Polemic Assignment progress

I've decided to use this blog and future blogs to share the progress of my Polemic Assignment with the rest of the class. I plan to post the outline of each section along with the section as it will be seen in my paper. To start off, I will post the Introduction here.

I. Introduction

a. Establish the context

i. Massachusetts Health Care Reform Law

ii. Recent history of the law

b. Identify your stake

i. Affects on me as a citizen

1. Possible national health care plan

2. Possible mandatory health care in RI

c. Thesis

i. This law should be evaluated as a potential model for other states with similar health care characteristics as Massachusetts

1. Percentage of citizens without health care insurance

2. Size/Population of the state

ii. Begin with local plans instead of a national plan

The number of Americans without health insurance has become a serious issue in the United States. Along with every other state, Massachusetts has had a growing number of uninsured citizens. From 2004 to 2006, the average number of people without health insurance coverage in Massachusetts was 653,000, or about 10.3 percent of the total population.[1] This number was relatively small compared to the number of uninsured citizens in other states, but it still had a large impact on Massachusetts. Massachusetts has found a way to resolve their problem of uninsured citizens but the question is whether or not other states can do the same.

Introduction

Context

As the Obama Administration strives for national health care, they might want to take a look at what the state of Massachusetts has done to improve their health care system. The Massachusetts Health Care Reform Bill, also known as Chapter 58 of the Acts of 2006, was signed into law by former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney on April 12, 2006.1 The law contains many terms: an individual mandate, an employer mandate, a new Commonwealth Health Insurance Connector Authority, and the Commonwealth Care Health Insurance Program.1 For more details on the terms of the law, look at “The 2006 Massachusetts Health Care Reform Law: Progress and Challenges After One Year of Implementation,” an article written by Alan G. Raymond, a writer and communications consultant with 25 years of professional involvement in health care and health care reform.

Stake

As a citizen of the United States, I have a personal stake in this issue. There is a possibility that the Obama Administration could use the Massachusetts Health Care Law as a model for the national health care plan that they are striving for. If health care was ever to be nationally mandated, I and every other citizen of the US would be affected in some way. There is also a possibility that Rhode Island, my home state, could adopt a health care plan similar to Massachusetts. If that were to happen, then a majority of my family and I would be affected as citizens of the state of Rhode Island.

Thesis

The Massachusetts Health Care Reform Law should be evaluated as a potential model for other states that are looking to resolve the problem of citizens lacking health insurance coverage. The states that choose to use the MA law as a potential model should have similar characteristics as Massachusetts when it comes to health care and the percentage of uninsured citizens in the state. If the Obama Administration ever decided to use the MA law as a model for the nation, they should form a plan that is based locally rather than nationally.

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[1] Raymond, Alan G. "The 2006 Massachusetts Health Care Reform Law: Progress and Challenges After One Year of Implementation." May 2007. Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts; Massachusetts Medicaid Policy Institute; The Massachusetts Health Policy Forum. 16 Nov. 2008 .

Final Paper Outline

Polemic Assignment - Massachusetts Health Care Reform Law

I. History/General Overview

a. Before the bill was passed
i. # of uninsured
ii. health insurance system
iii. cost to care for the uninsured
b. The Statute (Chapter 58 of the Acts of 2006)
i. Individual mandate
ii. Employer mandate
iii. Commonwealth Health Insurance Connector Authority
iv. Commonwealth Care Health Insurance Program
c. After the statute (now)
i. # of uninsured
ii. statistics on businesses who choose not to provide health insurance still
iii. statistics on individuals who choose to remain uninsured

II. Specific Question

a. Whether or not the new health care law will work
i. Costs
ii. Universal coverage
iii. Surviving through an economic crisis
b. MA vs. other states or the nation
i. Can this plan be implemented in other states?
ii. Can this plan be implemented in the US as a national plan?
c. Thesis
i. Effective law; remain the same
ii. Implement in states with similar health care system and percentage of uninsured as MA
iii. Would not work as a national plan

III. Arguments against Chapter 58

a. Government takeover
b. Limited market
i. Not many insurance providers to choose from
c. Overgenerous subsidies
i. Gives too much to the lower class
ii. Bankrupting the middle class
d. Rising costs of health care
i. Making people pay more (increasing non-compliance)
ii. Increasing burden on businesses


IV. Arguments in favor of Chapter 58

a. # of uninsured has dropped dramatically
b. Accessibility
i. Easier to access health insurance (employer or individual)
c. Portability
i. Able to take from job to job
ii. Able to combine insurance for people with multiple jobs
d. Money saver
i. Less paid towards hospitals for care of uninsured
ii. Competition lowers costs

President Barack Obama

On November 4, 2008, around 11:00pm, Barack Obama was named President of the United States. I had just finished watching 27 Dresses on HBO and figured I'd turn to some of the news channels to see how the election was going. When I turned it onto some news channel (I can't remember which), they were discussing how the election all depended on California at this point. They were waiting for the polls to close on the west coast to find out, so I figured I'd wait and see what the outcome was. Obama won in California and ended up winning the presidential race. I had a feeling Barack Obama was going to win the election but I thought it was going to be a lot closer than it was. Obama ended up winning by a good amount.

I wasn't really partial to either candidate so the outcome honestly did not matter in my mind. I admit that I feel more content with Obama because his views mirror my views more than McCain's do. Either way, I would not have complained. I really do not think I would have had any place to, anyways, seeing I did not vote. It was just something I chose not to do. I'm used to getting the reaction of "I can't believe you didn't vote! You need to vote!" but I have my own views on it and I don't pass judgment on those that do vote.

Besides the fact, though, after they announced Obama as President, I was too tired to watch McCain's and Obama's speeches, so I decided to find them on the internet and watch them now. To me, they both seemed like very well thought out and admirable speeches. I admire McCain for being the "good sport" that he was, especially when he constantly quieted the boo's every time Obama's name was mentioned. He also said a great deal of remarkable things about Obama. This speech was probably the best speech I've ever seen McCain give. He was calm and collected and chose his words wisely. He spoke eloquently and just seemed completely natural and confident. He fought a good fight and I'll give that to him. Obama was, as always, eloquent and motivating. It seemed like he thanked every possible person that could be thanked. All-in-all, Obama won the race, by far, and I think it was well deserved. I'm anxious to see what will happen once he's in office.