 and 2007?
        • What was the reason for decrease in the number of the uninsured in 2007?
        • Are there any other ways [non-governmental] to provide health care for the uninsured?

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      • Study the bar chart "Reasons for No Health Insurance Coverage Among Uninsured Persons Aged <65 Years." National Health Interview Survey, United States, 2004.
      • Scan through "The Reason So Many Americans are Uninsured." By ezinearticles.com.
      • Scan through the text and find the paragraphs about the uninsured - "This is America - Health Care in the United States."
      • Scan through "Health Care Crisis: The Uninsured." By PBC.org.
      • Scan through or listen to "Census: Fewer Americans Lack Health Insurance." By NPR.org.
      • Optional reading - "A Decline in Uninsured is Reported for 2007." By NYTimes.
      • Scan through or listen to "California Center Works for Americans Without Health Insurance." By VOA news.
   2. Look through the texts about uninsured il/legal immigrants and sum up the main ideas. You might want to open the questions for guided reading.
      • Click to open some questions to guide you through reading. Click to close the questions.
        • Why do immigrants, both legal and illegal, have a scarce access to health care?
        • How do some members of the House of Representatives want to control the flow of immigrants in terms of health care?

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      • Read or listen to "Many Immigrants Not Getting Health Care." By VOA news.
      • Read or watch "Health Care for Illegal Immigrants in USA Remains Point of Contention." By VOA news.
        • Optional reading - "Immigrants Facing Deportation by U.S. Hospitals." By NYTimes.
   3. Imagine, as a member of the US Congress, you can address the issue of the uninsured in the country. First, determine the problems and then propose solutions [to the problems]. Discuss the points in your teams and then come up with your ideas.


4. LOOKING INTO ONE MORE ISSUE: THE PATIENTS' BILL OF RIGHTS. The whole group should study the text below and discuss the goal of the document.
   1. Read "The patients' bill of rights in medicare and medicaid." By hhs.gov.
      • Click to open some questions to guide you through reading. Click to close the questions.
        • What are the three goals of the Patients' Bill of Rights and Responsibilities?
        • Which rights, do you think, are the most important?

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   2. Do you think the Patient's Bill of Rights can improve the qaulity of health care? Discuss the question in your teams and then come up with your answer.

Conclusion

he United States is the only country among the industrialized nations that does not have a universal health care. Instead, it has the most expensive and complex system of privately and publicly funded health insurance plans that provide health care services.

News Feeds

Here are the news feeds provided by some of the US mass media. You can use these resources for a five minute news warm-up at the beginning of our class. Click the headline to open the whole article in a new window.