Using NewsHour Extra Feature Stories

Overview: NewsHour Extra features stories can help students identify and interpret key issues in current events. This activity anticipates one class period, but the follow-up essay might be assigned as homework, or in another period.

Warm Up: Use initiating questions to introduce the topic and find out how much your students know.

Main Activity: Have students read NewsHour Extra's feature story and answer the questions on the reading comprehension handout.

Discussion: Use discussion questions to encourage students to think about how the issues outlined in the story affect their lives and express and debate different opinions.

Follow-up: Students can write an 500-word editorial on the topic expressing their views and send it to NewsHour Extra [extra@newshour.org] for possible publication.

Evaluation: Students are graded on their answers to reading comprehension questions and/or their editorial.

Story: The Debate Over Universal Health Care 1/19/04
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/extra/features/jan-june04/uninsured_1-19.html

Initiating Questions:

1. What is health insurance?
2. Do you have to have a job to get health insurance in the United States?
3. Does your family have health care coverage? Who pays for it?

Reading Comprehension Questions: (click here for printout)

1. What did the Institute of Medicine report recommend?

In a report released Wednesday, the Institute of Medicine, an organization sponsored by Congress, recommended that the government consider universal health insurance, insurance that would cover all Americans regardless of their employment status or financial situation.

2. Why is health care a problem in this country?

Currently, most Americans must be employed to receive partially covered health insurance. Employers choose an insurance plan, paying a certain amount per worker, and then workers do not have to pay full price for doctor visits or medicine.

Those who do not have jobs must either pay for private insurance, which is very expensive, cover their own medical bills, which can rise into the hundreds of thousands of dollars depending on the treatment, or simply go without care because they can't afford it.

According to the Census Bureau, 43.6 million Americans had no health insurance in 2002, an increase over the 39.8 million people who had none in 2000.

3. What is Rep. Dennis Kucinich's plan for health care?

Kucinich has called for "Medicare for All." He would eliminate private insurance and create a government-run health care system.

"Currently, there's over a trillion dollars in the health care system from local, state and federal sources," Kucinich said. "Today, Americans are paying for universal health care. They're just not getting it. They're not getting it, because insurance companies are guaranteed to be able to jack up the price of health care with the paperwork transactions they have."

4. What is Howard Dean's plan?

Former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean's proposal calls for universal health coverage for all people under 25. It would also ease health insurance costs for small businesses who can't afford to pay the high price of group health plans.

Dean's plan includes the importation of prescription drugs from Canada, where they are cheaper - a feature very unpopular with American companies that manufacture medicine. It also penalizes large businesses if they refuse to pay for health coverage for their employees - a feature business leaders say restricts their ability to make profits and could harm the economy.

5. Why are some people against universal health care?

Critics of universal health care say it simply costs too much, and with tight budgets, there isn't enough money to cover all uninsured Americans. Meanwhile, health insurance companies have strong connections to both parties in Congress and would fight any attempt to regulate or eliminate their business.

Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson called the plan "unrealistic."

6. What has President Bush proposed for health care reform?

President Bush's plan for increased health care coverage includes offering $89 billion in health care tax credits to people whose employers do not pay their insurance.

7. What are some of the problems other countries have experienced with universal health care?

Many European countries have universal, government-run programs, but they come at the cost of higher taxes. Such systems also result in varying health care quality.

In Britain, for example, all residents are covered, but many people complain of lower standards of care and lengthy waits - of sometimes years -- to see certain doctors.

Discussion Activity (more research might be needed):

1. Using the Online NewsHour's election resources at http://www.votebyissue.org/primary/, research the health plans proposed by the Democratic presidential candidates. Which plan makes the most sense to you? Explain your reasons.

2. If the government proposed a bill requiring Americans to pay higher taxes so that everyone could have health insurance coverage, would you support the bill? Why or why not? How much extra would you be willing to pay?

3. What are the forces pushing to change the health care system? What are the forces push to keep it the same? Which are more powerful?

Write a 300-500 word essay on any of these topics providing clear examples. Send your completed editorial to NewsHour Extra [extra@newshour.org]. Exceptional essays might be published on our Web site.