Archive for category Healthcare
Thinking About The Health Care Reform
Posted by admin in Healthcare on April 14, 2010
By now everyone has an opinion and concepts about the recent health care reform passed by President Obama and the Democrats. For some, it was long overdue, while for others it was only another horrible liberal policy forced down the throat of Americans. As for whether or not it must be good for the Nation, well it certainly would not be any worse than it is now. One thing is certain, something had to happen.
We as Americans are used to being the best, or at the very least, we believe we are the greatest. However, when you look at the current situation, it is hard to ignore just how horrible health care is in the United States. Want some perspective? How about the fact that the United States now sits 38th in the world in term of life expectancy, or that our neighbors to the north live on average 4 to 5 years longer than we do, and have an infant mortality rate lower than ours. Imagine that, not only do you have a higher chance at life in Canada but you live longer too. For many Americans, the thought of a country as liberal as Canada beating us in both of these areas is unfathomable.
Who is in front of us in terms of life expectancy you ask? How about Cuba at 37th, or Malta at 21, higher yet, what about Singapore at 15th and Spain at 6th. Who is on top? Japan is number one. So, it appears as if we are not number one and needed to do something to change it. Only time must tell if this was the appropriate bill and the suitable fix for what ails us. Hopefully it would be, or we would find ourselves back where we started, and that is no good for anyone.
Passionate Debate About Healthcare Reform
Posted by admin in Healthcare on March 14, 2010
Watching politics is a fascinating way to pass the time. People always find new ways to repackage the same basic debates in ever different forms. The media float above the fray, supposedly with a dispassionate eye. The code of the professional journalist preserves a neutral position, identifying the key facts and giving both sides of the debate a fair hearing. Unfortunately, the arrival of Fox News and the rise of the Right Wing Jocks has produced an opinion-based approach to reporting the news. This is not simply skewing the coverage. It is actually introducing new levels of venom into the debate itself, raising the profile of news reporters and commentators as demagogues, and personalising the attacks made on government. No other issue has raised the heat of passion in the debate as the proposal to reform the provision of healthcare in the US. Many on the right of the political spectrum see these proposals as a direct attack on their individual liberties and as promoting big government. They approve the rise of activism that has seen groups around the US protesting in the Town Hall Meetings run during the summer and in the so-called Tea Party protests which focus on the rise of big government and the redistribution of wealth through alleged socialist measures. As a momentary aside, let us make a politically incorrect observation of fact.
The Health Care Reform And Impacts
Posted by admin in Healthcare on March 14, 2010
Americans are concerned with insurance and healthcare more than they ever have been. Statistics display that when deciding whether or not to accept a job the most vital factor that individuals consider is what if any type of policies benefits are offered. This is more important than how much the job pays, or how much vacation time is offered. The recession has forced some small corporations as well as some bigger corporations to make drastic cuts in expenses. They have to opt between laying off an employee, and dropping their health benefits.
Some small businesses owners have even had to drop their own benefits as well. However neither decision is a good one. One would even consider it like selecting between the lesser of the two evils. If a firm selects to lay off some of their employees go in order to cut expenses that will increase the work load of the remaining workers. Statistics indicate that increased work load will hire the stress lever, and lower the quality of work which increases the chance of getting hurt on the job.
However, if the agency drops the workers insurance, then the employee can either have to take their chances and hope never to get sick, or pay for their own personal coverage which is extremely expensive. With the new health reform, business and businesses are now being offer substantial tax breaks if they continue to pay for coverage coverage for their professionals. This has decreased the number of companies dropping their policies, and cutting jobs.