The Debate over Healthcare in America - 886 Words

Healthcare sits at the center of a major debate in America today. There are a number of questions that surround this debate. Some argue that healthcare should be a right that people are entitled to, while others argue for a system where healthcare is more of a luxury. Overall, the political environment surrounding healthcare in America has been shifting and also the topic of much consternation over the last three to four years. In order to understand this particular situation, one must approach it from a number of different sociological perspectives. Specifically, functionalism, conflict theory, and interactionism can help to provide a framework in which one can analyze the actions, thoughts, and perspectives of actors on all sides of the healthcare situation. Functionalism theory can explain why many believe that healthcare is such an important element for society to strive toward, conflict theory can help to explain why there is opposition to this concept, and interactionist theory can explain why Americans have attached so strongly to both sides of this debate, as certain symbols have become important to those people, and in some cases, has become more important than the principles that tend to underlie this particular debate. It is relatively easy to apply a functionalist perspective to the healthcare system in the United States in order to better understand why some people believe that healthcare needs to be somehow changed or improved. In terms of social change,Show MoreRelatedThe Health Care Of America1400 Words   |  6 Pageseducation, technology, and healthcare are the main criteria that determine a great country. 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