Transcript Government option

Budget and Health
What two major problems are
facing the U.S. government this
month?
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The closing of the Federal
Government because no budget
resolution to keep it going has been
passed.
On Oct 17, the U.S. will not have
enough money to repay loans
preiously borrowed…DEFAULT…unless
the ceiling on our debt is raised.
What 3 ways does the government
get money to spend and which one
is in jepoardy of not being able to
be used.
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Taxes
Borrowing
Printing Money: quantitative easing
What government entity controls
the amount of money in U.S.
money supply
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The Federal Reserve Bank
• The use a process called quantitative
easing, which essentially prints money
and adds it to the supply. It can also
withdraw money if inflation becomes a
problem. Currently inflation is below
2%, so not a problem.
What are the major objectives of
the Tea Party wing of the
Republican Party.
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Smaller government doing less
Less Taxes (see number one)
Less government intrusion in
American life (see number one)
Why don’t “old school” non-Tea
Party Republican stop the Tea
Party, if they think they are harming
the country (many do)? It’s called
by “primaried.”
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Tea Party organizations will run Tea
Party candidates, heavily funded,
against them in Primaries, so they
won’t even be able to run against the
Democrats.
Who is Grover Norquist
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A non-elected Republican activists,
who organization “encourages”
Republican Congressman to sign a
“pledge” never, ever, ever to raise
taxes for any reason. If they violate
the pledge, they will be primaried.
What happens Oct 17?
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Unless Congress raises the debt
limit, the U.S. will default on
repayment of loans it has received,
harming the nation’s credit rating.
John Boehner, the Republican
Speaker of the House, says he will
not let it happen.
What is the U.S. currency, the
dollar, backed up by
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Confidence in the U.S. to be able to
repay its debt, “the full faith and
credit” of the U.S.
What catastrophe is predicted by
many to happen if the U.S.
defaults?
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Lack of confidence in the U.S. will
cause stock and bond markets to
crash. Less demand in U.S. back
loans will reduce demand for those
bonds, crashing trillions in value.
Others believe nothing will happen,
investors will just wait it out.
What is meant by Gross Domestic
Product, GDP
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It is the cumulative wealth of all
aspects of an economy?
What Percent of the U.S. GDP is
spent on healthcare? What do
other developed countries spend?
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18%
8-12%
How does U.S. debt to GDP
compare to the rest of the
developed world?
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About the same, to a little less.
What part of the U.S. government
is spiraling out of control and
whose trajectory will cause great
debt in the future?
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Medicare: health care for older
Americans as the largest part of the
population of the U.S. gets older.
Medicare costs mirror U.S. health
care which is MUCH higher than the
rest of the World.
How does the percent covered and
health outcomes compare?
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Most of all other developed countries
cover 100% of their citizens, the U.S.
has not covered approximately 50
million people until now.
The U.S. is generally rated in the mid
30s, according the New England
Journal of medicine.
How do Canadians feel about
socialized medicine?
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A 2009 Harris/Decima poll found
82% of Canadians preferred their
healthcare system to the one in the
United States, more than ten times
as many as the 8% stating a
preference for a US-style health care
system for Canada[14] while a
Strategic Counsel survey in 2008
found 91% of Canadians preferring
their healthcare system to that of the
U.S.[11][12]
How has U.S. Health Care been
structured since the ’60s?
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Medicare: for elderly
Medicaid: for the poor.
Private: paid for by employers and
employees.
Uninsured or underinsured: the
working poor. Typically these people
go to emergency rooms, where costs
are shifted to the other groups.
How will the change under the
AHCA: Obamacare (they hope)?
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Medicare: Unchanged
Medicaid: expanded modestly (if states fund it)
Private: Unchanged. (some argue smaller
business will stop offering forcing employees to
“exchanges”
Uninsured: will be “mandated” to get insurance.
Depending on their income, they may receive
government subsidies to pay for it.
• Emergency rooms will no longer be forced to “eat” costs
for these people.
• These exchanges will compete for customers, thus
lowering the price.
How is Obamacare to be paid for?
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Through cuts in other programs,
government control, and competition in
the exchanges, and by savingd in waste.
(All has been accounted for on paper).
Because free “well care” is mandated as
part of the program, hopefully the U.S.
will get healthier and treated earlier,
bringing down costs. (As about Zipcodes)
Many believe it will eventually have to be
subsidized by taxes.
How are pre-existing conditions
treated differently under
Obamacare
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Before, insurance companies could
deny care to those who are the most
expensive to treat, now they can’t.
Will that raise costs or will their be
enough savings from emergency
treatments to pay for it?
How much of premiums most be
spent on Health Care?
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Under Obamacare 80% of premiums
must be spent on health care, not
profit or administrative costs, like
billing and advertising.
How might Obamacare affect
young people?
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They can now stay on parents policy
until age 27.
Young, healthy uninsured now must
buy insurance or be fined.
How might jobs be affected?
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Employees now may leave jobs they
stayed in for the health care.
Employers may lay off workers to get
under the number they need to to
not provide health care, or higher
lots of part time workers, forcing
them into the exchanges.
What do opponents not like about
Obamacare?
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Forcing people to buy what they
consider a commodity.
Employers might reduce jobs so as
not to have to provide insurance.
• If over 50 employees, must provide.
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Future costs.
Health providers being overregulated.
How is it hoped that Obamacare
will drive down the overall cost of
healthcare in America.
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Competition in the exchanges.
More healthy Americans as they get wellcare.
No need for emergency rooms to raise
prices to cover costs of uninsured.
Increased productivity in work force.
More participation in system.
More targeted and regulated approaches
to health.
What is a single payer plan or
government option and why wasn’t
it included?
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Single Payer: complete governmen
takeover through increased taxes, most of
developed world.
Government option: would allow people
to buy into Medicare in some fashion.
Some afraid the government would out
compete the private companies.
Was not political feasible as some consider
it socialist.
How do Americans feel about new
law?
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38% think it goes too far.
50% think its ok or didn’t go far
enough. (CNN and Kaiser health
tracking polls concurred)
U.S. compared to World in cost
Emotional Intelligence:
Daniel Goleman
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Ability to self-regulate
Introspection and selfknowledge: including what makes
you feel good/bad, and maximize the
good.
Empathy: understanding what
others feel and how to handle it.
Optimism: strong correlation to
happiness.
Perseverance