Making abortion illegal

NairisCOM2204HProblemSpeechOutlineforuniversalhealthcare1 xSampleproblemspeech-StandardizedTesting x

 Presentation #1: analysis of a problem: This is a speech of 6-8 minutes exploring a current controversial topic and the need for change. Your problem will be phrased as proposition of policy suggesting a change from the current situation. Your goal is to provide background on the controversy and analyze its major issues, focusing on significance, harms and causes. You’ll be advancing a series of fact and value claims in support of your proposition that there is a need for change. You won’t actually argue that change until the solution speech; the problem speech sets up why we should make this change. You’ll be expected to address major opposing arguments. You will also be required to cite your sources and include a typed outline and bibliography of at least six sources due the day you speak. I have uploaded documents on how it should be formatted and how the outline should be. Will need a Work cited page, it can be MLA format. Here are some websites I did some research on, but will need a few more for a work cited page and for more information to be put on the outline

https://abortion.procon.org

https://www.pewresearch.org/search/abortion

polls on americans views on abortion (something to look up as well 

COM2204H

PROBLEM SPEECH OUTLINE

I. Policy Proposition: The United States should have universal healthcare.

1. Definitions:

a. Universal= including or covering all without limit or exception; available equitably to all members of a society (Merriam-Webster)

b. Healthcare= efforts made to maintain physical, mental, or emotional well-being by trained and licensed professionals (Merriam-Webster)

II. Background:

1. The Affordable Care Act was passed in Congress and was signed into law by former President Barack Obama on March 23, 2010. The Affordable Care Act, known as Obamacare, is a health insurance reform legislation, making healthcare more accessible. This is the current healthcare system that we are under. (Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, 2010)

2. Recently, President Donald Trump has been challenging Obamacare. In June 2020, he asked the Supreme Court to overturn the Affordable Care Act. If this were successful, millions of Americans would be without health insurance. (Stolberg, New York Times, 2020)

3. During the recent presidential debate, that took place on September 29th 2020, President Trump challenged Obamacare even more and made clear of his intentions of wanting to get rid of it (Rev, 2020).

III. Claim 1: The current Obamacare system is not enough

1. Even though Obamacare expanded coverage, it did not do enough.

a. In 2018, 27.9 million nonelderly people were in uninsured, a 2.1 million increase from 2016. (Kaiser Family Foundation, 2019)

b. Similarly, according to the United States Census Bureau, 8.5% (27.5 million) of people did not have health insurance in 2018. This shows an increase from 2017, in which 7.9% (25.6 million) people didn’t have health insurance. (United States Census Bureau, 2019)

2. Costs are still very high for deductibles and other out of pocket costs.

a. The costs of having insurance is very high for many middle-class people (Kliff et al., New York Times, 2020)

b. The average plan for a 40-year-old who doesn’t qualify for a subsidy is $462 a month in 2020. This is a sharp increase from $273 in 2014. (Kliff et al., New York Times, 2020)

c. The deductibles (which is an amount a patient needs to pay before they can get coverage) are very expensive. For individuals, deductibles can be as high as $8,150 and for families, $16,300. (Kliff et al., New York Times, 2020)

d. 45% of the uninsured nonelderly people said that the reason that they are uninsured is because the cost is too high. (Kasier Family Foundation, 2019)

3. When in a life and death situation, you shouldn’t have to think about costs.

a. A woman from Massachusetts had begged people to not call an ambulance for her after she was in a subway accident. She feared about the high ambulance and hospital costs. (The Hill, 2018)

b. New York Times journalist, Marie Cramer, tweeted about the incident saying that the woman was in agony and weeping but begged people to not call an ambulance saying “’It’s $3,000. I can’t afford that.’” (Cramer, 2018)

c. In Boston, where that incident took place in, ambulances would cost closer between $1,200 to $1,900. (The Hill, 2018) Still a hefty price.

IV. Claim 2: The current pandemic, Covid-19, exposed the flaws in our current healthcare system.

1. The pandemic highlighted the health insurance crisis.

a. “More than 20 million Americans have lost their jobs since the COVID-19 pandemic upended society in March… A recent 

Commonwealth Fund survey

 found that 40% of respondents or their partner who were laid off or furloughed had employer-sponsored insurance.” (HealthLeaders Media, 2020)

2. Citizens are not able to get access to healthcare services causing outbreaks within certain communities to become worse.

a. “The U.S. health care system has a basic repeating motif…when you’re sick, you’ll come to a clinic or hospital if your issue is serious enough… The system’s job is to maintain sufficient flow and manage surges…This…model of health care fails…economically distressed people who can’t afford to access it,… people in rural communities who live far from it,… people of color who have experienced institutional racism and do not trust it, and… people with disabilities, who are challenged at every turn if they seek to access it… In the absence of a comprehensive effort to create a new locally oriented health care model, the forces that make these four groups vulnerable to COVID-19 are intensifying at breathtaking speed.” (HealthLeaders Media, 2020)

3. Our current healthcare system was not prepared enough for an inevitable catastrophic epidemic or pandemic.

a. “For years, epidemiologists have warned of possibly catastrophic epidemics of new flu-like illnesses… but the U.S. delivery system is still not ready. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services does not factor in costs of stand-by capacity in its routine payments to hospitals, which limits the ability of facilities to build and maintain the extra beds and supplies that might be required.” (Harvard Business Review, 2020)

V. Claim 3: Companies raise the prices of prescription drugs, making it harder for people who rely on them to buy them.

1. The price of insulin is incredibly high, making it harder for people who rely on it to buy it.

a. Over 30 million Americans have diabetes. Having access to insulin is a matter of life and death for those with type 1 diabetes. (Diabetes Care, 2018)

b. In 1996, the price of a 1-month supply of insulin was $21. In 2001, the exact vial’s price increased from $14 to $35. In 2019, the vial is about $275. That is a 1200% increase from the original price. (American Journal of Managed Care, 2019)

c. Because of this “many people feel forced to ration their monthly prescriptions… and later suffer the ultimate sacrifice: death” (American Journal of Managed Care, 2019)

d. No one really knows why the price of insulin has been raised so much because pharmaceutical companies continue to hold their tongue when asked about it. (American Journal of Managed Care, 2019)

2. Big Pharma companies are raising the price of prescription drugs

a. Since January 1, 2020, the price of almost 500 prescription drugs have increased with the average price hike being about 5 percent. (Healthline Media, 2020)

b. “…the biggest price hike was Marplan, which is used to treat depression, at 14 percent” (Healthline Media, 2020)

c. According to a CBS news report from January 2020, “Drug prices are much higher in the U.S. than in other countries, where the governments typically negotiate with manufacturers to control costs.” (CBS News, 2020)

3. HIV medication costs are also increasing

a. A recent study from 2020 shows that the cost of antiretroviral therapy (ART), which is a HIV treatment, has increased in cost by 34% since 2012. (The Foundation for AIDS Research, 2020)

b. “… the average annual cost of recommended ART combinations ranged from about $25,000 to $35,000 in 2012. By 2018, the cost had increased to between $36,000 and $48,000-even with generic options.” (The Foundation for AIDS Research, 2020)

c. According to a medically reviewed article from 2020, Truvada is an antiretroviral that is used to prevent the transmission of HIV and has already seen an increase in price. (Healthline Media, 2020)

VI. Inherency:

1. Structural inherency= The current healthcare system in place which is The Affordable Care Act (Obamacare).

2. Attitudinal inherency= Following in the footsteps of President Trump, many Republicans want to completely get rid of Obamacare, decreasing even more access to healthcare services and insurance.

VII. Counterargument: Some Americans might argue that our current healthcare system has been good because it expanded access to healthcare.

1. While it is true that Obamacare allowed more access to healthcare, millions of Americans still remain uninsured or under high costs. As I’ve mentioned in my argument, approximately 27.5 million people do not have health insurance as of 2018 (United States Census Bureau, 2019) and that number continues to increase through the pandemic. Because of Covid-19, 40 percent of people (or their partner) who lost their job had employer-sponsored insurance causing even more people to be left uninsured (HealthLeaders Media, 2020).

VIII. Conclusion:

1. Even though Obamacare made healthcare more accessible for Americans, it is still not enough. Our current Covid-19 pandemic exposed the flaws in our current healthcare system.

Works Cited

“Universal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster,

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/universal.

“Health care.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster,

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/health%20care

.

“Background: The Affordable Care Act’s New Rules on Preventative Care”, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, July 14, 2010,

https://www.cms.gov/CCIIO/Resources/Fact-Sheets-and-FAQs/preventive-care-background

.

Stolberg, S. G. (2020). “Trump Administration Asks Supreme Court to Strike Down Affordable Care Act”, The New York Times,

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/26/us/politics/obamacare-trump-administration-supreme-court.html

Damico, A., Singer, N., Orgera, N., & Tolbert, J. (2019). “Key Facts about the Uninsured Population”, Kaiser Family Foundation,

https://www.kff.org/uninsured/issue-brief/key-facts-about-the-uninsured-population/ – :~:text=In 2018, 27.9 million nonelderly,has grown by 1.2 million.

Upton, R. D., Barnett, J. C., & Berchick, E. R. (2019). “Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2018”, United States Census Bureau,

https://www.census.gov/library/publications/2019/demo/p60-267.html – :~:text=Highlights&text=In 2018, 8.5 percent of,7.9 percent or 25.6 million).

Kliff, S., Sanger-Katz, M., Abelson, R., & Goodnough A. (2020). “Obamacare Turns 10. Here’s a Look at What Works and Doesn’t”, The New York Times,

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/23/health/obamacare-aca-coverage-cost-history.html

Folley, A. (2018). “Woman begging people not to call ambulance gains national attention”, The Hill,

https://thehill.com/homenews/media/395409-story-of-injured-woman-begging-people-not-to-call-ambulance-due-to-costs-gains

Cramer, M. (2018). Twitter,

https://twitter.com/NYTimesCramer/status/1012814279857360896?s=20

Cheney, C. (2020). “Coronavirus Pandemic Bares U.S. Healthcare Flaws, Points to Improvements”, HealthLeaders Media,

https://www.healthleadersmedia.com/clinical-care/coronavirus-pandemic-bares-us-healthcare-flaws-points-improvements

Sheervai, S. & Blumenthal, D. (2020). “Coronavirus is Exposing Deficiencies in U.S. Health Care”, Harvard Business Review,

https://hbr.org/2020/03/coronavirus-is-exposing-deficiencies-in-u-s-health-care

Cefalu, W. T., Dawes, D. E., Gavlak, G., et al. (2018). “Insulin Access and Affordability Working Group: Conclusions and Recommendations”, Diabetes Care, 41, 1299-1311

https://kopernio.com/viewer?doi=10.2337%2Fdci18-0019&token=WzExOTgzNDgsIjEwLjIzMzcvZGNpMTgtMDAxOSJd.8Gj6tPv0fhiK4NOBq1FmPdkwWD0

Roberts, D. K. (2019). “The Deadly Costs of Insulin”, American Journal of Managed Care,

https://www.ajmc.com/view/the-deadly-costs-of-insulin

Berger, M. (2020). “The Price of 500 Prescription Drugs Have Gone Up This Year: What to Known”, Healthline Media,

https://www.healthline.com/health-news/prescription-drug-prices-have-gone-up-this-year

Cerullo, M. (2020). “2020 is three days old and drug prices are already jumping”, CBS News,

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/big-pharma-companies-raised-prices-on-more-than-400-drugs-to-start-2020/

(2020). “Cost of HIV Treatment Rising”, The Foundation for AIDS Research,

https://www.amfar.org/cost-of-hiv-rising/

(2020). “Donald Trump & Joe Biden 1st Presidential Debate Transcript 2020”, Rev,

https://www.rev.com/blog/transcripts/donald-trump-joe-biden-1st-presidential-debate-transcript-2020

COM 2204H

Standardized Testing Problem Speech Outline

Policy Proposition:

A federal law should be passed that eliminates the requirement for K-12 students in the United States to take standardized tests.

Definitions:

1. Standardized tests: A test administered and graded in a consistent manner.

a. In California, we’re mostly familiar with the STAR program that administers some large-scale standardized tests for our state.

2. No Child Left Behind Act: Law passed in 2001 that established a requirement for students to be tested in reading and math during grades 3-8 and one time in high school.

3. Teaching to the test: devoting extra time and attention in the classroom to the skills needed on standardized tests

Background:

1. When the No Child Left Behind Act was introduced in 2001, standardized testing became an important tool in evaluating both student and national progress in education. More pressure was put on students and teachers to perform well on these tests because it became the main way of determining a schools effectiveness.

2. In 2009, the Race to the Top program was introduced which would pit schools against each other, with the schools that have the best student test scores receiving increased funding.

3. The No Child Left Behind Act’s goal of reaching “100% proficiency on standardized tests by 2014” failed (ProCon.org).

4. In 2019, the Nation’s Report Card reported that in the last ten years proficiency scores in math and reading remained almost the same even though higher standards of academics were imposed (ProCon.org).

5. In March 2020, the Education Secretary temporarily waived the requirement for standardized tests for the 2019-20 school year due to the pandemic, stating that students should be “focused on staying healthy and continuing to learn” (ProCon.org).

Inherencies

Structural: Federal laws like the NCLB require standardized testing for students during most of their years in K through 12 education. An additional structural inherency that also should be noted is that there currently isn’t a law that mandates less standardized testing.

Attitudinal: According to a poll conducted by Education Next, 66% of parents and 67% of the general public support testing (Henderson) because they believe that it measures the performance of schools and students well.

Claims

1. High stakes testing has a negative effect on students’ mental health/performance

a. Because of the laws and programs that tie incentives and punishments into standardized tests, there is an increasing pressure on students to perform well on these tests. This leads to anxiety, stress, sleeplessness, and other health issues in young children.

b. A poll in 2019 by PDK international found that “50 percent of responding teachers see pressure on their kids to do well on tests” (Dean).

c. “A pediatrician reports witnessing an ‘incredible’ increase in anxiety over five years.” During heavy testing months, “she sees a new patient each day complaining of stomach aches and panic attacks brought on by test anxiety” (Dean).

d. 61% of students becoming more anxious, increasing stress for children at a young age (Abrams et al.).

2. Standardized tests are leading to less curriculum teaching and more teaching to the test

a. 62% of teachers spending more time for test preparation, curriculums have started to be abandoned and instead, a focus on “teaching to the test” has emerged (Robelen).

b. An investigation on teachers’ views of standardized tests, done by educational researcher Lisa Abrams, concluded that the faculty was altering their teaching styles to become more test-oriented, causing “increased attention toward tested content” and “a decreased emphasis on non-tested curricular areas” (Abrams et al.).

c. A study done by the National Research Council of the National Academies of Science in 2011 had 17 social scientists that “assessed [the] value of tying test scores to incentives… The panel concluded that test-based accountability led to score inflation, to gaming the system, and to behaviors that undermined the value of the scores” (Ravitch).

d. For example, one school in Texas was dissatisfied with how their students performed on the state standardized test, so the school “[skimmed] minutes off each period of the day to create a new test-preparation period” (McClaskey).

3. Standardized tests have not led to improved student achievement.

a. As stated in the background information portion, barely any improvements have been made in student performance after standardized testing has been emphasized.

b. “the New York Times recently reported, the latest results of an international exam show no improvement from American teens in reading and math since 2000” (Dean).

c. In the Program for International Student Assessment, which is a worldwide survey that compares education performances between countries, ranks the U.S. as “average in science and reading and below average in math.” This means that out of 72 countries, the U.S. is roughly in the middle of the ranking. A country like Finland doesn’t even have annual standardized tests but has still remained a top performer for the past 15 years (Dickenson).

4. Counterargument: On the other hand, some parents and some of the general public will say that standardized tests are needed as a tool to measure student learning, but in reality, they are not a reliable method of tracking performance.

a. Education Researcher Gerald W. Bracey explains that standardized tests cannot measure a lot of important qualities that make education meaningful. Some of these qualities that are not measured include critical thinking, creativity, resourcefulness, and awareness (ProCon.org).

b. Most of the standardized tests are comprised of multiple-choice questions which inefficiently gauge a student’s knowledge because these types of questions promote memorization and guessing rather than analyzing the reason behind the student’s choice. These questions do not assess a student’s critical thinking skills and therefore standardized tests do not measure educational knowledge in this way.

c. Some students in the higher grades, like juniors in high school, know that these tests won’t affect their grades and therefore don’t take it as seriously. There have been students who just randomly guess just to finish the test and do something else.

Conclusion

The increased emphasis on standardized tests for young students in America has led to negative mental health complications, less knowledge about the curriculum and more about the tests, stagnant improvement for student’s academic performances, and an unreliable tool for measurement.

There should be a federal law passed that abolishes the requirement of annual standardized testing for K-12 students in order for students to have better mental health, more knowledge, and increased improvement in their performance.

Bibliography

Abrams, Lisa M., et al. “Views from the Classroom: Teachers’ Opinions of Statewide Testing

Programs.” Theory Into Practice, vol. 42, no. 1, 2003, pp. 18–29., doi:10.1207/s15430421tip4201_4.

Dean, Ashley. “More Testing Means More Stress For Teens – And There’s No Solution In Sight.” Colorado Public Radio, Colorado Public Radio, 16 Jan. 2020,

www.cpr.org/2019/12/19/more-testing-means-more-stress-for-teens-and-theres-no-solution-in-sight/

.

Dickinson, Kevin. “Is the Finnish Education System Superior?” Big Think, Big Think, 21 May 2019,

www.bigthink.com/politics-current-affairs/standardized-testing?rebelltitem=3

Henderson, Michael B., et al. “The 2015 EdNext Poll on School Reform.” Education Next, 5 Aug.

2020,

Results from the 2015 Education Next Poll

McClaskey, Janet. “Who’s Afraid of the Big, Bad TAAS? Rethinking Our Response to

Standardized Testing.” The English Journal, vol. 91, no. 1, 2001, p. 88., doi:10.2307/821660.

“NAEP Technical Documentation NAEP Data Collection.” National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) Home Page, a Part of the U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, June 2017, nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/tdw/data_collection/

ProCon.org, “History of Standardized Tests.” ProCon.org. 15 Apr. 2020,

www.standardizedtests.procon.org/history-of-standardized-tests/

Ravitch, Diane. “School and Society.” The Death and Life of the Great American School System:

How Testing and Choice Are Undermining Education, by Diane Ravitch, Basic Books,

2016, pp. 243–288.

Robelen, Erik. “Testing and Test Prep: How Much Is Too Much?” Education Writers

Association, 3 June 2016,

www.ewa.org/blog-educated-reporter/testing-and-test-prep-how-much-too-much

.