The Collective Action Problem Of National Health Care Essays

The Collective Action Problem Of National Health Care When societies come together to form governing organizations the goal is to provide a means to deal with public goods. The most basic of these being stability and security for it's masses, but as a nation grows it's governing body's obligation does as well. As the nation's responsibilities grow the problem of collective action a rises. In this paper health care will be the public good in focus, and how the United States, Canada, and Germany each deal with the disbursement of this public good. A critique of each will be done with three approaches to the collective action problem as the guide. These three outlooks are Thomas Hobbes' Leviathan, the anarchistic solution, and the entrepreneurial solution. These will help us review each of the three chosen nations' methods of distributing health care to its citizens and which one works the best. The first country that we will look at is Germany. Germany has a strong tradition of state funded health care for it's citizens. The health care system of Germany was established 115 years ago on the heels of the industrial revolution of the 19th century. Having the oldest state run health care program, the German system has changed through out the years, yet has been able to adapt to the times. The German system covers 90% of the population, with the other 10% choosing private forms of health care (Tutuncu p.1). This system covers unlimited ambulatory physician care including home visits, unlimited hospital care with minor copayments, maternity care, prescription of drugs with unlimited copayments, medical supplies and devices, preventive care, family planning, rehabilitative services, and periodic ?rest cures? at certified health spas. The German plan also includes dental care including routine preventive care, restorative care, periodontal services, dentures and other prostheses a nd orthodontia, optical services (including glasses), and ambulance transport (Tutuncu p.2). With this type of coverage the German health system has been labeled one of the best in the world. The German approach to the need of health care for its' citizens is a form of the entrepreneurial solution. The German health care program has grown and improved over time because of political entrepreneurs that understand the importance of health care. Without the political entrepreneur catering to the public's need, public good would not be served. This method of dealing with the need for health care has proven to be very successful and has greatly improved the living standards of the German people. The next country that we will look at is Canada. Our neighbors to the north have an interesting system in that is a mixture of private and public distribution to form its' health care program. Private hospitals, physicians, and other institutions mainly carry out the services provided in Canadian health care. There are a few health services that are state operated, but the trend in Canada has been to privatize these as well. The state plays a bigger role in funding of these services rather than providing them. State funding for these private health care services comes from income taxes, sales taxes, ?sin? taxes, employer levies, health premiums, and property taxes (CNFH p.1). The Canadian government traditionally funds 75% of all health care expenditures yet recently this number has began to decline due to the increase in private payments (CNFH p.1). Canada's health care programs and funding fall under the entrepreneurial solution format. The Canadian system is in a transition between two types of entrepreneurs, political and private. This transition from the political entrepreneur to the private one could result in a potential disparity in quality of health care for citizens of Canada. The reason for this would be that political entrepreneurs court the public for support, there for improvements in the care and coverage would benefit them, but private entrepreneurs are in pursuit of profits, and improvements in care would be sold at a higher cost to increase those profits. In this system and in the path it is going down, health care could improve if you can afford it, but for those who can't care will become less of an option. The final country that we will look at is the United States. The United States operates

Sources of Energy essays

Sources of Energy essays Have you ever thought about how we get the energy to run the things we take for granite every single day. There are many sources of energy that that are used for transportation, heat, light, and the manufacturing of goods of all kinds. The development of science and civilization is closely linked to the availability of energy in useful forms. The seven main energy sources are fossil fuels, hydroelectric, solar power, win power, geothermal, nuclear power, and biomass energy. By harnessing the sun, wind, falling water, plant matter, and heat from the earth, energy planners expect to decrease the environmental impact on energy use. Most of the nonhydro renewable power comes through some form of combustion, such as the burning of biomass, landfill gas, or municipal solid waste. Little electricity comes from solar, wind, and geothermal sources. Factors that are increasing interest in renewable energy include cost advantages in niche markets, regulatory pressures, customer service r equirements, fuel flexibility, and security. One of the biggest source of energy is fossil fuels. Fossil fuels have served as a reliable source of heat for cooking and warmth since the beginning of history. The common fossil fuels are coal, peat, lignite, petroleum, and natural gas. Coal gas, coke, water gas, and producer gas can be made by using coal as the principal ingredient. These such artificial gases can be used for fuel, illuminant, and a source material for the manufacturing of synthetic ammonia. Gasoline, kerosene, and fuel oil are made from petroleum. They are mainly used for transportation if the fuel is used in a liquid form. Natural gas is a natural mixture of gaseous hydrocarbons found from the ground or obtained from specially driven wells. The composition of natural gas varies in different localities. It is used extensively as an illuminant and a fuel. Some geologists theorize that natural gas is a by-product of decaying ve...

Best Babe Didrikson Zaharias Quotes

Best Babe Didrikson Zaharias Quotes Babe Didrikson Zaharias was an outstanding athlete from her early years. She excelled in basketball, track and field, and golf. In track and field, she won medals or established world records in five different events. After winning two gold and one silver medal in the 1932 Olympics at Los Angeles, she played basketball, appeared at major league baseball exhibition games, and finally switched to golf. She married George Zaharias in 1938, and died of cancer in 1956. A favorite with the press, she often did not get along well with other athletes, who resented her aggressiveness and self-promotion. It has been argued that Babe Didrikson Zaharias was the greatest woman athlete ever. Quotations by Babe Didrikson Zaharias All of my life I have always had the urge to do things better than anybody else. You cant win them all- but you can try. I am out to beat everybody in sight, and that is just what Im going to do. You have to play by the rules of golf just as you have to live by the rules of life. Theres no other way. Study the rules so that you wont beat yourself by not knowing something. Before I was in my teens, I knew exactly what I wanted to be: I wanted to be the best athlete who ever lived. Luck? Sure. But only after long practice and only with the ability to think under pressure. The formula for success is simple: practice and concentration then more practice and more concentration. The more you practice, the better. But in any case, practice more than you play. Practice, which some regard as a chore, should be approached as just about the most pleasant recreation ever devised, besides being a necessary part of golf. Its not enough just to swing at the ball. Youve got to loosen your girdle and let er fly. Golf is a game of coordination, rhythm and grace; women have these to a high degree. Good golf is easier to play and far more pleasant than bad golf. I played with boys rather than girls. I preferred baseball, football, foot-racing and jumping with the boys, to hop-scotch and jacks and dolls, which were about the only things girls did. Get toughened up by playing boys games, but dont get tough. Winning has always meant much to me, but winning friends has meant the most. You know when theres a star, like in show business, the star has her name in lights on the marquee! Right? And the star gets the money because the people come to see the star, right? Well, Im the star, and all of you are in the chorus. As long as Im improving, I will go on, and besides, theres too much money in the business to quit. The Babe is here. Whos coming in second? Quotes About Babe Didrikson Zaharias On her gravestone:Â  Babe Didrikson Zaharias, 1911-1956, Worlds Greatest Woman Athlete Grantland Rice (Sportswriter) She is beyond all belief until you finally see her perform. Then you finally understand that you are looking at the most flawless section of muscle harmony, of complete mental and physical coordination, the world of sport has ever seen. Paul Gallico (in Sports Illustrated) It may be another 50 or 75 years before such a performer as Mildred Didrikson Zaharias again enters the lists. For even if some yet unborn games queen matches her talent, versatility, skill, patience and will to practice, along with her flaming competitive spirit, ... there still remains the little matter of courage and character, and in these departments the Babe must be listed with the champions of all times. Betty Dodd (Golfer and Companion of Babe Didrikson Zaharias) I had such admiration for this fabulous person. I never wanted to be away from her even when she was dying of cancer. I loved her. I wouldve done anything for her.

Business Writing Class Discussion Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Business Writing Class Discussion - Assignment Example Francis then adds that including sub-topics when preparing the first draft is important as doing this later on can prove to be quite demanding and time consuming. Therefore including them at the first instance will aid efficiency. Joel basically reiterates what Francis said but he puts his thoughts differently as he mainly focuses on the creation of the problem statement and filing and storing enough data before embarking on the project. What is a problem statement? It is a concise description of the issues that need to be addressed by a problem solving team. The problem statement helps in providing the focal point for the document. In the legal profession such statements are referred to as the locus classicus. They help to give the document direction and tie in the whole document together. Collecting enough data before starting an assignment is also very importantas this is where one can retrieve materials. Most students use the internet but never save such documents in the belief that they can just use their search engines to look for these documents. This on the other hand consumes a lot of time which can be spent doing other activities. Storing this information is also useful for future references. The essence of planning cannot be emphasized enough and just to illustrate its importance, all the three class members have referred to it, including Timmy. According to Timmy, time management is key to achieving success. He says if he could do it all over again he would choose his topic much sooner and plan his time better. Procrastination is the best time thief and it is very common among students. It gives one a false belief that there is always ample time but before you know it, it is a day before the deadline and you are forced to burn the mid-night oil. Proper planning and organizing is of paramount importance if one is to achieve success both in

Law Enforcement Versus Police Interrogations Essay

Law Enforcement Versus Police Interrogations - Essay Example 2006).Terrorism is thus a form of deviant behavior. Since behavior is the hallmark here, old members of terrorist groups may work relentlessly on the psyches of new members, getting them optimally motivated and reinforced for desired behaviors. The old members also ensure that the new members are properly indoctrinated in the "crux" of the job, that is, deciding to participate in an attack even when the terrorist must die in order for the attack to be successful. Terrorism appeals to some people so much that they seek to affiliate and identify with terrorist groups and to adopt the major features of terrorist culture. Law Enforcement agencies see terrorism as a threat to national security and unity of the nation. in contrast, police interrogations see terrorism as aggression towards individuals and a threat to social order and obedience (Horgan, 2005). An important aspect of terrorists' socialization processes is the belief that the gains of dying while destroying their targets are inestimable for them after death. In socializing their subjects into believing this, terrorist leaders may easily capitalize on the already mature suicidal and aggressive tendencies in their subjects. With their orientation toward their leaders, after whom they also model themselves, terrorists will not find it difficult to believe this kind of "fantasy." This is probably why there are many terrorists ready to volunteer to undertake suicide attacks. Although this aspect of their beliefs has a religious undertone, terrorist leaders often use it to galvanize their subjects into action (Reich et al 1998). Law Enforcement agencies take into account the social learning theory which makes an important distinction between different types of aggression. Cultures and social groups have various norms regarding the appropriate use of aggression in inter-group conflict and hostility. From a psychological perspective, a key question is how effective the U.S. approach is likely to be in preventing terrorism (Horgan, 2005). The central thesis is that the approach is inherently limited because it fails to address the causes of terrorism, which, left unattended, are likely to boost anti-U.S. sentiments and produce new generations of terrorists. It suggests that a peace-building focus is needed to complement the current approach and to construct a comprehensive, psychologically informed strategy of terrorism prevention. The enemy imagery is one of the fundamental psychological mechanisms that motivates terrorism and lifts moral restraints against committing horrific acts of violence (Bonger et al. 2 006). In contrast to law enforcement agencies, police accepts and follows social injustice theory. Social injustice takes many different forms and consists of a mixture of objective and subjective elements. Objectively, it includes human rights violations, direct victimization, political and social oppression, and structural violence through preventable failure to meet basic human needs as a result of conditions such as poverty (Horgan, 2005). Although these objective and subjective elements are completely interwoven, the analysis below emphasizes the subjective since views of political conflict and terrorism

Character Sketch - Cephalus from Plato S Republic Essay Example for Free

Character Sketch Cephalus from Plato S Republic Essay Choose one of the three main characters from Book One of Platos Republic (Cephalus, Polemarchus or Thrasymachus). Write a character sketch that shows how the personality, social status, life situation and position affect the views the character holds about life and about the virtue of justice. Include the definition of justice for the character you are describing. In book one, we are introduced to four main characters: Socrates, Cephalus, Polemarchus, and Thrasymachus. Republic takes place in the home of Cephalus and Polemarchus, in the Piraeus. Cephalus is a elderly and financially secure merchant and businessman. He lives his life in moderation, he doesn’t over-reach and try to become too wealthy, and was also not a fan of excessive spending. He certainly wouldn’t approve of the credit card debts that many Americans have. But thanks to his financial security, Cephalus has a comfortable life in old age. By living his life in moderation, the transition to an elderly lifestyle has not been shocking or depressing. Cephalus will admit that these are not his Golden Years, per say – it’s certainly not the greatest period in his life, but thanks to that moderation, he finds the old age to not be as much of a burden as his friends do. His friends are depressed and woeful of their age. They miss the lifestyle that they had in their youth. Because of their age, they can no longer partake in the things they thought made them happy – sex, drugs, rock and roll, essentially. Cephalus has a simple idea of justice. Though he never goes to describe it himself, we can pull some context from his discussion with Socrates to fill in the details. Cephalus is an honest man, and as we said, he lives his life in moderation in all aspects. He doesn’t strive for unlimited wealth, but still values that wealth he has, and likely behaves ethically and morally for that reason. Cephalus keeps his desires at bay – he works hard, and he enjoys himself, but always manages to hold onto most of his money. The problem is, it seems to Socrates to be easier to live a ‘just’ and moderate life, because of the wealth that Cephalus possesses. Because Cephalus values wealth, he seems to put a heavy emphasis on the repayment of debts (and avoidance of debt in the first place as well) in his ideal of justice. He feels that if he can go to his next life not owing anyone a penny, it will lift a burden on his soul, in a metaphysical sense. A peace of mind comes with not lying or engaging in deception – which is easier to maintain when wealthy and not faced with problems (like, for example, feeding and clothing your family – some people will do anything when they are seemingly backed into a corner). Thanks to wealth, Cephalus is (at least in his own point of view) able to live a life without lies, without deception, and without debts.

Analysis of Photo of the Civil Rights Movement :: Photography

The civil rights movement in the 1960’s was a very powerful time period in this country. Birmingham, Alabama was in the heart of the struggle for equal rights. African Americans protested and fought for what they believed in through peaceful and violent protests. In this picture the struggle is shown on how difficult it was for African Americans to gain equal rights. The photo was taken in the midst of a protest which adds dramatic effect, the people in the photo show pain and the people not pictured make them a faceless foe and the lack of colors in the picture helps send a powerful message. As I look at this picture I feel bad for the hard times that these people had to endure. It makes me upset with the way this country treated African Americans They are fighting for something they believe in and will stop at nothing to earn what they deserve. It shows the powerful message of the movement, which was to gain equal rights and prove that they are equal citizens. The message is to show how these people fought for their cause. The photo does show that they were willing to fight for their rights by capturing the people’s pain in their faces. The photo shows the determination and drive to gain equal rights. I see people running away from water being shot at by hoses to stop the protest for these rights. The water represents the sacrifice for the pain they must endure in order to get what they want. The way the photo was taken only showing the people being abused adds hardship. It does not show the policemen who are spraying the hoses, which makes them seem even more evil and more like the bad guys. This gives the effect of a faceless foe and adds to the drama of the picture. This image shows that the protesters were willing to endure pain to get what they desired and deserved. The people in the background wanting to give up and go home, stay and show that they support their cause and are willing to fight for what they believe in. The man holding the woman shows the power and pain endured during the protest. They show that they are determined to get what they believe but also are being unfairly harassed.