Health Care: International Study

Health Care is a massive topic*  and a necessary one to understand, especially as many of you are about to be on your own.  Many industrial nations manage their health care costs differently; to be a wise consumer and voter, it's necessary to understand the pros and cons of each.  This assignment is meant to hone your research, critical thinking, and writing skills.

*Two starting places to understand terminology (not part of the project below):

Health Insurance 101 

Common Health Insurance Terms

Steps in the Assignment:

Before you begin, open the template in Google Docs, make a copy, rename your copy  "Health Care Assignment: Name," and immediately share it with kolson@onamia.k12.mn.us.

1)  Research (6 points).

Read SIX of the articles posted below, three from each column (three about U.S. and three about other countries).

For each article, summarize the information you found in it (1-2 paragraphs) on your Google Document. 

2)  Synthesize (3 points).

Make a table with headings of your choosing (cost, efficacy, physicians' views, patients' views, etc.) and compare the U.S. system with any/all other systems.  Have at least three headings.

3) Persuade in writing (3 points). 

From your research, write a 3-5 paragraph short essay persuading your reader that you know the BEST way to run a country's health care system based on what you've read.  Explain what elements (from any country) you'd include in your system.

Mechanics count!

All of the following steps will be completed on this document, but I'll only grade it when you tell me you're finished.  In the meantime, I can offer suggestions and read what you're working on.  

Articles to read about U.S.:

Articles to read about Other Nations: 

The Template Document

"Affordable Care Act Summary" (you can read just this front page for the assignment)  Obama Care Facts.

"Wendell Potter on Profits Before Patients." (interview transcript) Bill Moyers Journal.

"Affordable Care Act with Indian Health Service." Indian Health Service. 

"Obama Huddles with Democrats on Protecting His Signature Health Care Law." Washington Post

"Patient Protection and the Affordable Care Act." Simple English Wikipedia.

"American Health Care: What's the Problem?"   Council of Accountable Physician Practices.

Universal and/or Single Payer Health Care 

(non-U.S. types) in general:

"Ranking of World's Health Care Systems ." Mount Holyoke College. 

"List of Pros and Cons of Single Payer Health Care." Occupy Theory

"What is Universal Coverage?"  World Health Organization

"Universal Health Care." HealthPAC

Canada: 

"What if American had Canada's Health Care system?" The Atlantic

"Everything you Wanted to Know about Canadian Health Care." Washington Post

""Pros and Cons of Universal Health Care in Canada." Formosa Post

"Can Canadian-Style Health Care Work in the U.S.? Vermont Thinks So." Brookings.

Sweden:

"What Sweden Can Tell Us About Obamacare." The New York Times.

"Swedish Health Care is the Best in the World, but There Are Still Lessons to Learn." The Guardian.

"Sweden's Health Care is an Embarrassment." The Local SE.

UK:

"About the National Health Service."  NHS England.

"History of the NHS." NHS England.

"Health Care Around the World: the NHS." UMHS Endeavor.

"Can Socialized Medicine Be Cost Effective?" TIME magazine (2009).

France:

"The French Health Care System." International Commonwealth Fund.

"The Health Care System in France: Lessons for U.S. Health Care." NCBI.

"$200 Minus $200: Having a Baby in France vs. the U.S." Slate magazine.

Japan:

"Health System in Japan." International Commonwealth Fund.

"How Does the Japanese Health Care System Work?" XPat Nation.

"The Japanese Have a Very Good Health Care System, but it May Not Be Sustainable." The Washington Post (2009).

Germany:

"The German Health Care System: An Overview." GermanyHIS.

"What American Health Care Can Learn From Germany." The Atlantic.

"Health Care in Germany." NCBI.