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Running Head: UNIVERSAL HEALTHCARE

Universal Healthcare in the United States:

An Article-Based Rhetorical Analysis

Kayla Y. Mendoza

University of Texas at El Paso

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Running Head: UNIVERSAL HEALTHCARE

The issue of universal healthcare is one that is widely discussed quite frequently, even in

nonbearing countries such as the United States. The most recent and successful attempt in the US

moving towards universal healthcare was the Affordable Care Act administered by formed

president, Barrack Obama. The bill's goal was to make it so that every citizen would be covered

with some form of health insurance, reduce the cost of said insurance. However many

complained that the bill had raised other taxes too much, not have been entirely successful.

Citizens and government officials started a campaign deeming it unnecessary and

counterproductive. As of today, no parties fully support Obamacare but no new bills have been

drafted either, leaving everything at a standstill. In the article, "A history of why the US is the

only rich country without universal health care", written by Annalisa Merelli, provides a brief

summary of the current circumstances regarding the healthcare policies we have now and the

government's plans for our future. Annalisa Merelli is a published journalist and reporter for

Quartz, a digital global news outlet who has worked from and lived large parts of her adult life in

different countries. Merelli focuses her article by addressing all citizens who are concerned with

the costs and future of their healthcare and is speaking on the premises of the cease in any

progression in either working towards or away from Obamacare. Merelli's article was overall

effective as it addressed the proper audience, provided facts and statistics, and sent a general

informative message that was easy to comprehend and apply to possible current situations.

Merelli begins her article with an interesting title that will grab the attention of most

readers. The title alone makes its own suggestions about what points Merelli will be covering. In

most cases, when someone or something is given the “rich” adjective, it is often being compared,

so many citizens may find this more intriguing and may be given the allusion that the US is
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Running Head: UNIVERSAL HEALTHCARE
being greedy with money. In other connotations, one might take it as the US may be

economically stable, but other nations are enriched by thriving health care systems that do

benefit their citizens. Wherever you may interpret the intentions of the title, Merelli makes a

successful attempt at luring in her desired audience. She also makes an attempt at gaining at

expanding on the audience by also discussing Bernie Sanders, who is widely popular with

younger generations and millennials and discussed his involvement in terms of progressing our

healthcare system. Aside from these groups, there are also the activists who fight for and claim

that health care is a basic human right that the US is depriving it’s citizens, another easy target

who will easily relate and find the article more than informative, but even a platform of support.

To contribute more to the reader, Merelli’s writing style was concise and clean, which allowed

for easy reading, interpretation and understanding.

The most frequent point made is that the US spends the most money regarding health

care, yet they still carry one of the most costly and ineffective methods of deliverance. The new

idea being introduced is that this is how the government makes more money, by keeping their

own tight leashes on the costs of medications, treatments, etc. These concepts will allow the

reader to either feel angry and cheated, or neutrally unaffected. The diction throughout the article

is often negative, which feeds the reader with the idea that maybe the nation should be

redirecting itself towards universal healthcare. Based on the information and numbers provided

in the article, an emotional appeal is made present in allowing the reader to see how US citizens

are publicly struggling, and the government is no where near any solutions. Merelli’s most

effective jab at the current circumstances is her first subheading titled, “National Sickness”,

inferring that this is more than just an issue of political games and advantages, but it is what it

has been made into.

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Running Head: UNIVERSAL HEALTHCARE
The timing behind Merelli’s article is also well thought out and utilized. Due to President

Trump’s presence in office, many things are being changed and rearranged, and one of the first

things to be altered was the healthcare system the country had in place. With so many balls in the

air there is a lot of room for confusion, which is where Merelli came to step in and clearly

establish what is happening and where each political party is standing, and goes as far as

claiming that history is repeating itself, as very similar problems have arose before. Merelli

alludes that the repetition of events should be a big red flag, obvious problems are being ignored,

but no one of importance will address them because no one wishes to sacrifice their hard-earned

salaries. The immediate tone noticed is strict and informative and Merelli uses the compared

salaries of medical professionals from different pictures to fully deliver the idea of how the US

stays “rich”. Merelli’s description leaves the reader with the impression that the whole system is

made for one-sided beneficiaries, and not in favor of the potential patients.

Overall, Merelli uses consistent tones and maintains her credibility by providing her

readers with facts from trusted sources and by quoting individuals with heavily weighed stances

on the subject. Throughout her article, Merelli also kept means of professional communication

with the intended readers all whilst keeping them fully engaged by also providing room for

interpretation all while being informed, effectively using the rhetorical devices of ethos, pathos

and logos. The point and overall message remains, the healthcare system is a problem in our

country, but only remains as so for the smaller and simpler glory of “staying rich”.
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Running Head: UNIVERSAL HEALTHCARE
References

Merelli, A. (2017, July 18). Health care in the US: Why universal health care never ...

Retrieved February 28, 2018, from

https://www.bing.com/cr?IG=E85BB96D92AA4732A49EB52FE4871454&CID=1B713D75A5

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KY&v=1&r=https%3a%2f%2fqz.com%2f1022831%2fwhy-doesnt-the-united-states-have-

universal-health-care%2f&p=DevEx,5068.1