Abstract
This paper describes the problem of insufficient health care in America affecting mostly the near-poor. This is the sector of people who are not poor enough to qualify for Medicare or Medicaid programs and, the paper points out, a sector that is growing. The paper compares the U.S. healthcare system to a sieve, where many members of the population fall through the holes and then takes a look at two possible solutions to the, briefly analyzing their advantages and disadvantages.

From the Paper
"Our healthcare system is not a bowl that catches everyone. It's more like a sieve. As our population pours into this sieve, some people remain in the bowl while others slip through. 38% of employed Americans under the age of 65 do not get health care. They aren't eligible for Medicare yet, and aren't protected by safety nets such as California's State Children's Health Insurance. Because of our piecemeal system, nearly 45 million Americans lack health care today (KFF, 2004). This number has risen dramatically in the last five years, and now more than one in six adults under the age of sixty-five have no health care."

Tags:compassionate, caring, hospitals, insurance, marketplace, afford, uninsured, pay

Abstract
The paper describes the inefficiency of government spending, focusing on health care. It details the problems of HMO's, Medicare and Medicaid and explains why they have failed to provide adequate health care. The paper then presents a case for privatization by showing how it will improve medical services for everyone.

From the Paper
"Government spending is a very popular topic in today's society. Some believe that the government is inefficient in using public funds to fund a public good. Regardless if one is a proponent of government spending or an opponent, it is undeniable that government allocation of public funds has been woefully inadequate, to say the least."

Tags:Government, privitization, spending

Abstract
This essay discusses the health care crisis in America, specifically in relation to the 2008 Presidential debates. The essay outlines the history of United States health care, the current state of health care in America as well as solutions that have been proposed by John McCain and Barack Obama. It proposes a new solution involving rendering health care services on a sliding scale basis, with each household paying only what it can afford. In this plan patients will receive services immediately, will then undergo a counseling session and will receive a financial assessment that determines how much they can afford to pay for the said services.

From the Paper
"
"In Michael Moore's documentary film, Sicko, the seasoned filmmaker takes a stab at the American healthcare system. He interviews scores of those who have been affected by its ruthless denial of care. Those with medical problems have gone untreated because they did not have insurance, or even because their insurance would not cover the claim. Some even lost loved ones to diseases because their insurance companies would not pay for treatment that was labeled experimental, even if doctor's notes sung the treatment's praises. The situation was dire, but with the current economic crisis it is bound to be even more difficult."

Tags:economic crisis, health care reform, government policy, insurance

Abstract
The writer of this paper details the increasing unemployment rates in the U.S. while proposing several strategies to combat this and other growing problems in America. This paper discusses the 1933 implementation and success of the Civilian Conservation Corps., initiated by President Roosevelt and designed to aid Americans during the depression era. The writer contends and explains why a similar program would be effective in today's society. The program would offer jobs and financial assistance for education as well as health benefits. This paper discusses the growing lack of affordable health care in America. This paper also examines America's education system while comparing its standing to other countries around the world. This writer stresses the need for accountability on the part of both the administrators and the teachers in order to raise the current standard in America's public schools.

From the Paper
"Over forty million people in this country have no regular access to health care. Most of these are people who earn too little to pay premiums on individual health insurance policies or are not employed by companies that offer health insurance benefits. In spite of this, we continue to treat illegal immigrants and their dependents the same as legal residents. Over the last several decades, and despite the severe fiscal crises faced by local and state governments, political leaders continued to promote policies that grant costly benefits to people who violate immigration laws. One out of every four uninsured people in the United States is an illegal immigrant. Almost half of these immigrants have either no insurance or have it provided to them at taxpayers' expense. In some hospitals, as much as two-thirds of total operating costs are for uncompensated care for illegal aliens."

Tags:u.s., economy, finance, health, care, unemployment, strategy, roosevelt, theodore, civilian, conservaton, corp, public, school

Abstract
In this review of Laurie Kay Abraham's book "Mama Might Be Better Off Dead: the Failure of Health Care in Urban America" two issues are considered. First, the paper looks at how the book demonstrates that America's health care system is failing some Americans, particularly the urban poor, in very significant ways. Second, the paper relates that Abraham's work illuminates the complexities of what providing health care for all really is. The result is a book that examines both the complexity and importance of the issue of health care in America.

From the Paper
"Her primary audience for this book is any person concerned about health care policy in the United States. That should include every voter, because it is a system of laws and the regulations that support those laws that affect the problems discussed in the book. Our government leaders and representatives should also read this book, because the book demonstrates with great clarity just how complex the problem of providing health care for our urban poor really is."

Tags:healthcare, United, States, urban, poor, Laurie, Kay, Abraham

Abstract
This paper examines the American health care system and suggests methods of creating universal access to health care. The paper explains that health care should be considered a right for all citizens; a constitutional amendment would make this proposition mandatory. The paper points out that, at its root, the lack of health care for all in America is fundamentally a moral issue. The paper suggests that the United States follow its industrialized, wealthy counterparts and demand universal health care. It explains that the desire for universal health care is apparent and cites examples of states which are implementing a near-universal health care system. The writer proposes that the U.S. pass the United States National Health Insurance Act, or the Expanded and Improved Medicare for All Act. The writer further explains that this act establishes the United States National Health Insurance (USNHI) Program to provide all individuals residing in the United States and in U.S. territories with free health care, including all medically necessary care, such as primary care and prevention, prescription drugs, emergency care, and mental health services.

Outline:
Universal Healthcare in Other Countries
United States National Health Insurance Act
The Uninsured: College Students
Children's Health Care
Preventative Health Care
Eliminating Disparities
Conclusion

From the Paper
"More health care clinics geared toward minority populations could also be beneficial; citizens would feel more comfortable in settings that recognize their specific needs. Cultural and linguistic competence is mandatory. More classes in medical school concerning minority health care issues should be implemented. More minority members should be in the health care system. This would increase patient participation in care processes, ensuring grater satisfaction and adherence to treatment. The regulations in the system should be transparent and open to the public. A department in the government should be primarily focused on minority health care. The heath care system should be as diverse as our country."

Tags:primary, care, prescription, drugs, emergency, care, mental, health, services

Abstract
This paper begins with a historical perspective on the American health care system. It compares health care systems across various cultures and analyzes the current state of health care in America. The paper then describes three distinct measures to reform health care without resorting to socialized medicine. It looks at regulatory reform, quality improvements and mandatory immunization programs.

Table of Contents:
History Of American Health Care
Health Care Abroad
The Current Situation
The Cost Of Poor Quality
Good Medicine
Payin' And Suffering
Conclusion And Proposal
Appendices

From the Paper
"Health care in the United States didn't begin as the complex system we grapple with today. The first health care market worked very well- patients with very low expectations paid "doctors" for cures that didn't work. While this system was often less than ideal for patients, it was ideal from an economic point of view. This practice continued as doctors began to offer effective services to patients who developed an appetite for care that often exceeded their ability to pay. As the Great Depression fell upon America, hospitals began to suffer from patients' inability to pay for care. Desperate for relief, hospitals lobbied states for a way to ensure bills were paid. The creation of the first modern insurance company, Blue Cross, resulted . Originally, Blue Cross was a non-profit organization that simply paid the bills, without getting involved in what type of care was provided. Once doctors realized the benefits of this system- primarily, fast and complete payment of bills- the insurance industry began to grow. Soon, the practice was so popular that employees began demanding that their employers provide insurance benefits- a practice encouraged by the government in the form of tax benefits. This change in how care was paid for meant that the burden of health care costs shifted from the general population to the government. In the years after World War II, the United States experienced dramatic leaps in medicine. In the 1960's, the US saw a major change in how health care dollars are spent when Medicare and Medicaid began . Since that time, the US has seen a rise in the percentage of health care dollars spent by the government from 24% in the 1960s to 60% in the 1990s. Including tax subsidies for health insurance, 51% of health care spending in the US is done by government- and paid for by taxpayers."

Tags:economics, reform, socialized, medicine, regulatory

Abstract
The measurement of access to health care in America is far from uniform. Even a cursory review of the literature reveals diverse methods, instruments and procedures for assessing access, each applied to diverse populations (e.g., poor, special needs, middle class, insured, uninsured, etc.) for diverse services (oncology, preventative care, prenatal care, etc.). This paper examines access to health care as related to the measurement of access and to the range of programs that have been developed to improve access. The writer's personal reaction to each issue is included in the report. The paper also includes articles referred to in the text.

From the Paper
"Access has also been measured in terms of whether a person has medical insurance or a regular source of care, or whether people use emergency rooms as their usual site of medical care (Wood, Hayward, Corey, Freeman & Shapiro, 1990). Additional access measures include whether insurance covers recommended care (Hubbell, Waitzkin & Rodriquez, 1990), the number of structural barriers confronting an individual or group seeking health care (Dutton, 1986), and the degree of expertise of a target group's service providers (McCoy, Aversa & McCoy, 1999). My personal reaction to this issue is to doubt the accuracy of access data. This is because each of these different measures must necessarily vary in the extent to which they have adequately operationalized the access construct."

Tags:medical, care, National, Academy, for, State, Health

Abstract
This paper debates the pros and cons of socialized health care in America. Provides many facts and figures to support the arguments on both sides.

From the Paper
"It has been said that we live in the "greatest country in the world," but how do we then explain why so many people in our country do not even have basic healthcare. Other industrialized countries have embraced social healthcare systems that could guarantee their citizens, at the least, basic healthcare. Our elderly have to get on buses and travel across the border to Canada to get medications that they can afford. The only alternative is to go with out food or split their pills to try and stretch them further! And what about the family who has to mortgage their home and turn to friends and churches and run around putting jars in convenience and grocery stores to raise enough money so their child can have a life saving operation! This time could have been better spent with the only worry being the child's making a full recovery not focused on all of the mechanics of how to get the funds. How has the "greatest country in the world" let approximately 44 million of its people down?"

Tags:companies, credits, employer, individual, institute, insurance, mandates, medicine, payer, pharmaceutical, plan, single, social, tax, uninsured, universal

Abstract
The paper begins by giving a history of government involvement in healthcare in America. It looks at federal, state and local roles of government in the provision of health-care services and the problems that the "working-poor" have with access to healthcare. It then focuses on the state of Florida as a state where healthcare problems are particularly acute, owing to the demographic features of the state and its position as a major tourist attraction. After specifying challenges, the paper proposes a strategic plan for dealing with the system that is in crisis.

From the Paper
"At the beginning of the 21st century, the American health care system is showing significant signs of stress. The state of Florida will not escape the problems faced by the country as a whole, in fact, specific demographic features of the state, such as its large number of older Americans and the large number of Floridians working in the service sector -- will mean that the challenges of providing access to health care will be particularly acute in Florida."

Tags:government, involvement, federal, state, local, demographic, challenge