Writing Reminders:

Question

You MUST complete the outline as directed. You will NOT receive credit if you turn in a paper that is not in this outline format.
You MUST select one of the required topics below and you MUST use the two articles linked here for the topic you choose.
Remember you may NOT use personal opinions, 1st-person (I, we), or 2nd-person (you).
Need help with transition words? Check out this document for ideas!

Topic
You MUST choose one of these topics- highlight or underline your topic of choice!
Should all schools provide education in the arts, including music, art, and drama?
Do schools place too much importance on standardized tests?
Does requiring school uniforms unfairly restrict students’ self-expression?
Should governments help eliminate single-use plastics, such as disposable tableware, take-out containers, and packaging?
Is it ethical for billionaires to amass so much wealth when so many citizens are living in poverty?
Example Topic: Should there be free, universal healthcare for everyone?

Read the articles for the topic of your choice
Now, read the two articles linked here for the topic of your choice. These will be the articles you are required to paraphrase and/or direct quote from while writing your paper. DO NOT USE OUTSIDE SOURCES OF INFORMATION TO COMPLETE THIS OUTLINE OR PORTFOLIO, ONLY USE THE PROVIDED ARTICLES!

Introduction
A. Hook (one-two sentences where you excite the reader to make them want to keep reading):
In many places around the world, human beings are denied healthcare due to the contents of their wallets. This leaves people choosing between their lives and their bank accounts, a situation no one should be put in.

B. Background (one-two sentences that summarizes the debate):
Offering free, universal healthcare is a solution that would provide everyone, regardless of their economic status, free access to healthcare whenever they need it. However, universal healthcare can increase taxes and potentially make waiting times for medical procedures longer.

C. Claim (one sentence where you tell the reader which side of the argument you are on):
Free, universal healthcare should be provided for everyone around the world.

D. Transition into first body paragraph (one sentence, briefly introduce the first reason that supports your claim in the first body paragraph):
Free access to healthcare is a human right that could reduce the pain and suffering of billions of people.

Body Paragraph #1 (Reason #1)

A. Topic Sentence (one sentence where you write the first reason that supports your claim/thesis):

Free healthcare would allow people to go to the doctor whenever they need to, instead of enduring the agony of illnesses due to the high cost of care.

B. Evidence (one-two sentences- quote or paraphrase from one of your sources. Remember to include a parenthetical/in-text citation using the parenthetical/in-text citations linked here):

The Alma- Ata Declaration, an important event in global health history, helped raise awareness of universal healthcare as a means of reducing suffering and misery. Other organizations, such as the United Nations and World Health Organization have been proponents of universal health care for these reasons as well (Bloom et al.).

C. Analysis of evidence (one-three sentences- how does your evidence prove the claim?):

This demonstrates that large world organizations see the importance of providing universal health care as a human right to reduce the distress and hardship that people have from not having access to affordable healthcare. Although other organizations, governments, and corporations do not always agree with this idea, it is logical that human beings deserve the right to live their best, healthy lives. Without access to free healthcare for everyone, this is not possible.

D. Transition to next paragraph (one sentence, briefly introduce the second reason that supports your claim in the second body paragraph):

On top of helping sick people in need, universal healthcare could also save the world money in the long run.

Body Paragraph #2 (Reason #2)

A. Topic Sentence (one sentence where you write the second reason that supports your claim/thesis):

A key advantage of universal healthcare is it could help reduce and treat the number of people with chronic diseases, which are often expensive to treat once the diseases have reached later stages.

B. Evidence (one-two sentences- quote or paraphrase from one of your sources. Remember to include a parenthetical/in-text citation using the parenthetical/in-text citations linked here):

In the United States, there are a large number of people with chronic health conditions, such as cardiovascular diseases, obesity, and type II diabetes. These diseases end up costing not only those affected, but strain the U.S. economy as well. If these people had access to free healthcare, these diseases could be better managed (Zieff et al.).

C. Analysis of evidence (one-three sentences- how does your evidence prove the claim?):

This evidence shows that universal healthcare could save money for governments and economies in the long term. By treating chronic diseases, countries like the United States could eventually see their healthcare costs decrease, while also providing their citizens with the care they need to be healthy.

D. Transition to next paragraph (one sentence, briefly introduce the counterclaim/rebuttal that you will write in the third body paragraph):

Although universal healthcare has the potential to help sick people in need and save money, there are some possible downsides as well.

Body Paragraph #3 (Counterclaim/Rebuttal):

A. Address counterclaim (one-two sentences about the opposing viewpoint, “Some people think that…”):

Some people think that free universal healthcare would be too expensive to start and that it leads to longer waiting times for procedures.

B. Evidence/support for counterclaim (one-three sentences with evidence about the counterclaim. Remember to include a parenthetical/in-text citation using the parenthetical/in-text citations linked here):

Many researchers agree that the implementation of universal healthcare would include heavy start-up costs, primarily in the areas of infrastructural changes to the healthcare system, insuring and treating uninsured and unhealthy parts of the population, and expanding services that were not previously available (Zieff et al.). The financial cost of starting universal healthcare is also described by researchers as a barrier that would end up costing citizens even more than current private healthcare systems (Bloom et al.). In addition, another common argument against universal healthcare is that it leads to longer wait times for patients to see doctors and for important procedures. Canada is a prime example, where the average wait time for arthroplastic surgery was 20-52 weeks in 2017 (Zieff et al.).

C. Disprove counterclaim (one-three sentences of why the counterclaim is wrong- “However, they are wrong because…”):

Despite the upfront costs of universal healthcare, it could ultimately be a system that reduces long term costs through the prevention and treatment of chronic diseases. Also, cost should not be a factor when discussing the health of human beings, the most important part of a happy existence. Although longer wait times are expected for care, individuals should be willing to wait if that means that everyone can be given the same access to these vital procedures and appointments.

D. Transition to next paragraph (one sentence, briefly transition to the conclusion):

With healthcare treated as a human right and not just the right of those with money and insurance, our world would be a better, more equitable place.

Conclusion

A. Summarize your claim (one-two sentences- reword your claim from your introduction):

Universal healthcare that is free to all people should be a human right for all.

B. Summary of reason #1 and reason #2 (two or more sentences that restate what you discussed in your first two body paragraphs):

This type of healthcare would eliminate the predicament of having to shell out large amounts of money to get treatment and reduce the medical hardship placed on people in many current healthcare systems. On top of this, despite the start-up costs, universal healthcare could lead to money being saved over time by treating chronic health conditions.

C. Closing statement/final thought (one sentence that wraps up your paper; what do people need to remember to do?):

With universal healthcare, the days of deciding between someone’s life or their money would be over, and this would be a better world for everyone.

Works Cited (copy and paste the Works Cited page based on your topic from the document linked here):

Bloom DE, Khoury A, Subbaraman R. “The Promise and Peril of Universal Health Care.” Science. 2018
Aug 24;361(6404):eaat9644. doi: 10.1126/science.aat9644. PMID: 30139847; PMCID:
PMC6510304.
Zieff G, Kerr ZY, Moore JB, Stoner L. “Universal Healthcare in the United States of America: A
Healthy Debate.” Medicina (Kaunas). 2020 Oct 30;56(11):580. doi: 10.3390/medicina56110580.
PMID: 33143030; PMCID: PMC7692272.

Answer 1

Reminder:
Make sure to use proper citation and paraphrasing techniques while including evidence from the provided articles. Stick to the outline format and avoid using personal opinions, 1st-person, or 2nd-person. Review your work for any grammatical errors before submitting. Good luck!