Uninsured in the Bronx

Why? And how can you help change this?

A webquest designed by Peter Breitholtz

Teacher of Living Environment

For students at

Harry S. Truman High School

The following webpage is called a webquest.

It is simply a website describing

the assignment or project you will complete.

The assignment or project is called a

public policy analysis or PPA.

What’s included in this webquest?

Introduction………………………….To problem and student project

Task……………………………………….Students will complete

Process/Resources……………….The way students will complete the task

PPA Steps………………………………Six steps students will follow

More Resources…………………….Good links to help you with you internet searches

Evaluation………………………………How you will be graded

Conclusion………………………………Of project and webquest

Introduction

Many residents of the United States (see figures 1-4 below), especially many in the Bronx, do not have health insurance. People without health insurance see a doctor much less often than those with it. These people without insurance, are at much greater risk for disease and medical problems that could be prevented. For example, compared to diabetics from other ethnic groups, a much larger percentage of black diabetics have limbs (arms and legs) removed. They do not have routine medical checkups, which would prevent the need for amputation, because they do not have health insurance. In addition, women in the Southwest Bronx have diabetic related death rates close to twenty times higher than women on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, just across the river. Again, fewer diabetics in Southwest Bronx seek preventative health care because they simply do not have health insurance.

“Approximately 29% of the Bronx's non-elderly adults have no health insurance.

There are more people on Medicaid in the Bronx (25%) than in any other New York City borough.

The Bronx also has a high percentage of "medically indigent"

residents -- those with household incomes between the federal poverty level

and 250% of the poverty level.”

Check out more statistics on the Bronx. Shocking!!!!!!!!!!!!!

http://www.vnsny.org/wl_bronx_special.html

Intro continued

The mayor of New York, Michael Bloomberg, has selected you, along with a group of other Bronx high school students, to begin work with him in developing a public policy that would help all Bronx residents to acquire health insurance. You must initiate the policy-making process by learning roughly how many Bronx residents do not have health insurance and then discovering why this is. Last, you will suggest how Bronx residents without health insurance can enroll for it.

Percentage of American Children Under Age 18 Without Health Insurance, 1987-2000

Source: Employee Benefit Research Institute estimates from the March Current Population Survey, 1988-2001 Supplements.
Last Updated: February 20, 2003

Task

You will conduct a public policy analysis (PPA) which is just a fancy phrase for a way to go about learning more about a social problem and developing solutions, a policy, to the problem. In order to complete the PPA you will be guided by six steps on this website that begin at “Define the problem.” The steps are linked to descriptions of what they actually mean and a worksheet for the step. You will do the worksheet for each step. These are your notes that you will make a powerpoint presentation from. In addition, you will conduct a short survey. If you simply follow the steps, you will complete your PPA and help Bronx residents learn how they may enroll for health insurance.

You must:

1. Complete the six worksheets-one worksheet for each of the six steps

2. Use the worksheets to make a powerpoint presentation

3. Conduct a short survey

4. Present to the class

Process/Resources

The class will be divided into 8 groups of four and each group will present their findings by means of powerpoint presentation. You may use the internet, libraries, local government offices, and local hospitals and health practioners, to research this problem. You must also conduct a survey in the Bronx. You will ask random Bronx residents on your block whether they have health insurance and if they do not, find out why not. The data from the survey will be included in the powerpoint presentation.

It’s time to get it rollin.

So just follow the steps and

complete the worksheets!

Follow these steps and the project will be a piece of cake!

1. Define the problem

a. Convince the class that there really are many residents in the Bronx

without health insurance.

How? Survey your block.

Call local government offices and ask for the statistics.

Search the internet.

Go to the local library and ask the librarian.

b. Then present why being uninsured is a problem.

How? Go to the local hospital and ask to speak to a nurse or call a nurse. He/She’ll tell you!

Search the internet.

Go to the local library and ask the librarian.

c. Do MS word worksheet #1 at the link.

Here are the links for this step I promised that might help a little.

ªLink to news article regarding number of uninsured New Yorkers: http://covertheuninsuredweek.org/releases/index.php?ReleaseID=75

ªLink to data graphs and charts on the uninsured in the United States:

http://coveringtheuninsured.org/databank/

2. Gather evidence –

a. Conduct a survey of random Bronx residents on your block.

How?

Please click on this link and take the survey!!!

http://www.opinionpower.com/Surveys/77707778.html

b. Make phone calls to local insurance companies and appropriate

government offices.

c. Do internet searches to gather data on the problem.

d. Go to your local library and ask the librarians what references they

have that define the problem.

e. Speak to nurses on the phone or at local hospitals. They know a lot!!!

f. Do MS word worksheet #2 at the link.

3. Identify causes

a. While gathering evidence, discover why so many Bronx residents do

not have health insurance.

How? Ask the residents in your survey

Internet

Library

b. Do MS word worksheet #3 at the link.

4. Evaluate a policy

a. Find a policy that already deals with this problem and determine how

good or bad you think it is.

How? Internet

Library

Hospital-nurses

b. Do MS word worksheet #4 at the link.

ªLink to good example of a public policy:

http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/TIPS/solutionsex.html

5. Develop solutions

a. Think of ways you could help solve this problem.

b. Do MS word worksheet #5 at the link.

ªLink to places where New Yorkers can enroll for health insurance:

http://www.nyc.gov/html/hia/html/places.html

ªLink to description of how you can help people acquire health insurance:

http://covertheuninsuredweek.org/whatyoucando/

6. Select the best solution

a. Evaluate the three solutions you came up with and choose the one that

you believe is the best, or the most feasible (do-able) and effective.

b. Do MS word worksheet #3 at the link.

More Resources

The links below are called search engines and they will help you to do key word searches.

http://www.yahoo.com/

http://www.lycos.com/

https://www.google.com/

http://www.webcrawler.com/info.wbcrwl/

ªThis may be confusing but some of you may find it helpful and interesting. It is search site for all the medical literature that has ever been published.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi

Evaluation

Q) How are you going to be graded?

A) On the following 4 criterium. Your average will be calculated.

Criteria	Not OK Grade: 50	OK Grade: 70	GOOD Grade: 85	GREAT: Grade 100
1. Participation in group	Group determined	Group determined	Group determined	Group determined
2. Survey	No survey	Five or less residents surveyed	Ten or less residents surveyed	More than ten residents surveyed
3. Powerpoint presentation	Did not discuss all six steps	Discussed all six steps somewhat unclearly	Discussed all six steps very clearly	Discussed all six steps very clearly and obviously put a lot of work into developing their powerpoint presentation
4. Worksheets (PPA) Define the problem Gather evidence Identify causes Evaluate a policy Develop solutions Select best solution	Not OK Grade: 50 Incomplete Incomplete Incomplete Incomplete Incomplete Incomplete	OK Grade: 70 Partially complete Partially complete Partially complete Partially complete Partially complete Partially complete	GOOD Grade: 85 Complete but not accurate Complete but not accurate Complete but not accurate Complete but not accurate Complete but not accurate Complete but not accurate	GREAT: Grade 100 Complete and accurate Complete and accurate Complete and accurate Complete and accurate Complete and accurate Complete and accurate

STANDARDS

This Webquest meets the following NY State English and Science Standards

English

E1c: Read and comprehend informational materials.

E2a: Produce a report of information.

Science

S8a: Demonstrates scientific competence by completing secondary research.

S7b: Argues from evidence.

S7e: Communications in a form suited to the purpose and the audience.

S5c: Uses evidence from reliable sources to develop descriptions, explanations,

and models; and makes appropriate adjustments and improvements.

S5d: Proposes, recognizes, analyzes, considers, and critiques alternative

explanations; and distinguishes between fact and opinion.

S5f: Works individually and in teams to collect and share information and ideas.

S6c: Collects and analyzes data using concepts and techniques in Mathematics

Standard 4.

Conclusion

Many people in this country do not have health insurance. Too many Bronx residents are included in this group unfortunately. This project was intended to help you learn that that too many Bronx residents do not have health insurance, why so many Bronx residents do not have health insurance, and how Bronx residents can enroll for health insurance. You have learned how to do a public policy analysis (PPA) in developing a policy for solving this problem. This webquest has provided a description of the project and the PPA steps. Now that you are all experts at using webquests and PPA, you will be asked in the future to complete a webquest-based PPA on global warming.