FamiliesUSA, a pro government-run health care outfit, is running an essay contest for kids called “When an Apple a Day Isn’t Enough.” Contestants age 9-13 are instructed, “Many children and young people get sick or hurt and need to go to the hospital or see the doctor. Write one paragraph about a time when you or a friend were helped by a doctor. Then, write a second paragraph about why it is important for all children to be able to see a doctor.”

Contestants age 14-18 are instructed, “In the United States, more than 9 million people under the age of 19 do not have health insurance. You or someone in your community may not have health insurance. Describe in the first person a teenager or child with no health insurance and explain how the lack of health insurance affects that person’s life. If you do not know someone without health insurance, imagine how not having health insurance can be a struggle.”

I wonder if FamiliesUSA will ever sponsor a contest in the U.K. where children are asked to write a paragraph about a friend they know who, say, has to wait two years to see a heart specialist.