Response paper 6-7 (this counts as two response papers).
Instructions:
Completing this assignment will require anywhere from 60-80 minutes. It will count as two response papers. This documentary is a case study in policy making. It helps us to learn about the mechanisms of making laws at the national level for high profile policies in America. In particular, this case focuses our attention on the role of powerful and wealthy interest groups in Washington, and how they can easily influence government and sway laws to their benefit. It also helps us to lean about who has power over and in government, who is represented, who has voice, influence, and who doesn’t.
Please, watch “Obama’s Deal: PBS Documentary Exposing Corruption and the
Some of the most conspicuous issues with healthcare provision in our country are:
-medical bills are the leading cause of bankruptcy for middle class and low income households in America
-Insurance premiums and co pays are too high and limits for patients with preexisting conditions are numerous; insurance industry is fairly unregulated and has monopoly on setting the rules of the game on who and how they cover.
-50 million Americans remain uninsured, with elderly, students/young, and workers in low paid or part time jobs that offer no health insurance benefits most affected.
-We do not have a public health option that would offer a choice aside from private care, just like we have public education/universal education for any American who does not wish to spend tons on private education
-while we have such programs as Medicare (for the elderly), Medicaid (for low income families), and emergency rooms, they do not cover all those who need medical care; states became strict with qualifications for such programs, cutting funding and eliminating many Americans from qualifying. Emergency rooms, if you have been to one, do not offer quality care, preventative treatment, and many other essential services. Insurance does not cover pre-existing conditions; insurance plans have limits and co-pays that many people simply cannot afford once faced with a