I've put together a full sample persuasive speech of value. I argue that prevention is more important than treatment in healthcare. See the sample presentation, along with the outline and PowerPoint.
Persuasive Speech Example:
Good luck with yours!
Prevention is the Best Medicine
Introduction
I. (Attention
Getter) Benjamin Franklin moved to Philadelphia as a young man. He noticed that
the city was ill-prepared for fires. So he worked with various groups to
implement a serious of basic preventative measures that, along with the
creation of a volunteer-led fire-fighting team, greatly improved fire-safety
standards in Philadelphia. He wrote about this in a letter to the newspaper,
saying, “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” as recounted on a
website associated with the Independence Hall Association.
II.
(Introduce Topic) In our era, the biggest danger we face is chronic illness. The
current healthcare debate focuses on how best to treat illness. But what’s missing
in these discussions, is the importance of prevention. The Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention, or the CDC, published a report stating, “Up to 40
percent of annual deaths from each of five leading US causes are preventable” (2014).
III.
(Context/Background info) Prevention and treatment differ in important ways
A. Our treatment
centered healthcare model focuses on doctor visits, medications,
hospitalizations, and surgery. This has been the emphasis of our healthcare
system.
B. In contrast, preventative
measures to avoid chronic illness include improvements in diet, exercise, not
smoking, and maintaining a healthy body mass index. These ordinary habits help
to prevent chronic illness, and yet we do not promote them enough.
IV. (Preview/Thesis)
When it comes to our health, prevention is more important than treatment in
terms of the costs, the health outcomes, and the politics.
Transition: Let’s look at how much we
spend on healthcare in America.
Body
I.
America pays a great price on its health.
A. Our treatment centered healthcare
system is unsustainable.
1. Healthcare is
our country’s biggest expense.
a. The
Congressional Budget Office shows that healthcare spending reached over 950
billion dollars in 2016.
B. This adds to
the deficit, which limits the government’s ability to respond to emergencies or
to invest in other important services like education, defense, or
infrastructure.
2. Americans pay
excessively for healthcare.
a. A study in the
Lancet, a leading medical Journal, showed that America pays more than every
other country on health at over $9000 per person in 2014 (Dieleman et al., 2017).
b. The paper also
estimated that costs will continue to increase through 2040.
B. Healthcare
costs are typically associated with chronic illnesses.
1. A 2017 report
by the CDC, Chronic Disease Overview,
highlights the cost of chronic illness, “chronic conditions make up 86% of
healthcare costs.”
2. The report also
notes that, “Chronic diseases and
conditions—such as heart disease, stroke, cancer, type 2 diabetes, obesity, and
arthritis—are among the most common, costly, and preventable of all health
problems.”
Transition: The
cost of preventable illness is staggering, and the human costs are greater.
II.
Many Americans suffer needlessly.
A. The treatment centered healthcare
model comes with downsides.
1. Half of Americans
lived with one or more chronic health conditions in 2012 (CDC, 2017).
2. National
Alliance for Caregiving estimates that 16% of Americans are caring for an adult
(2015).
2. Researchers at
John Hopkins Medicine projected medical errors to result in 250,000 deaths each
year, which would make it the third leading cause of death in America (Makary
& Daniel, 2016).
B. Prevention is possible.
1. A German a study of 23,000
participants found that individuals that never smoked, were not obese,
exercised at least 3.5 hours a week, and ate fruits, veggies, and whole grains,
had a 78% lower risk of developing a chronic disease (Ford et al., 2009).
2. The Morbidity and Mortality Weekly
report from the CDC says 200,000 deaths from heart disease and stroke were
avoidable in 2010 (2013).
Transition: Prevention
is better for our well-being; it is also more practical.
III.
The politics of health have been problematic.
A. Healthcare is a divisive
political issue.
1. The Affordable
Care Act was passed, controversially, in 2010 when Democrats held power in the
executive and legislative branches of government.
2. According to
Cowan and Cornwell, of Reuters, a republican led House of Representatives voted
more than 60 times to make changes to this law (2017).
B. Prevention is apolitical.
1. It can appeal to both
major political parties.
a. For the right,
prevention fits their value of limited government intervention, as individuals
would be responsible for their own health.
b. For the left, prevention
offers a more compassionate approach forward.
2. Prevention could
be our patriotic duty.
a. A healthier
population contributes more to society and requires less government resources.
b. Prevention can
be promoted through awareness rather than policy.
Transition: Prevention
is a more practical alternative.
Conclusion
I.
(Clarify purpose) I am not calling for an end to medical services. Medical
treatment provides essential and lifesaving services, especially for illnesses
that are not preventable. But prevention must be sought first and foremost.
II.
(Review) I have demonstrated how prevention is preferable due to its lower
cost, its greater potential to reduce human suffering, and its wider political appeal.
III.
(Closer) When a fire breaks out, we must respond with action to put out that
fire. But it is more important that we do everything in our power prevent a
fire from starting in the first place. We can view our nation’s health crisis
in the same way. I propose that we follow Benjamin Franklin’s lead, and remember
that, “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”
References
Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention. (2013).
Vital Signs: Avoidable Deaths from Heart
Disease, Stroke,
and Hypertensive Disease — United States, 2001–2010. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 62(35). 721-727. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6235a4.htm?s_cid=mm6235a4_w
Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention. (2014)
Up to 40 percent of annual deaths from
each
of
five leading US causes are preventable. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2014/p0501-preventable-deaths.html
Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention. (2017) Chronic
Disease Overview. Retrieved from
Congressional Budget Office. (2017) The
Federal Budget in 2016: An Infographic. Retrieved
Cowan,
R., Cornwell, S. (2017) House votes to begin repealing Obamacare. Reuters. Retrieved
Dieleman,
J. L., et al. (2017) Future and potential spending on health 2015–40:
development
assistance for
health, and government, prepaid private, and out-of-pocket health spending in
184 countries. The Lancet Oncology, 18(4). Retrieved from http://thelancet.com/journals/lanonc/article/PIIS1470-2045(17)30201-2/fulltext
Ford,
E.S., Bergmann, M.M., Kröger, J., Schienkiewitz, A., Weikert, C., Boeing, H.
(2009).
Healthy living is
the best revenge: findings from the European Prospective Investigation Into
Cancer and Nutrition-Potsdam study. Arch
Intern Med, 169(15).
Independence Hall Association. (2017) In
Case of Fire. Retrieved from
National
Alliance for Caregiving. (2017) Caregiving
in the U.S. Retrieved from
Makaray,
M., & Daniel, M., (2016) Medical error—the third leading cause of death in
the US.