That’s Dr. Walter Tsou, College Fellow, former president of the American Public Health Association and an active member of Physicians for Social Responsibility. He came to talk to our students about the structure of our health care system, and help us imagine what different systems might look like and how they might work. Choosing how to finance health care turns out to be a very philosophical question. Of course all the KJF3’s had an opinion, so we decided to plan a formal debate: Is universal healthcare feasible in the US?
With the guidance of our student mentors at the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine, the KJF3’s were split into teams and jumped right in to set up their arguments and opening statements. Nothing better than a serious debate to get teenagers out of bed early on a Saturday morning!
We were a little shy about starting, but things picked up quickly.
Elijah made some personal appeals. He doesn’t want to pay for anyone else’s health care if he feels they aren’t “pulling their weight.”
David argued that the taxes needed to establish universal health care would limit freedoms defined by the Constitution.
Mercedes would have none of it. “People in poverty can’t even afford to get to the hospital…people with more money pay a little more. That’s how taxes work.”
All in all, an exciting day of debate! Special thanks to our Penn Dental student mentors for making it possible.
Mütter EDU 