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.
I really could identify with you on this Brittany. I wonder if we should feel sad for not having extended knowledge on this current situation? Lol, well there is no time like the present to learn. Good graphics can help people like us to better understand something and gain basic grounds on a topic we know little about. A really good graphic can help someone who hasn't paid attention at all to the the situation, sum it all up, and have them get a pretty good interpretation of it. I liked how you included some detailed backeground on the article and graph, that was definately a nice touch.I totally agree on the line graph being pretty much the most unhelpful type of graphic out there. I mean, unless you include major details and specific numbers, it's not going to help anyone who's reading your article!!! My only other comments were that it was a little repetitve at the end (however it could have been a glich or a minor type-o) and it could have been a little more conversational. It was pretty engaging though. Your graphic of the money in the perscription bottle was awesome, totally sums up the blog. With that said, good luck on your quest!=]
ReplyDeleteI agree with you Brittany. The first graph was easy to follow. We are pretty much in the same boat as far as not being educated on the health care bill, so having a graphic that's effective can make a world of difference. I know you were confused by what an exchange was. I think the article could've went a little more into detail about that. All that I could grasp was that it's some time of marketplace where insurance can be bought.
ReplyDeleteI liked how both graphics used a lot of numbers. They really broke down the information. I've looked at a few different graphics, and not many of them provided information about small and large employers. Most of them were about the individual. I liked that the graphic you chose did talk about the companies. The second graphic was hard to digest. I had to look over it a couple times to figure out what type of information it was supplying me with. I think it would've been more effective if the legend had been more clear. I feel like there was more than one legend going on at once, and that made it more confusing than it needed to be. Even with the minor problems in the second graphic, I still found them both effective.