Things I Learned:
- There are three different interrelated aspects: Cost, Coverage, and Allocation.
- The cost of Health Care in America is the highest in the world when measured either as a percentage of gross national product or as a cost per person.
- Most health insurance is provided by employers or government programs.
- Currently, 44 million American are excluded from having any kind of Health Care
- Many Americans receive their Health Insurance from their employers (57%).
- American's who are self-employed, or work in low-paying jobs have very limited coverage or no coverage at all.
- Elderly and Retired citizens are insured through MEDICARE (a government program)
- Health Care for an American citizen in 1950 averaged at $500, in 2004, an average person was paying $5,000 for Health Care.
- When a person has Health Insurance, they only pay a small portion of the cost of their total health care.
- New and improved medical equipment has caused the cost of Health Care to rise.
- As time as passed, Americans are tending to live longer and longer, thus increasing the cost of Medicare as well as the need for it. (Medicare is paid for by taxes)
- Nearly half of American adults are overweight. Since 1980, obesity has increased by 50%. Lack of nutrition in physical diet and exercise contribute to the increase rate of disease in the United States.
I find the book Issues in American Politics to be very basic and helpful when it comes to explaining things about our government I have a hard time understanding.
Add-on to Bibliography:
Thobeben, Robert G., Donna M. Schagheck, and Charles Fenderburk. Issues in American Politics: Money, Violence, and Biology. 5th ed. Upper Saddle River: Pearson Education, 2006. Print.
*LIKE*
ReplyDelete