HEALTHCARE

A Difficult Situation

Imagine you are 14 years old and live in the United States. One day, you fall and break your arm. You are in a lot of pain, so your parents take you to the hospital. The doctor helps you, takes an X-ray, and puts your arm in a cast.

A few weeks later, your family receives a bill for $6,000.

Your parents work full-time, but they do not have health insurance. They cannot afford to pay the bill. What should they do?

Should everyone have the right to healthcare, even if they cannot pay? Or is healthcare something you must buy, like a phone or a car?

This is a real question in American society.

What do you think? What should the parents do? Discuss with your partner.

How Healthcare Works in the United States

The United States does not have universal healthcare. This means that the government does not automatically provide healthcare for everyone.

Instead, most people must have health insurance.

Health insurance is something you pay for every month. In return, the insurance company helps pay your medical bills. Many Americans get insurance through their jobs. If you lose your job, you may also lose your insurance.

Healthcare in the US is very expensive. A short hospital visit can cost thousands of dollars. Surgery or serious illness can cost tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Even people with insurance often have to pay:

  • A monthly fee (premium)

  • A deductible (money you pay before insurance starts helping)

  • A co-pay (a smaller fee each time you visit a doctor)

Because of these costs, some Americans avoid going to the doctor.

Why Insurance Is So Important

In the United States, insurance can protect families from financial disaster.

Without insurance:

  • You must pay the full cost yourself.

  • Many people go into debt.

  • Some people even declare bankruptcy because of medical bills.

With insurance:

  • The insurance company pays a large part of the cost.

  • You are more protected financially.

However, insurance is expensive. Not everyone can afford good coverage. This creates inequality between people with strong insurance and people without it.

Universal Healthcare: A Political Debate

In countries like Sweden and Canada, healthcare is universal. This means that everyone is covered. The system is paid through taxes, and patients usually pay only a small fee when visiting a doctor.

In the US, universal healthcare is a political issue. People have different opinions.

Some Americans support universal healthcare because they believe:

  • Healthcare is a human right.

  • No one should go bankrupt because they are sick.

  • Everyone should have equal access to doctors.

Other Americans are against universal healthcare because they believe:

  • Taxes would increase.

  • The government would have too much control.

  • Waiting times might become longer.

  • Individuals should be responsible for themselves.

This debate shows different values in American society, such as individual responsibility and limited government.

Comparing the United States and Sweden

There are important differences between the systems in the United States and Sweden.

In Sweden:

  • Healthcare is universal.

  • It is funded through taxes.

  • You pay small patient fees.

  • You keep access to healthcare even if you lose your job.

In the United States:

  • Healthcare is not universal.

  • Insurance is often connected to employment.

  • Medical treatment can be very expensive.

  • People without insurance risk large debts.

However, there are also similarities:

  • Both countries have advanced hospitals and trained doctors.

  • Both countries discuss waiting times.

  • Both systems are expensive, but they pay in different ways (taxes vs private insurance).

Comprehensive questions

  1. What is health insurance?
  2. How do many people in the United States get their health insurance?
  3. Give two examples of costs that people may still have to pay even if they have insurance.
  4. Explain why insurance is especially important for families in the United States.
  5. Describe two important differences between the healthcare systems in the United States and Sweden.

Reasoning and Analysis

Do you think it is fair that health insurance in the US is often connected to your job? Explain your answer.

Why do you think universal healthcare is a political debate in the United States? Use examples from the text.

Research Question – Use the Internet

Find out approximately how many people in the United States do not have health insurance today.

  • Write the number.

  • Write your source

  • Write the year of your source.

  • Explain what this number might mean for American society.

A Venn diagram about healthcare in the United States and Sweden

How to Use a Venn Diagram

Now you will compare the healthcare systems in
United States and Sweden.

Draw two large circles that overlap in the middle.

Step 1: Label the circles

  • Write United States above the left circle.

  • Write Sweden above the right circle.

Step 2: Write the differences

  • In the left circle, write things that are only true for the United States.

  • In the right circle, write things that are only true for Sweden.

Step 3: Write the similarities

  • In the middle (where the circles overlap), write things that are true for both countries.

Important:

  • Use short sentences or key words.

  • Use information from the text.

  • Try to find at least 3 differences and 2 similarities.

Your Venn diagram should clearly show what is different and what is similar between the two healthcare systems.

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