“I believe this program to be vitally important. It involves the interests of 17 million Americans who have reached the retirement age and who are faced with great burdens in the area of medical care.”
How to pay for health care has been a constant discussion in America. When John F. Kennedy became president, he wanted to try to fix the problem. As people retired, they were having trouble paying bills, especially healthcare bills. Even though social security had been in place for years, it was not sufficient to last people through retirement. As people were aging, their medical needs were growing and many of them could not afford it. President Kennedy saw this problem and worked to fix it. Some people were opposed to his proposal of a medicare system that worked similarly to the already existing social security. They were concerned that getting governments involved in the healthcare of the citizens of the United States. Others, especially the Democratic party, fully supported the plan because they believed that it would allow for equal opportunity and would be a good expansion of social security.
Source:
"Do You Know Jack: JFK and Medicare." Youtube, uploaded by JFK Library, 31 Mar.
2017, www.youtube.com/watch?v=zo5SBD5hGQM. Accessed 26 Oct. 2017.
Source:
"Do You Know Jack: JFK and Medicare." Youtube, uploaded by JFK Library, 31 Mar.
2017, www.youtube.com/watch?v=zo5SBD5hGQM. Accessed 26 Oct. 2017.
Pictured above is Lyndon B. Johnson's Medicare bill. When he made changes to Kennedy's medicare, Americans were thrilled because their options for affordable healthcare had expanded even more. As time went by, however, people became dissatisfied with the system. Because of this, Barack Obama came up with a new plan, a variation of Johnson's medicare. He called it Obamacare. Originally, people thought that this would be the magic solution, but again they fell into dissatisfaction when it failed to live up to all of their hopes. Health insurance in America is not cheap, but politicians are continually working on new bills to improve the system as Lyndon B. Johnson did in 1935 and the citizens of America continue to grow impatient with each proposed system.
Source:
United States, Congress, House. Social Security Act Amendments 1965. Government
Printing Office, 1965. Our Documents, www.ourdocuments.gov/
doc.php?flash=true&doc=99. Accessed 26 Oct. 2017. 89th Congress, House Bill
H.R 6675.
Source:
United States, Congress, House. Social Security Act Amendments 1965. Government
Printing Office, 1965. Our Documents, www.ourdocuments.gov/
doc.php?flash=true&doc=99. Accessed 26 Oct. 2017. 89th Congress, House Bill
H.R 6675.
The link above leads to Obama's speech when he first passed Obamacare. When Barack Obama came to office, one of his biggest accomplishments was Obamacare. Some people believed that Obamacare was incredibly successful and would decrease costs of health insurance, allowing coverage for all. Others think that the decreased costs are at the expense of tax payers and only increase our nation's debt. Conversations and controversy have only increased in reactions to continued debate around the issue of health insurance.
Source:
"Address to the Nation on HOR Health Care Bill Passage." American Rhetoric, 21
Mar. 2010, www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/barackobama/
barackobamapassinghealthcarebill.htm. Accessed 5 Oct. 2017.
Source:
"Address to the Nation on HOR Health Care Bill Passage." American Rhetoric, 21
Mar. 2010, www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/barackobama/
barackobamapassinghealthcarebill.htm. Accessed 5 Oct. 2017.
The above link is a good example of the conversations in the media and in the world of politics surrounding the passing of Obamacare. Politicians had opinions on the passing of this bill. Many were excited and thought that this version of medicare could be a step toward a much better healthcare system in America. Common citizens also believed that Obamacare would be a wonderful change to the current system, a change for the better.
Source:
"Obama Signs Historic Health Care Bill into Law." MPR News, Minnesota Public
Radio, 22 Mar. 2010, www.mprnews.org/story/2010/03/23/midday2. Accessed 7
Oct. 2017.
Source:
"Obama Signs Historic Health Care Bill into Law." MPR News, Minnesota Public
Radio, 22 Mar. 2010, www.mprnews.org/story/2010/03/23/midday2. Accessed 7
Oct. 2017.
One of the central conversations surrounding healthcare and politics is how President Trump will change healthcare in 2017. As a part of this topic, an important question being discussed is: what will happen to planned parenthood? The link above is to an MPR story on the future of planned parenthood. While some people strongly believe that planned parenthood should be covered by insurance, many others believe that it should be considered an extra expense and should be paid for out of pocket.
Source:
Miller, Kerri, and Marcheta Fornoff. "The American Healthcare Act and the Future
of Planned Parenthood." MPR News, Minnesota Public Radio, 8 Mar. 2017,
www.mprnews.org/story/2017/03/08/american-healthcare-act-and-planned-parenthood.
Accessed 7 Oct. 2017.
Source:
Miller, Kerri, and Marcheta Fornoff. "The American Healthcare Act and the Future
of Planned Parenthood." MPR News, Minnesota Public Radio, 8 Mar. 2017,
www.mprnews.org/story/2017/03/08/american-healthcare-act-and-planned-parenthood.
Accessed 7 Oct. 2017.
Garnered national media attention this summer for justifying euthanasia for severely disabled infants."
People in high positions of power tend to be the ones whose opinions are most widely known. This is common in politics, and often, the speaker of the opinion is attacked by the disapproving half of the public for stating their belief. Though he is not a politician, a Princeton professor who is another person in high standing and closely watched by the public was highly criticized for believing that the euthanasia of severely disabled infants had solid reasoning behind it. The public takes every opportunity to attack those who have different opinions than them. This is how the world of politics works because the politician who wins is the one who is agreed with by the people.
Levy, Julia. "Controversial Princeton Professor Defends Views." Expanded
Academic ASAP. Expanded Academic ASAP, uwire.com/
?s=UWIRE+Text&x=26&y=14&=Go. Accessed 28 Oct. 2017. Originally published in
UWIRE.
Academic ASAP. Expanded Academic ASAP, uwire.com/
?s=UWIRE+Text&x=26&y=14&=Go. Accessed 28 Oct. 2017. Originally published in
UWIRE.