Researched Persuasive Speaking -- Secondary: First Place

Scott Toporek, Petoskey High School, Michigan

America Needs a National Health Insurance Program

One of the few constants in our lives and in our history is change. America has drastically changed this past century, and our health care system has done little to adjust. Our current policies simply don’t work and presently leave over 40 million Americans without insurance of any kind (Phillips 70). The solution to America’s health care problems is for the government to initiate a national health insurance (NHI) program.

Many Americans, however, have valid trepidations about "socializing" our $1.2 trillion health care industry (Lowther 39). Then again, think of all the basic services we have already "socialized": police protection, fire departments, social security, and the military. Consider also the alternative to NHI -- our present day system where large for-profit corporations are making medical decisions behind closed doors without our knowledge. We at least have the power to watch Congress and vote them out of office (Stiff 1-2).

Opponents of a national health care system argue that if everyone received all the care they wanted, our facilities would be overcrowded. In fact, nearly one-third of hospital beds are presently lying empty (Himmelstein 80). A national health care plan would provide treatment to the 300,000 Americans annually refused care simply because they don't have insurance (Himmelstein 52). In a nation as large and wealthy as ours, Americans shouldn't be refused care simply because they can't pay.

In addition to the overcrowding, critics also claim that the financial burden is too high. However, according to the General Accounting Office of Congress, implementing a Canadian style system, the one we would be most likely to adopt (Siegal 30), would shave 10% off our total health care spending. Overall administration costs per capita in Canada are $270 per person, while they are an amazing $911 per person in the United States! As far as the financial burden is concerned, the added expense of giving care to the uninsured would be less than equal to the amount of money saved if we cut down our administration levels (Himmelstein 135).

The tragedy of our nation's health care is that we have ample facilities and money to initiate a universal health care program. Placing our health care in the hands of our elected leaders seems to be more practical than allowing profit-oriented corporations to operate our health care industry. It's about time America realizes that medicine is a humanitarian service, not a business venture.

Where there is smoke, there is fire! Four hundred thousand Americans die each year of tobacco related diseases (Kellman, 1998). This toll exceeds the deaths from AIDS, homicides, suicides, alcohol use, illegal drug use, fires, and auto accidents combined. Knowing this, I can, today, walk into any convenience store in America and purchase a pack of cigarettes for approximately $2.00. Tobacco is a substance that should be controlled by the Food and Drug Administration to protect the health of Americans and the future of our nation.

Tobacco use such as smoking, chewing, or dipping contributes to, or is the cause of cancer, especially lung and oral, heart disease, cerebrovascular accident, arteriosclerosis, and emphysema. Inhaling second-hand smoke increases the risk of lung cancer and has also been proven to cause ear and respiratory infections. Smoking during pregnancy results in 2,500 fetal deaths annually and doubles the odds of low birth weight (Miller, 1998). Nicotine is a highly addictive, deadly drug. Behind these heavy human costs lie equally heavy economic costs. Smoking and related illnesses cost Medicaid, and therefore taxpayers, $12.9 billion last year nationwide. The total cost of tobacco use to the American economy was over $100 billion (Weinstein, 1998). This astronomical figure includes medical care costs covered by Medicaid, Medicare, Veterans Benefits, and other welfare programs, as well as lost time from work, decreased productivity and cigarette-caused fires.

These facts are startling, but not as startling as all of us tolerating the addiction to tobacco products that continues to grow and spread among the youth of America. Each day, 3,000 young people become regular smokers. One-third of these will die prematurely due to their addiction. This addiction is real. Nearly half of all adult smokers try to quit each year; only 2.5% are successful (Haney, 1977). Just in the time you have been reading this, 20 children have started smoking, seven of them will have their lives cut short as a result. Can we really afford the life of another child? Ask yourself this, can we really afford the life of my child?

Extemporaneous Writing -- Secondary: First Place

Erin Macrorie, Shepton High School, Texas

Does the media's portrayal of the ideal body image contribute to healthcare problems?