Town Hall meetings conducted by members of Congress during their August recess have demonstrated the passion of each side in the battle for healthcare reform. Generally, these meetings have produced more heat than light on the issues because of the use of falsehoods, myths, and exaggerations primarily by opponents of healthcare reform.
While the debate rages, about 46 million people are relegated to the use of hospital emergency room visits and their primary source of healthcare—the most expensive and least beneficial type of "healthcare." Thousands more are losing healthcare each day as a result of losing their jobs. Thousands more each week are losing their healthcare as small businesses drop coverage to reduce costs during a recession.
Add to this list thousands of people who have healthcare coverage that doesn't provide for the cost of treating major diseases, and the urgency for healthcare reform is understandable.
President Obama conducted national town halls to try to clear the confusion and misunderstandings emanating from the local meetings. These presentations by the President have helped to clarify the issues for most Americans. However, there is still extreme polarization from the conservative right who favor little or no reform and the progressive left who favor and expansion of government provided healthcare similar to Medicare. When Congress convenes this Fall, compromise will probably be necessary in order to pass a law before the end of the year.
Traditional Learning Activity
SIRS Issues Research provides a Leading Issue that focuses healthcare reform. Assign students to open this Leading Issue and whether to support a Pro or Con position. Students should then open and read the three links that support that position, and the summary at the end.
Pathfinder
Click the Leading Issue (Pro vs. Con) "Healthcare Reform."
Students have the option of using these new 21st-century tools to organize their ideas for a written report of at least 150 words or a presentation of at least seven slides that cites at least three resources.
Students will need to address three or more of the following essential questions for critical thinking (you can add or substitute others):
What are three major credible arguments of the opposition to healthcare reform?
What are three major credible arguments for the Obama healthcare reform initiative?
What are three myths/fallacies promoted by each side in ads and town halls?
What is your position on healthcare reform and list at least three reasons why?
Let your student know about SIRS' new Timelines feature that provides a historical perspective on drug enforcement and legalization efforts of the past—to help students see how efforts were made in the past to solve this problem that persists to the present.
Show your students SIRS' new Notes Organizer tool and how they can use copy/paste techniques to create an outline and graphically present their selections of significant information and citations that best supports their position on the issue.
Leading Issues also provides models that help students address essential questions in a variety of formats. Students can access these models by clicking the TOOLBOX link near the top right of the issue:
Guide to Writing a Research Paper (student)
Guide to Writing a Mini-Research Paper (teacher and student versions)
Guide to Creating a PowerPoint Presentation (student)
Guide to Creating a Mini-Debate Outline (teacher and student versions)
Town Hall meetings conducted by members of Congress during their August recess have demonstrated the passion of each side in the battle for healthcare reform. Generally, these meetings have produced more heat than light on the issues because of the use of falsehoods, myths, and exaggerations primarily by opponents of healthcare reform.
