Lexicon
1. Ignorance of calling Bismarck system "socialized medicine": We see that the system in Germany is mostly private in spite of efforts to demonize all universal health care as socialism, a buzz word that stops the debate and ceases intelligent conversation.
2. No waiting and abundant choice in Germany, France and Japan: These examples refute the fears of the anti-universal health coverage camp.
3. individual mandate: all citizens, as in Japan, must sign up for a health plan. A lot of Americans are hostile to this idea.
4. Japanese doctor income level is too low: Those who provide medical care in Japan are underpaid. Today, as we read in the Japan Times, there is a doctor shortage.
5. Pay the Piper Principle: No UK medical bills but a sales tax of 17.5%
6. Facing the Financial Abyss: Emergency medical procedure for author's daughter in Britain frightened him. What would the bill be? It was nothing. Now he knows why Brits put up with high taxes (119).
Review Questions
One. How successful, or not, is the Bismarck system in Germany and Japan?
Remember Bismarck is private, non-profit insurance plan paying a private provider.
See 90 and 91 for comparison of Japan and Germany.
Japan pays doctors and nurses the lowest (91).
On page 96, we see that many Japanese doctors are underpaid for their services.
But Japanese doctors graduate typically with no student debt and tuition fees of $1,500 a year (97).
Two. What is the purpose of British health care?
That nobody should ever have to pay a bill. This works because in Britain the sales tax in 17.5 percent.
Final Essay 4, Worth 400 Points: The Healing of America by T.R. Reid
In a 6-page research paper, not including your Works Cited page, address the following proposition with an argumentative thesis:
One camp of readers would praise T.R. Reid’s book as a heavy dose of sanity counteracting a sick American public health care policy shackled by greedy politicians and insurance functionaries, polarized pundits, fear tactics, close-mindedness, and other pathologies. Another camp of readers would repudiate Reid’s book as an ideologically fueled polemic sodden with biases, fantasies, and socialistic excesses. Which camp are you in? Support your position in a thesis with mapping components that defend your assertion. Be sure to address your opponents to show why they’re misguided in at least a page of your essay.
Your guidelines are as follows:
This research paper should present a thesis that is specific, manageable, provable, and contestable—in other words, the thesis should offer a clear position, stand, or opinion that will be proven with research.
You should analyze and prove your thesis using examples and quotes from a variety of sources.
You need to research and cite from at least five sources.
You must use at least 3 different types of sources.
At least one source must be from an ECC library database.
At least one source must be a book, anthology or textbook.
At least one source must be from a credible website, appropriate for academic use.
The paper should not over-rely on one main source for most of the information. Rather, it should use multiple sources and synthesize the information found in them.
This paper will be approximately 5-7 pages in length, not including the Works Cited page, which is also required. This means at least 5 full pages of text. The Works Cited page does NOT count towards length requirement.
You must use MLA format for the document, in-text citations, and Works Cited page.
You must integrate quotations and paraphrases using signal phrases and analysis or commentary.
You must sustain your argument, use transitions effectively, and use correct grammar, spelling, and punctuation.
Your paper must be logically organized and focused.
Introduction, MLA Format and Common Grammar Mistakes on Research Paper
MLA format rules for in-text and Works Cited
Twelve Common Errors in Your Research Paper
Common Errors: Pronoun shifts, comma splices, sentence fragments
Introducing Your Research Paper (from Writing Argumentative Essays)
Task 1: The four parts of an introduction
A simple introduction to an argumentative assignment has four parts. Read the following description of the parts. Then circle the sentences in the introduction above which cover each part and write the number for each part in the margin next to it, e.g. for the first part draw a circle around the sentence(s) that introduce(s) the topic and write "1" in the margin next to it.
| 1. | Introduces the topic |
| 2. | States why the topic is important |
| 3. | States that there is a difference of opinion about this topic |
| 4. | Describes how the assignment will be structured and clearly states the writer's main premise |
Do’s and Don’ts of Writing an Introduction
Don’t
Use a trite quotation like “We have nothing to fear but fear itself.”
Don’t use any cliché like “All talk and no action” or any other over-familiar phrase that has no freshness.
Begin your introduction by writing, “In this essay it is my objective to . . .”
Don’t use a common dictionary definition of a term you want to define.
Don’t begin with “In today’s society” or “In society today” or “In today’s modern world” or “The modern world in which we live in” because all are lame.
Don’t be trite or boring.
Do’s
Do establish relevance. Why is your topic compelling, a topic your reader needs to reckon with?
Do begin with a compelling cultural reference.
Do begin with an extended definition that helps your reader understanding a term that is central to your essay.
Do begin with a refutation of a commonly held opinion: “Most United States prison sentences don’t make us safer; they increase crime and feed business interests, not human interests.”
Do begin with a series of rhetorical questions: “Have you ever wondered by so many Americans are apathetic to the very issues that determine the core of their morality and quality of life?”
Do begin with a “delicious quote” or paraphrase that captures your reader’s attention: “Economist Paul Krugman said it would be cheaper for insurance companies to fire their underwriters who are paid to deny medical claims and simply not deny medical claims.”
Thesis checklist from Purdue Owl
Your thesis is more than a general statement about your main idea. It needs to establish a clear position you will support with balanced proofs (logos, pathos, ethos). Use the checklist below to help you create a thesis.
This section is adapted from Writing with a Thesis: A Rhetoric Reader by David Skwire and Sarah Skwire:
Make sure you avoid the following when creating your thesis:
- A thesis is not a title: Homes and schools (title) vs. Parents ought to participate more in the education of their children (good thesis).
- A thesis is not an announcement of the subject: My subject is the incompetence of the Supreme Court vs. The Supreme Court made a mistake when it ruled in favor of George W. Bush in the 2000 election.
- A thesis is not a statement of absolute fact: Jane Austen is the author of Pride and Prejudice.
- A thesis is not the whole essay: A thesis is your main idea/claim/refutation/problem-solution expressed in a single sentence or a combination of sentences.
- Please note that according to the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, Seventh Edition, "A thesis statement is a single sentence that formulates both your topic and your point of view" (Gibaldi 42). However, if your paper is more complex and requires a thesis statement, your thesis may require a combination of sentences.
Make sure you follow these guidelines when creating your thesis:
- A good thesis is unified:
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NOT: Detective stories are not a high form of literature, but people have always been fascinated by them, and many fine writers have experimented with them
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(floppy). vs.
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BETTER: Detective stories appeal to the basic human desire for thrills (concise).
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- A good thesis is specific:
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NOT: James Joyce’s Ulysses is very good. vs.
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BETTER: James Joyce’s Ulysses helped create a new way for writers to deal with the unconscious.
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- Try to be as specific as possible (without providing too much detail) when creating your thesis:
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NOT: James Joyce’s Ulysses helped create a new way for writers to deal with the unconscious. vs.
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BETTER: James Joyce’s Ulysses helped create a new way for writers to deal with the unconscious by utilizing the findings of Freudian psychology and introducing the techniques of literary stream-of-consciousness.
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Quick Checklist:
_____ The thesis/claim follows the guidelines outlined above
_____ The thesis/claim matches the requirements and goals of the assignment
_____ The thesis/claim is clear and easily recognizable
_____ The thesis/claim seems supportable by good reasoning/data, emotional appeal
Class Exercise:
Write a one-paragraph introduction and thesis for your final essay.
PBS Link to TR Reid Documentary Sick Around the World
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