Undercutting of Funds for Lower-Class Kids

    When you are young, you’re more susceptible to diseases and viruses due to having a weaker immune system. The United States has numerous laws that require children to receive vaccinations, which can impose a financial burden on families. To ensure that all children are vaccinated, the United States has passed a law that funds vaccinations for low-income children, enabling them to receive the same protection as everyone else. However, government cuts in funding create a situation where hospitals aren’t willing to accept lower-paid children because they are less profitable. In the article “Florida Violated Law by Underfunding Healthcare for Needy Children” by Owen Dyer,  the author showcases how the effects of limited healthcare funding for lower-income children can violate their lawful rights through ethos, pathos, and logos. 

    The author begins the article by describing how hospitals refuse children due to insufficient government funding. He uses descriptive words such as “vulnerable” and “inadequate” to emphasize who the government is truly hurting. The government isn’t hurting the healthy and prosperous, but it is hurting poor children. This evokes sympathy in readers as they feel sorrow for them, but at the same time, hatred towards the government. 

                                          

    In addition, “the state’s Medicaid budget, which provides health insurance to poor families, has been set artificially low for years, paying pediatricians and other specialists far less than they earned by treating the children of privately insured patients.” This creates no logical reason for doctors or pediatricians to want to treat any needy children. There is less money to be made and way more patients. Without seeing a doctor, students can be denied access to public education as they are not up to date with vaccines, violating their right to free education. 

    Having children denied by doctors due to a lack of government funding can cause violations of our moral code and lawful rights. As the author uses credible sources such as the “Agency for Health Care Administration” and the US judges to ensure accurate information, he showcases the harsh reality of the government's underfunding of healthcare. 

Work Cited

Dyer, Owen. "Florida Violated Federal Law by Underfunding Healthcare for Needy Children, Judge    Rules." BMJ : British Medical Journal (Online), vol. 350, 2015. ProQuest, https://pasadenacc.idm.oclc.org/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-journals/florida-violated-federal-law-underfunding/docview/1847999639/se-2, doi:https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.h151.