RhetoricalAnalysis:NewsArticleonHealthcareReform 1

RhetoricalAnalysis:NewsArticleonHealthcareReform

RebecaE.VergaraGreeno

UniversityofTexasatElPaso
RhetoricalAnalysis:NewsArticleonHealthcareReform 2

WithRepublicandominanceinboththeHouseandtheSenatefollowingthe2016

elections,theG.O.P.hasbeenadamantinscrappingtheAffordableCareActlegislation

putintoplacebytheObamaadministration.However,thereplacementbillreleased

earlierthisweekbyHouseRepublicanshascontinuedtobeunderattack,seeminglyfrom

bothsidesoftheaisle.NewYorkTimesjournalist,MargotSangerKatz,attemptsto

highlightthispoliticaldiscordinherarticletitledWhyEvenSomeRepublicansAre

RejectingtheReplacementBill.Inthearticle,SangerKatzdiscussesnotable

Republicanswhohavecomeoutagainstthebillandlistsgeneraldownsidesthatmay

occurwithitspassage.Throughoutthearticle,theauthormakesuseofrhetoricaldevices

includingethos,pathosandlogos,inanattempttoconvincerightleaningaudiencesthat

thebillwouldworkagainsttheirinterests.

MargotSangerKatzisanAmericanhealthcarejournalistanddomestic

correspondentfortheNewYorkTimes.Shereceivedhermaster'sdegreefrom

theColumbiaUniversityGraduateSchoolofJournalismin2003.InDecember2009,

SangerKatzcompletedtheMedicalEvidenceBootCampattheKnightScience

JournalismFellowshiphostedatMassachusettsInstituteofTechnology(SangerKatz,

2017).Thushercredentialsgivesomecredencetotheethos,orappealstoauthority,of

herarticle.BeingajournalistoftheNewYorkTimes,aprestigiousnewsorganization,

alsogiveshermorecredibilityoverjournalistsinlesswellestablishedjournals,andisin

verygoodstandingwiththemorecenterandleftleaningaudiencesthattheNYTtargets.

However,herdegreesandexperienceinjournalism,althoughabundant,arestillless
RhetoricalAnalysis:NewsArticleonHealthcareReform 3

relevantthanifshewereahealthcareprofessionalorhadbeeninvolvedwithwriting

healthcarepolicyatanationallevel.

Ms.SangerKatzsalsoattemptstoappealtorightleaningreaders.Thussheuses

quotesfromconservativepoliticiansandscholarssuchasMikeLee,senatorfromUtah,

andDr.JoeAntos,aresearcherattheconservativeAmericanEnterpriseInstitute.The

formerhasmanyyearsofpoliticalexperiencetobackhispoliticalopinion,whilethe

latterhasheldseniorpositionsintheCongressionalBudgetOffice,USDepartmentof

HealthandHumanServices,theOfficeofManagementandBudget,andthePresidents

CouncilofEconomicAdvisers.Antoswasalsonamedadjunctassociateprofessorof

emergencymedicineatGeorgeWashingtonUniversity(Antos,2017).Thus,these

individualshavealotofexperienceinhealthcarepolicyandtheirdisagreementwiththe

newRepublicanhealthcarebillasconservativepolicymakersaddstotheethosofthe

claimsinthearticle.Oneglaringmistake,however,isthatthereareonlytwoclearly

conservativeindividualsmentionedintheentirearticle.Thearticlesprincipleclaimis

thatRepublicansarerejectingthereplacementbill.Hence,itwouldhavebeenmuch

moreeffectiveintermsofethos,hadtherebeenmorethanjusttwoquotescitedinthe

articleofRepublicanpoliticianscriticizingthebill.

Logos,orappealstologicandreason,isalsopresentthroughoutthearticle.The

authorcitesvariousfactstosupporttheunderlyingargumentthatthenewlyproposed

healthcarebillwouldcomewithmorenegativeconsequencesthanpositive.Inparticular,

sheemphasizestheeffectsdifferentprovisionswithinthebillwouldhave(Thebill

effectivelyslashessubsidiesthathelpmanylowincomepeoplebuyinsurance,startingin
RhetoricalAnalysis:NewsArticleonHealthcareReform 4

2020).Shealsopresentsstatisticalinformationfromfederalorganizationssuchasthe

CongressionalBudgetOffice,statingthateliminatingObamacaresrequirementthat

peoplehaveinsuranceorpayafineasproposedinthenewbillwouldleadtopremiums

thatare20to25percenthigher,evenwithoutanycutsinsubsidies.Furthermore,the

authorclaimsthatthenewbillproposesthatPeoplewithalapseininsurancecoverage

ofmorethanacoupleofmonthswouldhavetopaya30percenthigherpricefortheir

insurancewhentheyreenterthemarket.ShealsousesestimatesfromtheAmerican

EnterpriseInstitute,atraditionallyconservativeresearchinstitute,whichstatesthat10to

15millionpeoplewouldlosetheirinsuranceoverthecomingdecade(SangerKatz,

2017).Thefactstheauthorpresentsdomakeanappealingargument,particularlytomore

conservativereaderswhowouldpreferabillthatcuthealthcareexpensesratherthan

increasethem.Most,ifnotalloftheauthorsclaimsareaccompaniedbysourcesfrom

bothsidesofthepoliticalspectrum,whichaddstothecredibilityoftheargument.

Lastly,theauthormakesveryfrequentuseofpathostoappealtothereaders

emotions.Theclearestinstanceofthistechniqueisherexampleoftheill60yearold

womanwhoearnsonly$20,000inLincoln,Nebraska.Heretheauthorattemptstoinvoke

feelingsofempathyinthereaderbyshowinghowthenewhealthcarebillwouldhave

tangibleconsequences,especiallyonelderlyindividuals,whoareseenasmore

vulnerable.Theauthorintegrateslogoswiththisexamplebygivingestimatesforhow

muchmorethisfictionalindividualwouldhavetopayifthebillwerepassed(thelady

wouldcurrentlyreceiveasubsidyof$18,470tohelpherbuyinsurance,withextra

subsidiestohelpherpaydeductiblesandcopayments,accordingtocalculationsmadeby
RhetoricalAnalysis:NewsArticleonHealthcareReform 5

Kaiser.However,underthenewlegislation,shewouldgetameagersubsidyof$4,000,

andnohelpwithcostsharing.)Theauthorrefersbacktothisindividuallaterinthearticle

whenshementionsthatthebillallowsinsurancecompaniestochargehigherpricestoold

customersandlesstoyoungerones.This,again,invokesfeelingsofempathyandpity

withinthereadersothattheycanassociatenegativefeelingstowardsthebillinquestion.

LatersheusesaquotefromCraigGarthwaite,thedirectorofthehealthprogramat

NorthwesternsKelloggSchoolofManagement.Thepeoplewhoaregoingtotakethis

gamblearegoingtobethehealthiest.Thisquote,andinparticular,theuseoftheword

gambleisusedtoprovokefeelingsofinsecurityinthereadersothattheywillfurther

rejecttheproposedbill(SangerKatz,2017).Thesespecifictacticsthatappealtoemotion

canbeveryeffectivedependingonwhetherornotthereaderidentifieswiththeexample

given.Itisimportanttonote,however,thatmanyfolksinterestedinhealthcarereform

hopetoseechangesfromwhichtheycanpersonallybenefit.Althoughtheymightfeel

someempathytowardsthepoorandtheelderlythatwouldbeadverselyaffected,itmight

havebeenmoreeffectiveiftheauthormadesimilarexamplesusingeverydaymiddle

classcitizensothatthereadercouldidentifybetterwiththeseemotionallydriven

examples.

Overall,theauthorusesthesedifferentrhetoricaldevicesinattemptstomakeher

articlemoreconvincing.Inparticular,sheiseffectiveinusingconceptsofethos,pathos

andlogosinordertosupporttheclaimsthatthenewhealthcarereformbillwouldhave

manynegativeconsequencesandthatthereisbipartisanrejectionoftheproposalinits

currentstate.However,duetovariousdefectsandlackofsupportforcertainclaimsin
RhetoricalAnalysis:NewsArticleonHealthcareReform 6

herargument,theauthormaycomeupshortinconvincingcertainaudiencesofherpoint

ofview.Thisarticlemaybeusedasaquickoverviewoftheargumentssurrounding

healthcarereform,butwouldneedmuchmoresupportingevidenceandbroader

emotionalappealtoconvincethosewhodonotalreadypreferleftleaningpolicy.

References

Antos,Joseph.(2017,January31).JosephAntos.RetrievedMarch10,2017,from

http://www.aei.org/scholar/josephantos/

SangerKatz,Margot.(2017,March09).MargotSangerKatz.RetrievedMarch10,2017,

fromhttps://www.nytimes.com/by/margotsangerkatz

SangerKatz,M.(2017,March07).WhyEvenSomeRepublicansAreRejectingthe

ReplacementBill.RetrievedMarch07,2017,from

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/07/upshot/whyevensomerepublicansare

rejectingthereplacementbill.html