Misguided Quest for Universal Healthcare-NYtimes article review

We acknowledge that America’s healthcare system is dysfunctional and is need of reform. However, the answer is not to simply make it universal because the costs would be too high on the citizens. It should be made more affordable and easier to obtain.
Many attempts have been made to do this task. In the article “The Misguided Quest for Universal Healthcare”, he states “The practical case is that uninsured people raise premiums for everyone else. But such cost shifting raises premiums by 1.7 percent at most, according to a 2008 study published in the journal Health Affairs. Reforms that increase the number of people with health insurance, while stopping short of universal coverage, would presumably make that small percentage even smaller.”This describes how costs would be too great. A factor that is not mentioned however is the mere size in population. I will compare the population size to France because it was mentioned in Micheal Moore’s “Sicko” and remains a popular comparison. The population in France, according to the Encyclopedia Britannica is an estimated 61 million. The population in America is an estimated 305 million people. The countries do not compare in size of population.
Socialism can clearly work better in a smaller country such as France. America is well over that population and harder to regulate. The systems are completely different. France doesn’t tell you that your taxed nearly 2-3 times more than you are in the United States.
The article continues to say “There is no evidence that a dollar spent on universal coverage will save more lives than a dollar spent on clinics, or reducing medical errors, or nutrition, or fighting poverty, or even improving education. And if universal coverage generally reduces the quality of care or retards medical innovation, it could end up being bad for everyone, including the poor.” This clearly shows how misguided many of people’s perspective is on this issue. Micheal Moore, who has shed light on the situation, has managed to confuse the public. His presentation is very convincing however very misleading. Those who saw it for the first time were exposed to situations in a very simplified format which is clearly not the case.
There is discussion of a free market healthcare option. This would lower the costs by not being required or regulated by the government and it would force people to buy their own insurance. Even though there are many new solutions coming out to help the people. The writer simply puts the American psyche in the simplest of words on how they really would deal with this situation. He says,” Some people, of course, would still choose to go without it. But that would be their call, as it should be in a free country.”

Univesal Healthcare and America

Medical healthcare insurance has become one of the most controversial topics of today. Americans are faced with a problem that cannot easily be solved. Many people have different ideas of how we should effectively take care of this problem. Many have adopted the idea of a universal healthcare system. Comparisons between other countries such as Canada and France have driven this idea. It has been glamorized in documentaries such as Micheal Moore’s “Sicko” to show the contrast between the different systems. There are many factors though that have not been exposed or discussed.

Josie DiLena, a Dietician from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ), acknowledges that there is a problem in the healthcare system but does not think a universal system would work. She has lived in Canada for a good part of her life and has witnessed both systems. She states “taxes were as high as 16-17% percent on every service, including funeral services, and products.” This has not been mentioned in a few of the documentaries shown on this subject and clearly shows that costs would be too high. She also bought up a few interesting factors that have not been mentioned in these pro universal healthcare programs. “The hospital suffers a major loss because it supplies healthcare to illegal immigrants and those who do not have health insurance. The hospital then gets a Charity Care credit which is reimbursement from the government, but it only pays a small percentage of its total loss. Now the burden lies on the staff’s wages to help with the burden.” I then asked her, what could be the reason why many Americans do not have health insurance? She answered,” Many people simply cannot afford it and many of their employers do not offer healthcare.” I found it interesting how an employer could not offer health insurance and tried finding reasons why that is so. I then asked Carly DiLena, a store manager for Pier 1 Imports, if they offered a healthcare plan for their employees. She answered, “Yes, but only full-time employees are fully covered; Part-time employees are only covered for 10,000 dollars”.

Josie and Carly are both full-time employees from different fields and they are fully covered for health insurance. Many of the people presented in the documentaries are freelance workers, private business owners, part-time workers, or unemployed. Both Josie and Carly say having private contracts between the government and the healthcare provider could be a solution help lower costs. The contract would offer a subsidized group rate and this would help make insurance more affordable.

With these new factors in play, a universal healthcare would not seem feasible in America. Although comparisons are constantly being made with other countries such as France and Canada, people have not taken into account the taxes and even the population differences. It is safe to say that this issue cannot be dissected into a black and white scenario when there are so many other factors involved.

TEA parties across the nation

On tax day, April 15^th, Americans in each of the 50 states gathered to voice their frustration with the Obama administration. TEA is an acronym for "Taxed Enough Already". There were a total of 750 rallies across the nation with a rally in Boston, Chicago, and even in front of the White House. This was an anti-tax and anti-Obama protest. Many protestors claimed that this protest was neither a pro democratic nor republican display of views. They described this as a grass-root view, meaning the true American who is standing for what America is founded on.

In the New York Times' article "Tax Day is met with Tea parties" protesters such as Paul Sommer, 41, of Humble, Tex., said he came out because he feared the country was drifting toward socialism under President Obama. "I don't agree with them taking my money," he said. "I'm a small-business owner. I don't want them taking everything." Another tax payer, who is concerned with about the future of her kids said "The American taxpayers are really getting pressed too hard," Ms. Ouimete said. "We can't live like this, and our kids can't live like this." These concerns are the first widespread disapproval of Obama's policies since he has been inaugurated. The article describes some of the signs that read "Abolish the I.R.S.," "Less Government More Free Enterprise," "We Miss Reagan" and "Honk if You Are Upset About Your Tax Dollars Being Spent on Illegal Aliens." This clearly shows an uprising of discontent with Obama and his policies.

The speaker of the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, has publically criticized this protest by saying on KTVU "we call it Astroturf not really a grass-root, its Astroturf by some of the wealthiest people of America" Americans believe that the Obama administration is mishandling tax payer's money. Tax payers came that day to show their fears of what President Obama was doing to them. Obama's stimulus package was for 787 billion dollars with an overall budget of 3.5 trillion dollars. The bailout included AIG, who was publically scorned for misuse of the money. Also, it included the aid for the mortgage crisis which actually led to the public outcry by a CNBC reporter to protest Obama and his tax policies. The main complaints were that there is no oversight or consideration of how the tax payer's opinion is taken into consideration for where the money would be allocated too. Many have seen this as socialistic behavior and want to stop overspending of tax payer's money.

Is the Stimulus Package working?

It is pretty impressive for President Obama to put together a package of this size in his first 100 days in office. But was the release of this package too hasty? Does every American really understand the details of the package? I myself am still confused. I personally don't agree with bailouts and with the failure of the first bailout, I am very weary with this one. I agree with the economic stimulating power it has but I don't agree with combining it with a bailout plan yet again for large corporations.

According to Time magazine, the unemployment rate was set to rise 8.5% in the month of April. The stimulus package did raise unemployment benefits for those who have lost their jobs. This however does not show the stimulus package stimulating job growth. It seems more like cushioning the blow for the American people to get by. More businesses have cut jobs, such as MTV, and the closing of Circuit City. It is apparent that things are not getting any better. According to the Wall Street Journal, the Dow Jones has dropped even deeper since March 5^th. Banks such as JP Morgan, Bank of America, and other banks who received bailout help have decided to return the bailout funds. They fear that having government control over their business would impose more restrictions on their private enterprises. Now how will the economy be stimulated?

It may be way too early to tell how this package is going to help. There is not much information available to really study what is going on with our economy. Washington has posted a site to help show the progress of the economy and the stimulus package. It really doesn't give an overall accurate measurement of how the much stimulation the economy has had. Obama may have put this package together very hastily in hopes to fix the problems with money. Again, the question of where the money is coming from has many American's concerned about the future for not only themselves but future generations. $835 billion dollars is a lot of money for which the tax payers will most likely end up paying for in the future. Even though many Americans and politicians alike did not agree with it and had no say.

Becoming Unemployed

Many of us have experienced the unpleasantness of becoming unemployed. It doesn't help when you become unemployed in one of the most expensive cities in the world, New York City. I am personally going through the same crisis, as well as over 200,000 other New Yorkers. The task becomes daunting and disheartening when you are forced to look for another job in a field you were not working in already. I have met a few people who were forced to take a retail job after being terminated. They took a great cut in pay and also had inconvenient hours. The situation becomes dire when you realize that to get to where you were; you have to start over again.

I am currently a full-time college student who has experience in the workforce and currently lost my job due to lack of work. While receiving unemployment benefits, it is still difficult to get by in New York. I am doing the job search quest again and I am finding it difficult to get a job. I am forced to rely on my benefits to get me by. I will probably have to go back to the retail business and work the inconvenient hours once I am done with school. I also had the privilege of interviewing a person who was in the same predicament. They have chosen to stay anonymous and I will refer to him as John Doe. His story I feel represents most people in our age range, 20-30's. He was working security making over $300 a week as a part-time security guard and going to school full-time. He had become unemployed had many bills to pay. He needed to pay for health insurance, credit cards, child support, and rent. However, he was not able to suffice with unemployment benefits either. He states "there are not many jobs that will accommodate my school schedule like security but the jobs are scarce." He then went to work for the retailer, Pier 1, who could only allow him less than 10 hours a week. This now disqualified him for unemployment benefits and is now only bringing in around $100 a week. He went with Pier 1 for health benefits to save him costs. He is now anticipating his graduation in hopes he can find a better paying job. "I would prefer to get a job pertaining to my field, but I know that it I may have to get what I can in the meantime" says John Doe.

Mr. John Doe I feel represents many full-time students and even other recently unemployed people. The struggles not only represent students, but it also shows how recently unemployed people have to start from scratch. To take on jobs with a huge cut in salary can make surviving that much more difficult. The economy is making it difficult for even people with a degree to obtain a stable job.

Unemployed in New York City

There is no doubt that unemployment is a chronic epidemic all over the United States. How it can affect certain groups is an entirely different story. New York City is one of the most expensive cities in the world to live. The cost of living in New York City is considerably higher than almost any other city in the US. Shouldn't that mean more money in unemployment to offset New York City's cost of living? Every state has dealt with their unemployment benefits differently. According to the article entitled "For New York's Newly Jobless, $430 Doesn't go far", by Patrick McGeehan of the New York Times; New York has the nation's lowest unemployment weekly benefit out of the other states.

With New York's cost of living being so high, one would think that the rate of unemployment benefit should be higher. The average cost of rental studio apartment in New York City is nearly $2,000 a month. This does not include having to pay for health insurance premiums, or utilities and other necessities to live in the city. Another huge cost that is overlooked is the cost of taking Public Transportation. The article started by saying, "Lose your job in Boston, Pittsburgh, Seattle or Trenton and you could collect $544 or more per week in unemployment benefits. But get laid off in New York City, as almost 200,000 workers have in the past year, and the most you can collect is $430 a week." It is shocking to learn that New York has not raised its unemployment benefit allowance in the past ten years. Recently due to the economic stimulus package, New York was able to release $25 in addition to the benefit. However the total comes out to $430. This makes it extremely difficult to survive in New York City on unemployment alone. It has become apparent that apartment rental costs are rising as well as the costs of the Metrocard. These costs are unique to New York City and are making it more difficult to survive here.

Another point made in the article, is how challenging it can be to maintain a family off unemployment benefits. It points out that Massachusetts raised its benefit based on inflation to $650 a week. It is still challenging but compared to New York's benefit, it looks like a lot more help. New York does not adjust its benefit on inflation or family size.

The problem lies with the lawmakers of New York State. They have not come to an agreement yet on increasing benefits or even creating jobs for New York City's citizens. It is very interesting to learn that one of the world's most expensive cities gives its citizens the lowest unemployment benefit in all of the United States.

Is Israel Abusing Its Power?

The Israeli conflict between Palestine is a seemingly complex situation that many people do not understand what the actual conflict is. I two fall under that category. Our main sources of news often portray a pro- Israeli biased headline. I as well as many other people often saw Israeli as the victimized country. As I have continued to research and watch other documentaries from the internet, I have begun to discover the other side.

I had the unique opportunity to live with a student whose family was from Palestine. His name was Samer Sulieman, he described the situation with a completely different viewpoint on the subject. What I was told was the exact opposite of what I heard on the news. I then did some research on the subject and found a documentary by journyman.tv that showed how life was in the Gaza strip. The details of that documentary matched what Mr. Suleiman had described to me. They both described the situation as an imprisonment and torture of innocent people. With Israel having full siege over the Gaza strip, they are completely surrounded by Israeli forces and the refugees being held there are not allowed to go in and out of the area. The refugees are Palestinians who were forced out of their homes when The United Nations cleared the land to create Israel.

The people live in an impoverished environment and have virtually no jobs. Israel closed its borders which handicapped the workers who would go there to work. Israel has a more modern development of markets and would make it virtually impossible for the people stuck in Gaza to have any form of economic development. They are not allowed to fish more than one and half kilometers off the shore of the Mediterranean Sea which inhibits mass quantity and quality of fish. Many of the houses are underdeveloped and the children do not have many clothes.

This creates a more hostile environment for the people who are constantly under fire by Israeli forces. The children and men protest the Israeli army by throwing rocks and certain posts. The soldiers fire back with heavy gunfire and shoot the children. Mr. Suleiman had described this too me as an unfair fight before. He said "it's the poor fighting with sticks and stones against the big army tanks with big guns". I was always under the impression that they were better developed with weapons but the documentary reiterated his point by showing them with no weapons.

My opinion has been completely transformed hearing it first hand from someone who had better insight than I did. I do believe that Israel is abusing its power with relentless war violence and siege control over Palestinians. It is hard for me to side with them. Also, the fact that the weapons used are American made make it hard for Palestinians to believe that we can help them. It makes it seem to them that Americans support Israel's behavior. I personally believe that the American government needs to stop supplying Israel with war equipment. Also, I believe America can go in there and put restrictions on Israel to help release their stronghold on the Gaza strip. Minimizing Israel's power, in my opinion, would pave the way to a more peaceful situation.