Health Care

Health Care Reform

• Insuring more people by changing the number

• The 46-47 Million number is gone

Expanding Federal Programs

• Getting those eligible on programs they are eligible for– Expanding Medicare Eligibility– Expanding COBRA health insurance– Expanding SCHIP Program

Making Changes to Private Insurance

• Cannot Deny for Pre-Existing Conditions

• Cannot remove people who use up their coverage

• The Slackers mandate

• Subsidies to purchase insurance

Individual Mandates

• People will be required to have health insurance– Just as we are required to have health

insurance

• This is the tricky part

What if I have Insurance

• In theory it should not change

• Your employer, however, can just you off

When does it start

• Mandates begin in 2014

• Costs should be lowered over time as people have insurance

What it looks like

How can we afford this

• 1 Trillion over first 10 years– Tax on Tans – Higher medicare taxes on wealthy and

Medicare cuts– Taxes on High-end insurance– Fees on Health Care Industry

Environmental, Social, and Political Problems of Population

Change

Two Demographic Truths

1. We are all Born

2. We Will all Die

What we do in between has ramifications for the Environment and Social Policy.

Copyright ©Allyn & Bacon 2009

Population Growth and The Environment

• World Population is growing

Population Moves through stages

Consequences of World Population Growth

• Thomas Malthus

• Carrying Capacity and environmental damage

• Food Shortages

• Depletion of Resources

• Conflict

How to Control Population

• Zero Population Growth

• Family Planning

• Incentives

Demographics and Social Security

How Population Growth and Change influences Policy

What is it?

• The Largest Single Federal Program

• A program that everyone loves

• A Program that tracks baby names

Why do we love it?

• Almost everyone gets it

• It has very basic goals that are easy to reach

• The average worker gets $1,164 a month

How Do We pay for it?• Payroll Taxes

– I Pay 6.25% of my salary– St. Edward’s matches this

• Only the first $106,800 of wages are taxed

• There is an upper limit on taxes… for Now (the most you can pay is $6,621.60)

• The most you can get in benefits is $2346

SOCIAL SECURITY IS IN FINANCIAL TROUBLE- ALL

BECAUSE OF DEMOGRAPHICS

America is Getting Older

There are Fewer Workers

The Baby Boomers will drain the System

Bankrupt vs. Broke

• Bankrupt- not being able to meet your obligations

• Broke- not having any money

Either way, we need policy change

The Policy of inaction

1995 Prediction 2005 Prediction

Forecasting in 2006

The 2010 Numbers

In 2016 we will begin paying more in benefits than we collect in taxes. Without changes, by 2037 the Social Security Trust Fund will be exhausted* and there will be enough money to pay only about 76 cents for each dollar of scheduled benefits.

How to Solve the Problem

• There are many solutions

• All involve risk and create winners and losers

• Your primary targets are voting constituents

Other Solutions

• Raise the age

• Raise Taxes

• Cut Benefits

• Run Public Service announcements

Radical Solutions

• Partial Privatization

• Full Privatization

• Amnesty for Illegal Immigrants

• Abolish Abortion

Social Security

Has it been a success, and what should we do?