Question

Uninsured people are less likely to receive medical care and more likely to have poor health status. The cost of poor health among uninsured people was almost $125 billion in 2004 (Hadley & Holahan, 2004).
The financial burden of uninsurance is also high for uninsured individuals; almost 50% of personal bankruptcy filings are due to medical expenses (Jacoby, et al., 2000). Uninsured individuals report more problems getting care, are diagnosed at later disease stages, and get less therapeutic care.
Think about the text you just read and how the argument is structured. How does this argument effectively support its claim?

Answer 1

The argument presents statistics to forward its position that the uninsured are less likely to get the care and more likely to have worse health status. It presents the fact that seeking medical treatment can itself be expensive, with the fact that 50% of personal bankruptcy comes from medical expenses alone. The argument continues with stating that uninsured individuals report more problems with getting care in the first place, which leads to the logical steps of later diagnoses and lesser therapy. Essentially, the argument starts with its claim, speaking about just how expensive it can be to be uninsured, express backing for the secondary claim about expenses, then supports its initial claim with specifics on why they might have poorer health.