Intro
1. Learn Vocabulary - Learn some new vocabulary before you start the lesson.
2. Read and Prepare - Read the introduction and prepare to hear the audio.
When you get sick, the last thing you want to worry about is money. But for the 45 million people living without health insurance in the U.S., a simple visit to the doctor can break the bank. And if they have a more serious problem, they might not be able to afford the treatment they need. Even those who have private health insurance can lose it if they become seriously ill or get fired from their job.
Health insurance is a big topic of debate in the U.S. right now. President Obama wants to reform the health care industry and make sure that every American can get affordable insurance. But his opponents don’t want the government to control health care. They think people should be free to find their own insurance and pay for it themselves. Find out which side of the debate Jason and Devan are on.
Dialog
1. Listen and Read - Listen to the audio and read the dialog at the same time.
2. Study - Read the dialog again to see how the vocab words are used.
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Devan: So, the other day, I was really sick and I really wanted to go to the doctor, but I don’t have health insurance which has been such a pain for me. Every time I hurt myself or get sick I can’t see anybody. Do you have health insurance?
Jason: I do, yeah, and I feel so fortunate to have it because it’s so crazy when people need treatment and they just hide out at home and try to treat themselves because they can’t get coverage for whatever reason, maybe they don’t have a job that provides it or they have a preexisting condition and they won’t get picked up by an insurance company.
Devan: Do you think that that’s a basic human need that every person should be covered?
Jason: Yeah, absolutely. I don’t it’s like “big government” if we’re not letting people die in the street of curable diseases, you know?
Devan: Yeah.
Jason: I mean, and I went to the hospital in Spain once and they have universal healthcare and it was perfectly efficient and I got fixed up real nice.
Devan: So you didn’t have to wait six weeks to get treated for a headache like everyone’s trying to scare people by saying is the case?
Jason: Yeah. I think the rest of the world is aware of the way that we don’t really act as civilized as we could with health care.
Devan: Well, I hope that we can come up with a new system so that I can afford health care.
Jason: Yeah, really.
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Discussion
Since Devan doesn’t have health insurance, she can’t go to the doctor when she gets sick. Jason’s employer pays for him to have health insurance as part of his salary. This is how most Americans are able to get insurance.
But not everyone is able to get health insurance through their work, and buying private insurance can be very expensive. Plus, insurance companies often refuse to cover people who are already sick or have on-going health problems.
Although some Americans say they don’t want the government to control health insurance, Jason and Devan both believe that it’s the government’s responsibility to make sure that all people can receive the care they need.
Is there universal health care in your country? Are you happy with your health care system?
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