Episode 241
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Hi! I'm Georgiana, your English teacher. Thanks for joining me for a new Speak English Now podcast episode.
Okay, let's start!
Are you curious about how the healthcare system works in the U.S.? In this episode,
I will explain the basics of the American healthcare system.
There is not one universal system but a range of public and private insurance options. I will lay out how these plans work so that you can gain a better understanding.
And yes. Contrary to what some people assume, public health care exists in the USA. There are several public systems, both federal and state.
All Americans must have health insurance or face a federal offense. Therefore, everyone should be properly insured.
If someone is unemployed, they may be eligible for federal or state public insurance programs to help them access the necessary health care services.
Let’s find out more about public health in the U.S.
In 1965, the federal government created Medicare and Medicaid, which provided health coverage to the elders and the poorest segments of the population.
What are Medicare and Medicaid?
Medicare is a federal health insurance program primarily available to people 65 or older, certain younger people with disabilities, or people with End-Stage Renal Disease.
Medicaid offers health insurance to countless Americans, such as eligible low-income adults, children, pregnant women, senior citizens, and people with disabilities. States must follow federal rules while running the program, which is funded by both state and federal money.
Other programs, such as the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), is a federal-state partnership program administered by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
Children's Health Insurance Program provides health insurance coverage to low-income children and pregnant women who do not qualify for Medicaid but cannot afford private health insurance.
I hope you found this episode interesting. In the next one, I will continue talking about the healthcare in the U.S.
Now, let’s practice.
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GRAMMAR MADE EASY
POV Story: Grammar in Context
Read the same story in two different points of view and notice how the grammar changes naturally.
Present Tense - Second Person
You are a math teacher being taken to the ER (emergency room) by your students. They assure the nurse that you are having a seizure. So, the nurse looks at you and sees that you are smiling strangely and becomes concerned.
While waiting to be attended to, you start to laugh uncontrollably. Your laughter is so contagious that everyone, even the nurses and doctors, start laughing. After several minutes of uncontrolled laughter, the patients in the waiting room are all in better spirits.
Finally, the doctor examines you. It turns out that you can't stop laughing after seeing the amount of your first paycheck. You quickly realize that being a math teacher pays far less than you expected! This unexpected turn of events causes everyone to burst into laughter once more.
Present Tense - Third Person
A math teacher named Matt is being taken to the emergency room by his students. The students assure the nurse that the teacher is having a seizure.
The nurse looks at Matt and sees that he is smiling strangely and becomes concerned.
While waiting to be attended to, Matt starts laughing. He laughs so hard that he gets the attention of the other patients.
He has a very contagious laugh, so the patients, and even the nurses and doctors, start laughing. Everyone is laughing!
After several minutes of laughing out loud, many patients go home. They already feel much better.
Finally, the doctor examines the teacher. It turns out that Matt can't stop laughing after seeing what he will be paid for his first paycheck. This unexpected turn of events causes everyone to burst into laughter once more.
Past Tense - Third Person
Matt was being taken to the ER by his students. They assured the nurse that he was having a seizure. The nurse looked at him and saw that he was smiling strangely and became concerned.
While he waited to be attended to, Matt began to laugh out loud, and his contagious laughter soon had the other patients and even the nurses and doctors laughing.
After several minutes of laughing out loud, many of the patients felt better and were able to go home.
When the doctor examined Matt, he discovered that the teacher was laughing because of how little he was getting paid for his first paycheck. This unexpected turn of events caused everyone to burst into laughter once more.
Thanks for listening, and I’ll see you in the next episode.
Review
Vocabulary
Review the most useful words and expressions before listening again.
public healthcare
health services funded or provided by government.
Medicare
a U.S. federal health insurance program mainly for older people.
Medicaid
a U.S. public health program for eligible low-income people.
coverage
protection provided by an insurance plan.
eligible
meeting the conditions needed to receive something.
taxpayer
a person or organization that pays taxes.
medical care
treatment provided by health professionals.
health insurance
a plan that helps pay medical costs.
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