Tuesday, September 22, 2009
1st Period Current Event- Health Care- 9/25
Please post your current event for Friday, September 25 below. You should find an article, video, or audio clip about health care reform. Remember to include the link to your source, provide the topic of your article, and write at least 5-6 sentences discussing your opinion of the article, video, or audio.
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http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/weather/09/22/georgia.flood.shelter/index.html
ReplyDeleteIt scary to believe that water is able to rise 18 feet during a flood. I would not be a happy person if my house was all the way under water. With all of my stuff destroyed i would not know what to do. The god thing is no one has gone missing. Also the water is slowly going away for 18 feet to 8 feet. But the people in Georgia are gonna remember the day when the 18 feet of rain came.
Senate panel begins consideration of Baucus health plan
ReplyDeleteYesterday, the Senate started discussing the health care plan proposed by Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus. He suggested a compromise between the Republicans advocating for private health care and the Democrats who want total reform. The non-partisan budget review group says this will cause a $28 million decrease in the deficit within the first ten years of implementation. This is a vitally important issue. Health care has become a vitriolic and personal debate (think Joe Wilson's infamous "You lie!"). Taking partisanship out of it and having two very different parties come to a consensus will allow true change to happen.
http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/09/17/health.care/index.html
ReplyDeleteI think that it is good that President Obama is taking his healthcare message on the road. Everyone should respect what he has to say even if you don't agree with him. In his latest address at the University of Maryland he was quoted as saying "We will get this done. In the United States, nobody should go broke because they get sick."
I think that everyone can agree with that statement. President Obama's remarks came a day after the chairman of the Senate Finance Committee unveiled his long-awaited compromise health care plan. The plan would require all Americans to have health insurance but lacks a government-run public health insurance option favored by Obama and most Democrats.
-Christine
http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/asia/155212/aids-breakthrough-as-vaccine-cuts-infections-for-first-time
ReplyDeleteScientists in Bangkok, Thailand are experimenting with an AIDS vaccine and they think they may have made a breakthrough. This vaccine has reduced the risk of being infected by HIV by one-third. "This is a very important scientific advance and gives us hope that a globally effective vaccine may be possible in the future," said Jerome Kim, the head of the US military's AIDS research program. I think that this is amazing, and I'm surprised that more attention hasn't been given to the issue here in the USA - I mean, just because they discovered a vaccine in Thailand doesn't mean that it's only good news for Thailand. In my opinion, though, Thailand will be one of the many countries to benefit greatly because it has the second-highest prostitution rate in the world. I really hope that this vaccine will be further tested and that it turns out to make a real difference in the people whose communities are affected by this horrible disease.
http://abcnews.go.com/Health/WireStory?id=8664808&page=1
ReplyDeletePresident Obama's efforts to provide health care for every citizen might not extend to Puerto Rico. In the past, the territory has had to pay for the country's health care from their own money. With the current health care reform plans, most of Puerto Rico would be overlooked and universal health care would not be achieved. I think that this is unfair, and Puerto Rico and the territories should be able to have the same privileges as the states. They also have a high percentage of working poor, who will need the privileges. They should extend their efforts to Puerto Rico, in my opinion.
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/08/21/obama-guarantee-health-care-reform-passage/
ReplyDeleteThis article talks about an opinion of the health care reform that we don't often get to see: the republican's opinion. And I personally think they make a good point. In the article they talk about how government run health care could run over private insurers, and in turn the US would have little say in their health care. And that's wrong. It's something we need, we should be able to pick the things we need according to our lives, and not what the government thinks we should get. The government should find a way to get health care to those who don't have it, and don't have the means to get. It should not be available to everyone in the country.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/21/health/policy/21obama.html?_r=1
ReplyDeletePresident Obama is striving to make health care affordable for everyone and not just the upper class. I believe health care is really important for the people especially who can't afford it, because what if something happens to them? Also not having health care is very expensive especially if you need treatments many times a month. The battle for health care for everyone has been a struggle and Obama has even said so himself. One health care plan has already been discussed, and it is called the Baucus Plan. The Baucus plan aims to help the middle and lower class that can't afford to pay for health insurance. Obama also said that he did not want to give illegal immigrants health insurance, since technically they are not allowed to be in the U.S.A, but he wants to make sure that the children that are born in America to be covered. I was glad that he wanted to do that, because at least part of their family is covered and children also get sick more than adults because when they go to school they are exposed to germs. I really hope health care for everyone will come soon, because many families are in great need of it.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2009-09-24-hiv-vaccine_N.htm
ReplyDeletethats good news to hear that people are advancing in medical technology dealing with HIV. People discovered a drug that is able the slow do the ADS processes so people are able to work on the person that had ADS making. Its good that we are able to save 31 precent of people that have ADS. Its also good to hear that doctors say its able to be widely spread out to people that need it.
My article is about why health insurance is so unaffordable.
ReplyDeleteFor some strange reson it won't let me put the URL for my article in this box (I don't know why) so it's called "The Numbers and Health Care Reform." It's a New York Times editorial. This is for Ms. Ballew to look it up.
According to a study done, the premium rate for health insurance has risen faster and higher than both salaries and the general inflation rate in the past year (and the past few years).
I'll try and explain it: Every year everyone who's working gets a raise of a certain percent. The cost of everything else (like pizza and dishwashers) also rises by a certain percent. This is the inflation rate. I think it's about 3% but I'm not certain. But last year, the cost of health insurance was raised more than 3%. So then, people couldn't afford it because they didn't make enough more money to pay for the high price.
This year, according to the article, everyone was given 3.1% more money at their jobs. Health insurance prices rose 5%. So no one had that extra two percent, and that is why almost half of all Americans have gone without health insurance in the past decade.
So after I read this, I was more greatful than ever for Obama's plan to give everyone affordable health care. If prices keep rising at this rate, one of what I believe are our unaliable (inaliable?) rights, health care, will be taken away from everyone.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/24/health/policy/24medicare.html?_r=1&ref=us
ReplyDeleteThe health care bill taken up by the Senate Finance Committee this week is going to cut Medicare aid for many senior citizens. Florida's Senator Bill Nelson has been trying to to prevent the cuts from affecting seniors and their benefits. There has been much conflict over this bill, with Republicans saying Democrats are just using Medicare to fund coverage for people without health insurance, while Democrats are arguing that they are simply making the Medicare fund last longer. Personally, I do think that health insurance for everyone is a good idea, but I do not think that so many benefits should be included in the health care that everyone receives. First of all, providing all of the benefits would be extremely expensive, and also, many people can actually pay for their own benefits. I think everyone should get a basic health care plan free, and options to upgrade if they have the finances for it, such as they do in Canada. There should probably be some special circumstances for people who are disabled and senior citizens who simply cannot afford adequate health insurance, but I think for most people basic coverage would be enough. If they needed any more, they could buy it themselves.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/issues/health_care/
ReplyDeleteI think this speech makes it obvious that Obama knows what the people want and need in their healthcare. This bill allows people to keep their healthcare if they want, and eliminates and limits a lot of major problems that we have with health care today. I think Obama is really going to change America in many ways, past what he is doing with health care. Insurance companies watering down or cutting off coverage when you get sick was a serious issue as well as yearly or lifetime caps on coverage. It is really important that Obama has stopped both of these issues. It is also good that he has found a cost-efficient way to solve all these problems with healthcare in America.
I picked this article because it was different than the others. Jeremy Twitchell from the Las Vegas Sun Newspaper took a very unique angle to the big, important issue of Health Care. The article talks about how much of a moral issue Heath Care Accessibility is. The various religious leaders he interviewed do not use proposals and different politicians to prove their point. They are backed up by religious and philosophical fact. I found tier points valid, sensible, and fair. It’s very true that status should not hold so much weight on your value as a person. No matter how much money you make, you’re worth protecting. I liked how this article represented so many different religions throughout the state of Nevada; made for an interesting read.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2009/sep/24/faith-leaders-say-health-care-reform-moral-issue/
http://www.slate.com/id/2218102/
ReplyDeleteThis article takes a skeptical view on health care reform, and really tries to dig into what we truthfully would be spending and saving on health care.
The White House and health care industry have said that their plan will reduce the costs over the next decade by two trillion dollars, but, as the article says, there isn't a really solid outline for the plan. It goes on to estimate how much we would actually be saving, which comes out to be 4.32 billion dollars, not two trillion.
I agree that two trillion is a really ridiculous number for only a decade. America is already in a debt of more than that, so it seems impossible to save that much so quickly.
Also, I don't really understand the plan, and it doesn't seem like anyone else really does, either. It's all vague and hypothetical, and while it does have some pretty good theories, I don't think it's solid enough to actually work.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,551520,00.html
ReplyDeleteThis article has details on a lot of American's opinions on Obama's "Health care" plan. They think Obama in lying when he says that people won't be taxed more because of the plan and they think that their health plan coverage will not be even close to how good it is now. Some polls were taken to see who wanted their health plan's to stay the same. More than half said that they didn't want it to change. I personally agree that our health plans are fine and that Obama's plan will have less coverage for us. It will also take money from those who work hard to earn it and give that money to people who don't have jobs and are just asking for money and free health plans because they are too lazy to work hard and earn it. There are some exceptions like people who are ill or handicapped, but most of the poor people in the United States are capable of getting a job, even if it doesn't pay well, it is still a job.
The article also says that a three to one majority feel better with a privately owned insurance company when they get sick. Senate The Finance Committee Chairman, Max Baucus, introduced another health care bill. This one would require all American's to purchase insurance. I think that should be an individual's choice, whether or not they want to buy insurance. There is no reason for it to be required.
~Michelle
http://projects.newsobserver.com/under_the_dome/hagan_on_health_care_reform
ReplyDeleteI agree with Hagan that we need a health care reform. I don't know how they should do it, but I think it needs to be done. I also agree that it is inevitable, and even if it doesn't happen now it will in the near future. I think too many people are not wealthy enough to afford some of the prices, and I believe that everyone should have at least decent health care. I think health care is a part of our rights. I think multi-billionaires could spare a few dollars here and there to go to other peoples healthy lives.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/21/health/policy/21obama.html?_r=1
ReplyDeleteThis article is about Obama and his new healthcare plan. Many people are skeptical of this because people see that it will be putting more money on the middle class. Obama says that it won't and instead will be an affordable health care plan for everyone. He says that everyone in America has car insurance and that no one considers that a tax increase. His point is that a mandated health care plan should not be considered a tax increase. However, not everyone can afford to pay for a mandated healthcare can they? I think that everyone having healthcare is very important, but Obama's plan doesn't sound like it is the best way to help provide it to everyone.
http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/09/24/enough.vaccine.sebelius/
ReplyDeleteThis article is about people getting vaccinated with the H1N1 vaccine. Anyone who wants to get vaccinated can get one, free of charge. I think it's a good idea that the federal government is paying for it, and that the people don't and won't have to pay for it. There are over 6 million doses available for anyone who would like to "purchase" one. 250 million have already purchased one. The WHO said that, if we can't vaccinate the whole world, people will still be diagnosed with H1N1 anyways. There are a lot of world travelers and such. I agree to their statement.
The makers of Tylenol had to recall 21 children/infant liquids made in 2008 due to potential contamination - a detected bacteria in an inactive ingredient produced at the same time. Not a huge concern and very rare, there is still the threat that the bacteria would be inhaled through the lungs, bypassing the child's body safety mechanisms.
ReplyDeleteI think that this was the right step to take while addressing potentially harmful scenarios. Rather than ignore the problem, the Food and Drug Adm. addresses it. I am glad our health care system collectively cares and fixes issues like these. It also shows that there are always hazards in taking any medication - even something insignifigant like Tylenol.
http://money.cnn.com/2009/09/24/news/companies/tylenol_recall/index.htm?postversion=2009092415
Michelle: I think that while you have a good point, and health insurance shouldn't be required, you are wrong about people being too lazy to get a job and earn money if they want insurance.
ReplyDeleteMy article talked about the rising cost of health insurance and how it's become increasingly unaffordable for people to purchase. The lazy person who works at Burger King for a living (or whatever--I'm not implying that all BK employees are lazy, it's just an example of a low-paying job) can simply not afford to buy the health insurance they want on the salary they get.
And though health insurance should not be required, who doesn't want health insurance? These days, hospital bills run up so fast that health insurance is usually the only option!
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/29/nyregion/29crowded.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=queens%20school%20copes%20with%20crowding&st=cse
ReplyDeleteThis was my article for this week. It's about a school in Queens that has over double its capacity of students.
School starts at 7 a.m. and ends at 7 p.m., and there are 12 periods in a day. Students alternate periods. There are seven lunch periods. The first one starts at 9.00 in the morning and the last one ends at 3.00 in the afternoon.
I think this is simply ridiculous. The article says that this is a sign of success for the school, but this many people can only bring down the educational quality. Teachers will get hideously overworked and the whole school is just bursting at the seams.
Queens authorities need to siphon these students over into other schools, and fast.
Michelle
ReplyDelete~commenting on mh.psychout's reply to my last article.
I very much so disagree with you. Yes, health insurance may be expensive and i also agree that everyone should have it because it is helpful. When people don't have insurance and they can't afford to pay for their bill, guess who gets charged, us. We have to pay for their treatment and they act as if we own them something. My mother works at the hospital and sees this quite often. People will come in with no money and expect to be treated like royalty. Because they have this mentality, they see no reason to get health insurance. We have to continue paying for it.
When I said people are lazy, I meant that people would rather not work and have everyone else pay for their needs than earn what they need themselves. Obama has made it so that the "poor" are being given money(from those who have worked really hard for it) to cover their spending. He will keep their votes because he is allowing them to continue being lazy and not having to earn their own money.
Michelle
Michelle:
ReplyDeleteWhy do we have to pay for their health care?
I don't think that's true...
If someone who is poor and has no health insurance gets sick, then they must find a way to pay for their health care. We don't have to pay for it for them.
But here's the thing: We have Medicare or whatever it's called for old people which is free health insurance that we pay for. But we shouldn't have that.
We should have Medicare for poor people not old people.
Here's why-- If you're old, you've had your entire life to save up for retirement and get a pension and all that.
If you're young and you're still trying to make it, you have more pressing matters than health care. That's why we should disband free H.I. for old people and instead use if for those WITH JOBS who earn below a certain income. That will help them get on their feet.
Michelle, we're not paying for health care for poor people right now. We're paying for health care for rich old people who've had their entire lives to save money. But we SHOULD be paying for poor (non-lazy) people until they can afford it themselves.
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