The Healthcare Reform Is Something Worth Following

I have to start off this post by being a good, honest samaritan. I don't really read the news. I haven't picked up a newspaper for as long as I can remember, and the only time I really read news is when it's bizarre, or when my classes forces me to. Still, I don't find this to be a problem, just because most news is obtainable by simple word of mouth.

I have found word of mouth to be very useful when it comes to the Healthcare Reform. Especially since over 66% of Americans say they followed the health care debate more closely than any other major news story last week. My first thought was...well...”Duh!” I mean, isn't it obvious that people would be interested in such news? I think the citizens would like as much information as they could possibly get when it comes to government regulated healthcare.

It really is a huge change in our nation, and one that WILL effect everyone. So the fact that so many people are following the healthcare topic so closely is almost needless to say. Still, the article describes the news interest in detail, and the graphics presented seem pretty informing.

The first graphics show how the interest in news is divided up. Most people are following the healthcare reform, the next most interesting topic the news about vandalism and threats directed at Democrats who voted for the legislation most closely. The graph also shows the percent of news coverage devoted to the story, and they correlate very closely (How extremely unsurprising).

The next graphic is the one that I find most interesting. It shows how well most americans believe they understand how the law will impact them. The results are almost split, with 55% of the surveyed people saying they understand at least somewhat well how the new health care law will affect them and their families. It also divides up the different political parties, different incomes, ages, and male and female, and shows how they differ in their understanding of the new law.

Overall, the graphic was very easy to read, and actually very helpful. It makes me think that maybe certain people don't accept the healthcare reform simply because they don't understand it. But it's still very comforting to know that most people are trying their best to understand it by doing their research and reading the news. I, unfortunately, am just another idiot, who really doesn't have the ambition to care about it.

Health Care : A Very Graphic Issue

"The More the Merrier" May Not Be the Case When it Comes to Health Care


When I was a child I truly believed that money would simply always be there. I wasn't starving, and I didn't want to, or need to, understand who was paying for my meals and the roof over my head. My parents weren't rich, but I had everything I needed, including a Doctor who could help me when I was sick.

But after reading an article on the New York Times I was taken right back to thinking about this way I used to think as a child. It was blissfully ignorant, and why would I want to question it? It almost seems this is the same way public opinion has taken towards the new Health Care bill. (If you needed to brush up on the climate and basics surrounding Health Care like I did, I'd suggest this compilation of coverage.) The graphic shows a very clear and simple chart outlining government spending over time, and also highlights government revenue, making it obvious that given current expenditures there's no way we can keep up.


Like Riding a Bicycle
Here's what the chart does right.

• A simple and coherent color scheme
• Large Font
• Titled and Labeled

Put the Training Wheels Back On
Of course it isn't all perfect.

• It's message becomes a bit confusing
• The most important information is the least highlighted
• Counter-acts its own message at first glance

This all brings me back to another younger memory. Learning about graphs. No matter my age, the one's I always want to see are simple, to the point, and not overly obnoxious, but enough to stand out against the text. As a reader I actually avoided this article the first time I read it because I believed the graph stated the exact opposite of what it was actually saying! If that isn't misleading or bad form when it comes to good graphics, then I'm certainly not qualified to tell you what is.

And everyone likes to end on a good laugh, so don't just take it from me, the journalists over at the onion do a fantastic job of outlining the true power of graphics.

Health Care In Graph Form

What Does the Health Care Reform Look Like in Graphs?

As a college student who is generally uninterested in politics I regret to admit that I have not paid much attention to the health care debates swarming the country. It is, however, something that may have a huge impact on my well-being. This is why, when President Obama signed the health care bill this month I decided it was time to start figuring out what it was all about. I realize that the health care reform is supposed to allow everyone in the country to have some kind of health coverage, but I have no idea what it actually means. This is why I set out to learn about it.

I discovered an article on the Washington Post website which included graphics regarding the health care reform.

The Good

The first part of this article focused on the bill itself, and ways people would be insured. It uses a line graph to indicate how many people are expected to be insured under each category in 2019 with the current health care plan, and what the numbers would be under the new health care plan. Under the graph it separates each category (through employer, individual insurance, Medicaid, Medicare, and through exchanges) and provides a brief synopsis, explaining what changes would occur with each type of coverage.

The Not So Good

The article also provides another type of graphic which provides information about how the vote turned out for the health care reform. This graphic was somewhat confusing and not as easy to read as the line graph. It took me longer to digest the information and I am still not sure I have a full grasp on the message it was trying to convey. Several reasons that made it unclear were that it:

· Included too much information

· Does not clearly explain the significance of the numbers in the graphic

· It is complex to read.

For my purposes, I feel this article provided effective graphics. It helped me to better understand how people will be insured, and what it means for employers, as well as, those who are individually insured. The second graphic did not help me as much as the first but after taking some time to sift through the information I was able to determine some of what it was trying to say.

Although this article provided me with some valid information, it presents only a small part of such a large concept. Although this article provided me with some information, I will need to continue on my quest to better understand the health care reform and what it means for me.

Financing Health Care Reform 2009 V.S 2003

$$$$ How Much Are We Really Going To Have To Pay?$$$$

The most loaded issue on everyone's mind has clearly been the current situation with

health care. It may seem sad, but I have very little knowledge on this topic. This may seem impossible to some for me to not be able to grasp the issue, considering the amount of press coverage and attenion health care is receiving. There are just so many different aspects of it, the complexity of it boggles my mind. It may seem juvenile, but when I deciding to attempt to dig into information on the bill, I looked for pictures, charts, and graphs etc. to help me better understand. Whether or not the graphic was clear can make a world of difference.

The key aspects for a good graphic are plain and simple. The clearer yet more detailed it is, the easier it will be understood. I wish I could be one of those people on the up and up in politics, but let's face it I just don't have the time. So while browsing to get information on the Health Care Bill I came across a very helpful bar graph on a blog for the New York Times Newspaper. The graphic discussed the perspected spending on perscriptive drugs from 2010-2019.

• It used bright colors that were attention getting to anyone who came across it



• It provided specific details describing the purpose of the bar graph, i.e. title and column names



• The numbering on the charts was easy to read, the bar graph obviously shows the different sized bars according to the amount they represent. It can get to be hard to comprehend if the actual amount that the bar stands for isn't included, but this one had it all.


• The style of the bar graph with the descriptiveness made it really easy for someone like me ( technologically impaired and not to politically savvy) to start to understand what on Earth this bill is talking about!

How can a graphic lead to reader confusion? Anytime it's vague or poorly put together is the answer. It is so important to include all the information otherwise you risk completely losing the person's interest. In the same blog I found the bar graph in, I found a line graph on Medicare spendings. I sat at my computer and stared blankly at the screen. "Ahgkhgkjj," what is this graph talking about?!?! It had several titles and it didn't include any specific number amounts. After looking at the chart, I honestly had no idea the amount of spending Meicare did in 2009. So be precise when it comes to giving number amounts!!!!! The last thing I cannot stress enough is timeliness. You need to make sure information with a graphic or just the graphic itself is pertinent to current time. Being a person lost in a political cloud of confusion, someone could post a graphic with information from the decade before this and I would honestly not know the difference. I'm trusting you!!! Do right by me to get me the good, up to date info perspective political authors!!!

Anyone wanna school me on the downlow of this Health Care Reform Bill? Comment, I value feedback=]

New York Times