Escalating Costs of Social Health Insurance Essay

Unlike any other country in the world, the United States continually experience rising cost of healthcare provision. Wolfe (1999) reports that healthcare costs has been increasing at a high rate for decades, it is estimated that every 40 months, the share of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) spent on healthcare goes up by 1 percent. Health expenditure which stood at 12. 3 percent of GDP in 1990 increased to 16. 0 percent of GDP in 2006 and is projected to reach 20 percent in the next 7 years. Between 2005 and 2006 alone, healthcare spending increased by 6. 7 percent, exceeding nominal GDP growth by 0. 6 percent, to a whooping $2. 1 trillion, representing an estimated $7,000 spending per person (Kuttner 2008; Catlin et al 2008). Various factors including inflation, aging population and advances in medical technology has been indicted as been responsible for the global increase in health expenditures, however, the American situation appears to be peculiar. Kuttner (2008) contends that the proliferation of new technologies, poor diet, lack of exercise, the tendency for supply (physicians, hospitals, tests, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, and novel treatments) to generate demand and the culture of the American litigation, resulting in excessive malpractice litigations and the practice of defensive medicine, all adds together to ensure that the country experiences the largest and fastest growth in health expenditures, while at the same time, defeating efforts at cost containments. Like every other developed country, health insurance systems, especially social health insurance systems constitute the primarily methods of health financing (Carrin and James, 2004). This arrangement ensures that most of the cost of healthcare are paid by third parties, either through public establishments, as in social (public) health insurance systems, or by private bodies, as in private health insurance system, or in some cases, a mixture of both (Wolfe, 1999). The mixture of private and social health insurance is present in almost every country, with variations in their coverage. While in most European countries, social health insurance is deeply ingrained in societal fabric and provides the largest source of funding and insurance coverage (Saltman, 2004), the vast majority of Americans receive their health insurance coverage through employer based private insurance, with the rest of the country covered by any of the several public health insurance programs (Glover et al 2003). It is estimated that employer private health insurance covers approximately 63 percent of the population, with 51 percent of these amount covered by their own employers, while the remaining 41 percent are covered as a worker’s dependent; 14 percent are covered by public programs, 5 percent covered by individual insurance policies while an estimated 17 percent of the population are uncovered by any insurance (Devi, 2005). Medicare is largely regarded as the primary national (social) health insurance program in the United States, providing coverage for an estimated 44 million Americans over the age of 65. It is also estimated that Medicare provides health insurance coverage for about 7 million Americans under the age of 65 who have a disability or chronic condition (Fact Sheet, 2007). Social health insurance is a vital part of any country’s health care and health financing program, in some part of Europe, there is a general contention that social health insurance is not just an insurance arrangement, but a ‘way of life’, they are seen as a part of a social incomes policy that seek to redistribute wealth and health risk evenly amongst the population, however, the rising costs of these systems, not just in the United States but across the modern world, threatens the system. Before an analysis of the costs and factors driving costs of social health insurance systems, especially in America and in other European countries, it is important to first briefly describe the underlying principles of the social health insurance system and its difference from the private health insurance programs. This will be followed by a description of the United States Medicare program and some social health insurance programs in selected European countries and then a look at the costs of these programs. Steps taken towards cutting costs of the social insurance programs and the differences in cost cutting approaches between the United States and European Union countries will be examined. Lastly, future approaches that could help ameliorate the financial challenges facing the United States public insurance programs shall be recommended. Social Health Insurance Social health insurance, in its basic principle, in any society achieves a set of societal objectives through its peculiar form of financial cross subsidies, which covers redistribution from the healthy to the ill, from the well off to the less well off, from the young to the old and from the individual to the family. This redistributive focus of any social health insurance program distinguishes it from what is nominally regarded as insurance, thus, in several societies, it entrenches solidarity, income redistribution and is thus seen as a ‘key part of a broader structure of social security and income support that sits at the heart of civil society’ (Saltman, 2004:5) Saltman and Dubois (2004) contend that although Germany is considered the source of the modern day form of social health insurance, when it codified existing voluntary structures into compulsory state supervised legislation in 1883, the history of social health insurance (SHI) dates back longer to the medieval guilds in the late Middle Ages. However, they agreed that the structure and organization of SHI over time has considerably evolved; the number of people covered has increased from a small number of workers in particular trades to a larger portion of the population, the central concept SHI has evolved from wage replacement a death benefit into payment for and or provision of outpatient physician services, inpatient hospital care and drugs; thirdly, the administrative structure of SHI has also evolved from cooperative workers association to state mandated legislative character, beginning with Germany in 1883 and the most recent, 1996 in Switzerland. Structurally, social health insurance everywhere possesses three common characteristics. Social health insurance programs are administered privately in both funding and in the provision of health services; as a result of their private administration, social health programs are self regulating, and lastly, as a consequence of their independence and self regulation, social health insurance programs are relatively stable, both in organizational and financial terms (Saltman, 2004). As a fall out of these structural characteristics, social health insurance posses several core components that differentiate them from private health insurance programs. Under SHI, the raising of funds is tied to income of beneficiaries, usually in the form of a transparent and fixed percentage of wages. As a result, contributions are risk independent and thus encourage maximal risk pooling. Also, collection and administration of revenues for the program are handled by not-for-profit and sometimes, state run funds and these funds are usually managed by board members that are usually representative and elected. The United States Medicare program posses most or all of the characteristics of a social health insurance program. For over 40 years, the program has successfully provided healthcare access for the elderly and millions of people with disability. It is regarded as the nation’s single largest health insurance program and it covers a wide range of the society for a broad range of health services. For example, Potetz (2008) report that one out of ever five dollars spent on healthcare in 2006 came through the Medicare program. The program is also reported to fund, at least, one third of all hospital stays, nationally. In most European countries too, national, public (social) health insurance programs reportedly covers a large proportion of the population, in most cases, reaching up to 100 percent coverage. Saltman and others (2004) reports that in Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Switzerland and from 1995, Israel, all have health insurance systems where (public) social health programs plays predominant roles in organization and funding of health care services, where between 60 to 100 percent of the population are mandatorily covered. They further argue that even countries like Finland, Sweden and the United Kingdom, Greece and Portugal that have a tax funded National Health Service schemes, segments of SHI based healthcare funding also exists. Explaining the difference between social health insurance programs and private health insurance, Thomson and Mossialos (2004) contend that private health insurance play very insignificant role in the health systems of several European countries, either in terms of funding or access to healthcare. Unlike in the United States where more than 60 percent of the population are covered by private employer based insurance, private health insurance programs covers a relatively small proportion of the population and accounts for less than 5 percent of the total health spending, with the exception of France, Germany and the Netherlands. The most common difference between social and private health insurance includes eligibility, risk pooling and benefits. For social health insurance programs, contributions are mostly based on a fixed or varying proportion of wages, without regard for risks, thus a wider proportion of the people are eligible and benefits i. e. health services offered are broader with less out of pocket costs (Thomson and Mossialos, 2004; Saltman 2004). For private health insurance, the reverse is the case in most situations. Especially in for-profit private health insurance systems, contributions are adjusted according to risks and for the most part high risks individuals are rejected or expected to pay higher premiums. Consequently, eligibility requirements are strict; out of pocket expenses might be higher, while services provided vary significantly across programs, depending on an array of factors. Depending on the generally functions and services offered by private health insurance, the relation to social health insurance can be substitutive, complementary or supplementary. Substitutive private health insurance programs provides insurance covers that is otherwise available from the public programs purchased by individuals or groups who are excluded from the SHI. The larger proportion of the US society is excluded from the public insurance programs, which are usually available to the elderly, the disabled or the very poor, the rest of the population must rely on private employer based insurance. However, in European countries with effective SHI, only certain individuals with income above a certain upper threshold are excluded from the public insurance program e. g. in Netherlands and Germany, while the rest of the population are eligible. Complementary private health insurance programs provide cover for services not fully covered by the SHI programs or totally excluded, the Medicare + Choice plans is an example of such covers. Lastly, supplementary private health insurance provides cover for faster access and also increased consumer choices for individuals who can afford it (Thomson and Mossialos, 2004). Eligibility and Coverage  The United States Medicare program is essentially for the elderly, thus, individuals are eligible for Medicare coverage if they are citizens of the United States or have been a permanent legal resident for five continues years and over 65 years old. Individuals younger than 65 years of age can also be eligible for Medicare coverage if they are disabled and have been on the Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) or the Railroad Retirement Board benefits for a period of two years. Further, individuals with end state renal disease (ESRD) or Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) known as Lou Gehrig’s disease also qualifies for Medicare coverage. However, many people with disability do not qualify for SSDI benefits and by extension, Medicare. To qualify for these benefits, disabled individuals must have a family member under age 65 who have a work history which included Federal Income Contribution Act tax (FICA), an individual may also qualifies for SSDI on the FICA contributions of a parent as a Childhood Disability Beneficiary (CDB) or as a disabled spouse of a deceased spouse. Whichever qualification route applicable, an individual qualifies for Medicare two years after he/she starts receiving the SSDI benefits, except for the Lou Gehrig’s disease where Medicare benefits starts in the first month SSDI payments are received or in the case of the ESRD where Medicare benefits starts within three months of the first dialysis (Fact Sheet, 2007). As of 2007, it is estimated that Medicare provides cover and health services to about 43 million Americans. This figure is expected to double to 77 million by 2031 when the baby boomers of the post World War II period start to retire. However, as mentioned previously, SHI in European countries offer universal coverage that is mandatory in some countries. Coverage for these countries varies from 63 percent in Netherlands to 100 percent coverage in France, Israel and Switzerland. In most of these countries, it is usually the highest income groups that are either allowed or required by law to leave the social health programs for private health insurance (Saltman, 2004:7). Benefits Benefits for Medicare members have continually been modified. The original program has two parts, Medicare Part A and part B. The Part A program known as Hospital Insurance, covers hospital stays with stays in skilled nursing facilities for limited periods if certain qualifying criteria are met. Such criteria include the length of hospital stay, which most be three days, at least, excluding the discharge day and stay in skilled nursing facility must be for conditions diagnosed during the hospitalization. Medicare Part A allows up to a maximum of 100day stay in skilled nursing facilities, with the first 20 days completely paid for by Medicare and the remaining 80days paid in part and requiring a co-payment from the beneficiary. The Medicare Part B covers services and products not covered by Part A, but on an outpatient basis. The benefits under this coverage includes physician and nursing services, laboratory diagnostic tests, influenza and pneumonia vaccinations x-rays and blood transfusions. Other services include renal dialysis, outpatient hospital procedures, Immunosuppressive drugs for organ transplant recipients, chemotherapy, limited ambulance transportation and other outpatient medical treatments carried out in a physician’s office. This coverage, to some extent, also includes medical equipments like walkers, wheelchairs and mobility scooters for individuals with mobility problems, while prosthetic devices, such as breast prosthesis after mastectomy or eye glasses after cataract surgery are also covered. The recently added Part C and D of the Medicare benefits slightly deviate from the original Medicare concept. After the Balanced Budget Act of 1997 came into effect, Medicare beneficiaries were allowed the option of receiving their Medicare benefits through private health insurance plans if they do not want to go through the original Medicare plans. These became known as Medicare + Choice as beneficiaries could choose any private health insurance plans and have it paid for by Medicare. The Medicare + Choice or Part C arrangement later became known as the Medicare Advantage Plan after the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003 came into effect. The Part D plan, on the other hand, covers mainly prescription drugs and anyone in the original Plan A or B is eligible for this plan. However, in other to receive the benefits of the Plan D, a beneficiary must enroll and be approved for a Stand-alone Prescription Drug Plan (PDP) or Medicare Advantage plan with prescription drug coverage (MA-PD). However, because Plan D is effectively operated by private health insurance companies, there are no standardized benefits, like the plan A and B; the private insurance companies could choose to cover some drugs or classes of drugs and not cover others, with the exception of drugs excluded from Medicare coverage. Beneficiaries are therefore restricted to the drugs coverage of the plans they choose (Merlis, 2008; Potetz, 2008). Contributions towards Social Health Insurance Medicare financing, like social health insurance everywhere, is financed through a complex mix of taxes, contributions, co-payments and the likes. The most important source of financing for the Medicare expenditures is through the payroll tax imposed by the Federal Insurance Contributions Act and the Self-Employment Contributions Act of 1954, while other sources of financing includes general revenue through income taxes, a tax on Social Security benefits, and payments from states required for the Medicare drug benefits which started in 2006. In addition to these, beneficiaries also contribute directly to Medicare financing through premiums, deductibles and co-insurance. It is reported that income cases, physician do charge beneficiaries an additional out-of -pocket ‘balance billing’ to cover for services rendered (Potetz, 2008). The federal payroll taxes are paid by the working population or by the beneficiaries throughout their work history. The tax equals 2. 9 percent of gross wages, with half (1. 45 percent) deducted from the worker’s salary and the other half paid by the employer. Initially, there was a ceiling on the maximum amount any single person can contribute; however, beginning from 1994, the maximum limit was removed. Self employed people who do not have an employer to cover the other half of their taxes are mandated by law to pay the full 2. 9 percent of their estimated earnings. However, the contributions from the beneficiaries vary considerably depending on the plan and also range from premiums, deductibles, co-payments or in some cases, the balance billing mentioned previously.

Management Essay

1) What forces for change are evident at the Oconomo plant? (5) The forces for change that are evident at the Oconomo plant are the callenges dealing with high labor cost. As a result Lamprey is deciding to lower wages from $16 to $1.60 per hour. Also the union and Oconomo are disagreeing with this new change taking place with the wages. 2) Which of the forces in force-field analysis do you think would be more powerful than the other in this situation? Between the two forces I think the Driving Force would be more powerful than the other in this situation. The greatest force that drives the company to expect change is that it’s operating at a high cost and instead of giving returns it’s giving out loses. As a result, the aim of the company is to make changes so that it can appreciate profits in the future. In additional to there being high cost the thing that needs to be understood is that in order for the company to meet its operations it must realize some of the returns from what it has invested. Having invested in the company the managers and shareholders should expect that the company is going to provide sufficient returns which will be shared and at the same time enable the company to stay in the market. There also exist the risks of the competitors who are in the market currently. For the company to make it in the market, it must change its working conditions so that they fit with the current market situation. Another problem is the workers point of refusing to cooperate. The company is planning to reduce the amount of pay it’s going to provide to its workers with a significant drop. This is a great problem which workers are not ready to accept the desired change of the company. Another force for change is that competitors are in the market and of late they have threatened the company from the services and products that they are providing to the society. Quality is one thing that the company should look at so as to retain its market segment else the upcoming companies will outperform the company. 3) What is the primary type of change needed – changing â€Å"things† or changing the â€Å"people and culture†? The primary change that is appropriate at the moment is changing the people and their culture. The reason as to why changing people and culture is of importance to the company is that having changed people all other things will work accordingly. People’s culture is of importance in the way the company operates simply because if the culture or people fit in the objectives of the company then all other things will be in place. People are the main target of any given business set up. This means that in changing anything that is in respect to the company’s operations then the people and their culture is the initial thing that should be taken into consideration. Another thing is that having changed people’s perception competitors will have no say because you would have drove the attentions of the market to your operations. 4) What do you think is the underlying cause of the union leaders’ resistance to change? Union leaders are resistant to change due to a single reason which the company is reluctant to handle. The reason as to the resistance is that Oconomo plant has plans to provide workers with less wages which they feel they cant live within that budget. Looking at some companies which are emerging, union leaders are not ready to accept the change simply because those companies are giving out wages which are high and the quality of services and products that they have is almost outdoing the one Oconomo plant is providing. Jim has a hard time of convincing union leaders on what should be done. What he is supposed to do is to give union leaders the risk behind getting a new job if they lose the one they have. There are so many people in the town who are looking for job. Also, he should convince them to work as the negotiation is being carried out for a better change. There are benefits that workers get from the company and if they resign, such as medical and insurance benefits, then they will no longer get until they get another job.

Absorptive Capacity And How Can This Be Used Within Supply Chain Essay

Absorptive Capacity And How Can This Be Used Within Supply Chain Management To Increase Supply Chain Profitability And Responsiveness - Essay Example 317; Boisot, 1998, p. 10; Boer, Bosch, van den, & Volberda, 1999, p. 379) To increase this absorptive capacity, companies often undertake research studies to improve their prospects and to customize their research and development to make information genuinely helpful for the organization’s human resource and for business operational use. The data generated from research are targeted to be integrated in the operation services and in the production of goods for consumers to attain effective and efficient corporate performance (Calori, Johnson, & Sarnin, 1994, p. 437; Camerer & Vepsalainen, 1998, p. 115; Carlsson & Jacobsson, 1994, p. 235; Cohen & Levinthal, 1994, p. 227) Experts opined that absorptive capacity is aimed at adopting ideas to develop an innovative and bring about new engagement sparked by changing economy. The process includes the integration of information to maximize meaningful findings for organizational development and management decision-makings (Deeds, 2001, p. 29; Cohen & Levinthal, 1997, p. 1463).... The researcher will make use of secondary materials from peer-reviewed journals and books sourced from online and public library to substantiate the subject of this study. Researcher will likewise correlate the absorptive capacity of a company’s interest to leverage from its market competitors and delve into the critical effects of company’s absorptive capacity on product innovation, business operations, and profit maximization using the lens of knowledge-based view (KBV) as theoretical foundation. Figure 1. Supply chain leadership and its correlation to resource values and organizational absorptive capacity (Sharif & Irani, 2012, p. 57). Research and Knowledge Management Organizational development and its level of competitiveness are reliant not only on financial capital, human resources and strategic management but also of its absorptive capacity (Rebolledo, Halley & Nagati, 2009, p. 52). Knowledge, through its research and management, are major source of valuable, ra re, and inimitable information to enhance strategic business management, improve customer-relation, expand business operation and sustain good relation with its suppliers (Rebolledo, et al., 2009, p. 53). The absorptive capacity of the organization will also facilitate the alignment of its human resources, corporate performance, and in enhancing its structures to align these with corporate strategies. Internally, it can also promote effective organizational management, increase marketing results, and reduce the impairment of supply chain relations. Through this part, an emphasis on the differences between the two facets of absorptive capacity will be highlighted: potential absorptive capacity that involves the corporate’s acquisition and assimilation of external

Life after death Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Life after death - Essay Example In order to be free form sins and wrongdoings and to lead a permanent life among the lambs around the Lord, one must ‘hear’ that belief in Christ is necessary. Here, ‘hearing’ translates into understanding, perceiving and comprehension of this truth, wholeheartedly. Baptism translates into meaning that the mortal body, dies in the process and is resurrected to eternal spiritual life with the Lord in His Kingdom. This is akin to the manner in which Jesus Christ gave up His life to redeem man of his sins. Sheer belief and the urge to surrender and repent are the key essentials for a profound Baptism. Personally, the very belief in the Lord and His love for me as his child, is very reassuring and comforting. This also acts as a guiding voice in troubles and tribulations, trauma and pain, and helps one cross the bridge without flinching for a moment, since the knowledge that the Lord is with you is all powering and humbling at the same moment. This way, it also helps one lead a morally sound life on Earth and depart from one’s mortal body as a soul worthy of leading permanent life with the Lord. As a allegorical reference, the Hindu religion of the Eastern world is one of the most spiritual faiths and it advocates life after death, but in different light. The spiritual faith says that one’s soul is subject to re-birth till one is enlightened spiritually of God’s ways. After this, the soul or the ‘aatma’ gets into union with the higher spirit or the ‘Paramaatma’.... In order to be free form sins and wrongdoings and to lead a permanent life among the lambs around the Lord, one must 'hear' that belief in Christ is necessary. Here, 'hearing' translates into understanding, perceiving and comprehension of this truth, wholeheartedly. Baptism translates into meaning that the mortal body, dies in the process and is resurrected to eternal spiritual life with the Lord in His Kingdom. This is akin to the manner in which Jesus Christ gave up His life to redeem man of his sins. Sheer belief and the urge to surrender and repent are the key essentials for a profound Baptism. Personally, the very belief in the Lord and His love for me as his child, is very reassuring and comforting. This also acts as a guiding voice in troubles and tribulations, trauma and pain, and helps one cross the bridge without flinching for a moment, since the knowledge that the Lord is with you is all powering and humbling at the same moment. This way, it also helps one lead a morally sound life on Earth and depart from one's mortal body as a soul worthy of leading permanent life with the Lord. As a allegorical reference, the Hindu religion of the Eastern world is one of the most spiritual faiths and it advocates life after death, but in different light. The spiritual faith says that one's soul is subject to re-birth till one is enlightened spiritually of God's ways. After this, the soul or the 'aatma' gets into union with the higher spirit or the 'Paramaatma'. Coming back to Baptism

Discuss Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Discuss - Essay Example Daguerre believed that photography was an art that needed to embrace as it showed life and nature as it really was. In his early years, Morse like Louis was interested in understanding the workings of the nature and whether a naturalistic image could be captured on paper. He was able to successfully produce negative images, but did not understand that negative films could be used in the making positive photographic prints. Morse improved the Daguerreotype by attaching a mirror in the camera lens, and this rectified the error. Morse like Louis believed that photography â€Å"was a teaching tool that could visually educate the public† (Morse 221). Charles Baudelaire on the other hand, disagreed with Louis view that photography was an art he was in fact appalled by the definition if fine art as an accurate representation of some external reality. He considered men fools to believe photographs as â€Å"mirrors of physical facts† (Baudelaire, 83). He believed that photography was meant for record keeping and should not defined as art because it just represented what existed in

General Equilibrium and welfare economies Essay

General Equilibrium and welfare economies - Essay Example A deductive structure that tolerates a contradiction does so under the penalty of being useless since any statement can be derived flawlessly and immediately from that contradiction. In its mathematical form, economic theory is open to an efficient scrutiny for logical errors." We will try to be coherent, and we will do our best to avoid any contradiction when speaking about General Equilibrium and Welfare Economics. It is easy to get confused with these microeconomic models, so we will deal with them using simple and logical words. The most important thing is to understand those models and to apply the knowledge in our everyday life as much as possible. Microeconomics is defined by the Wikipedia (2005d) as "the study of the economic behaviour of individual consumers, firms, and industries and the distribution of production and income among them. It considers individuals both as suppliers of labour and capital and as the ultimate consumers of the final product. It analyzes firms both as suppliers of products and as consumers of labour and capital." It is necessary to understand this simple definition to apply that knowledge to General Equilibrium and Welfare Economics. ... Harberger (2002) speaks about the importance of Microeconomics as follows: "The strength of microeconomics comes from the simplicity of its underlying structure and its close touch with the real world. In a nutshell, microeconomics has to do with supply and demand, and with the way they interact in various markets." In microeconomic theory, the partial equilibrium supply and demand economic model was originally conceived by Alfred Marshall when he tried to explain changes in the price and quantity of goods sold in competitive markets. This microeconomic model just deals with an imperfectly competitive market. It has its foundation in the theories used by some economists before Marshall like Adam Smith, and it is one of the most fundamental models of economic schools in the present time, widely used as a basic building block for many other economic models. The theory of supply and demand is important for understanding a market economy as it is an explanation of the mechanism by which many economic decisions are made. Nevertheless, unlike General Equilibrium models, the supply and demand theory offers a partial equilibrium model fixed by unexplained forces. (Wikipedia, 2005d). The theory of supply and demand frequently considers that markets are perfectly competitive. This means that there are many buyers and sellers in the market. It also means that none of them have the capacity to influence the price of the good. In real life, this assumption usually fails because some economic agents have the ability to influence prices. (Wikipedia, 2005d). Wikipedia, 2005h In Microeconomics we say that the market "clears" at the point where the supply and demand find a balance at a given price. It means that the amount of a commodity at a given price equals the

Strategic Planning and Organizational Mandates Assignment

Strategic Planning and Organizational Mandates - Assignment Example AmeriCare is an organization with the mandate of offing relief programs and health in situations of a disaster by delivering medication and medical supplies to these victims. The organization has the mandate of providing people with humanitarian assistance in different countries around the world. Moreover, the organization has been providing aid worth ten billion to more than one hundred and forty countries (Americares, 2011). Moreover, AmeriCares also provides medical support by establishing free clinics, non-for profit pharmacies and numerous hospitals in different parts of the world to assist poor. Americare is an organization with a mission of offering relief and charitable assistance, thereby responding to emergencies caused by disasters. Moreover, they have upheld values towards their assistance programs, which are offered to victims of a disaster with emergency medical needs. Stakeholders in Americare organization include private sector donors, the government and other associates who facilitate operations of the organization. In fact, these parties assist the organization to execute their mandate of ensuring that people are living longer and healthier. Moreover, this requires supply of critical medicine and health care services to people from different parts of the world. Other stakeholders include leading pharmaceutical companies and medical manufacturers who offer medical supplied to the organization. The organization has managed to acquire partnership with over 2000 hospitals, clinics and community health programs in numerous parts of the world. There are other stakeholders, who include international and local nongovernmental organizations and ministries. Americare has gathered products donations from the private sector, and they determine the urgency of various needs to intervene through their assistance. Moreover, they have the ability to convince their stakeholders to offer financial support, which they send to affected areas through airlift and ocean cargo. Americare has acquired health care professionals, who are deployed in impecunious regions with people suffering from different disasters.

Critique of the argumentative Strengths and Weakness The Blessings of Term Paper

Critique of the argumentative Strengths and Weakness The Blessings of Dirty Work by Barbara Kingsolver - Term Paper Example In this line of argument, I find the article of Kingsolver highly effective in communicating the hidden costs of industrialized and centralized agriculture that we have nowadays through presenting a coherent, appealing and factual article. What is most remarkable in Kingsolver’s article is the manner she presented the points of her concern in her article. Unlike other articles which discuss other important issue, Kingsolver, in her writing did not limit herself in just plainly presenting facts and other information to corroborate her point about the hidden tolls of industrialized agriculture. Instead, she appealed to the emotion of her readers by stating depressing instances in India pertaining to the unseen or, maybe, unrealized effects of highly advanced agricultural system contemporarily. Kingsolver mentioned her encounter about Vandana Shiva, the director of the Research Foundation for Science, Technology and Natural Resource Policy.

Air Pollution Short Essay Essay Example for Free

Air Pollution Short Essay Essay There are several disadvantages of living in urban areas The first drawback is the high cost of living. Urban citizens have to spend a lot of their income paying their bills of electricity, water and other basic services. Secondly is traffic congestion which is a serious problem. During rush hour, vehicles get stuck in a traffic jam, this makes most road users feel uncomfortable and time-consuming. The latter point is air pollution actually the addition of any harmful substances to the atmosphere. The more vehicles move in the road, the more air pollution These substances include various gases and tiny particles that may be harmful to human health and the environment. The greenhouse effect keeps a portion of the heat received from the sun which leave the atmosphere and go back into space. If you are at ground level, the ultraviolet rays from the sun become a very powerful pollutant, in other words it makes damage not only to humans but also plants and animals are affected, too. Increases in air pollution have been linked to breakdowns in lung function and increases in heart attacks. The most vulnerable people that are harmed are people with asthma and other lung or heart disease because their problems will increase faster than other kind of problem.What is Air Pollution? Air pollution is actually the addition of any harmful substances to the atmosphere, which causes the damaging of the environment, human health and the quality of life. With the development in industry, came along the increase in air pollution, which occurs inside homes, schools, offices even in the countryside. Consequently there has been an increase in the death rates resulting from various diseases caused by air pollution varying from breathing problem to lung cancer. Air pollution does not only affect people but it also damages the whole ecological system in which plants and animals are harmed as well. Air pollution has reached such a critical stage where it affects the earths atmosphere as it lets in more harmful radiation from the sun. Consequently, our polluted atmosphere is becoming a bet ter insulator, thus, preventing heat from escaping back into space. That is why there is a global rise in temperature which scientists refer to as global warming. As a result of this rise in temperature the world food supply and sea level will be affected, also there is the probability of increase in the tropical disease. Sources of Air Pollution I_ Human sources: If we try to investigate the major sour

Comparing two Cds Essay Example for Free

Comparing two Cds Essay Nelly produced 2 CDs called Sweat and Suit. He then made the combination of the two using both CD covers to make one. On the Sweat Cd he portrays himself as a cool gangster. Hes wearing a white beeney hat and a white vest, giving him the image of a sexy, muscular and strong man. The shades and jewellery is giving us an idea that maybe he is an expensive person and loves his money. Also he comes across as if you ever put him on an auction block he wouldnt be sold because he is priceless. The clouds behind him give him the impression that maybe his music does have much of a meaning to him, or it could be implying that during the day he is more of a chilled and relaxed sort of person. Unlike the Sweat CD the Suit backdrop seems to be of a street, which could be implying that maybe his music is more down to earth, and has a lot of meaning, and maybe this is when he gets in his zone and feels the happiest. I also get this impression from his clothes. He is looks more sophisticated, important and in control of everything, just because he is wearing a smart but casual black suit. He still keeps the bling and the hat though as though image is still one of the moist important things to him. These two images of him give us the idea that he might have a split personality, depending on who is around. The neon Nelly attracts your attention almost immediately because of the colour used. This I think is a tactic so his name can get stuck in you head. It also gives the cover a look of a casino or club, giving the cover a welcoming feel. This is different from the Sweat cover because his face grabs your attention first not his name and, his name blends more into the background and is of the same sort of colours. His facial expression on both CD covers and the main one, comes across as mean and serious, as though he is some one that shouldnt be messed with. I think it is a good idea that he has joined both CD covers because instead of just seeing one side of him you can see him as one. This way you can find out whether your assumptions were right or wrong, or whether you can find out anything more about him. The Sweat Suit is very clever as they have brought both the Sweat and the Suit faces to make one. The composition is cunning as well because they have made the face the centre, and main feature of the CD instead of making it smaller and shunting it to one side like they did on the other two albums. This is good because it grabs your attention immediately and stands out. The typography on his hat is like someone who has maybe graffito it and has also made it look gangster. Compared to the Nelly, Prince comes across very differently. Instead of having to guess what he meant by his title he basically spelt it out for you on the CD cover. Everything about it is different; the colours, the graphology and typography. On his Controversy CD he has made himself the centre of attention, but he has made himself small enough so you can see the background, which ties in with the title. He is wearing very 80s style clothing with a marching jacket, a bow tie, a shirt and waistcoat. The colours are very bland and not very exciting, although there are some studs and a brooch attached to the jacket. This shows that maybe they didnt have as much money in those days to spend lavishly or that coloured peoples music wasnt as recognised as it is today. The background is made up of newspaper clippings to do with god and whether you should believe in him or not. This was, and still is going on. Everyone says that you should believe in one type of god and if it isnt his or her god then you are a non-believer. I think this is one of the things he uses as an icon for himself, because it shows that maybe he does a lot towards spreading gods word, or showing everyone that god exists or not. The typography is in big bold writing so it stands out and you can read it easily. Prince is coloured in pink, and is positioned away from the image of him in the top right hand corner, right out of the way. His Emancipation Cd however is very different. It was only made ten yrs later but it is more alive and colourful. The composition is set out in a very clever and crafty way. In the centre of the CD cover is a picture of an elaborate male sex sign surrounded by chains. At the bottom of the cover there are two fists held up in the air. These could be symbolising either someone punching their fists up in the air because they know that they are now free, or they could be putting them up as if to get arrested. The fiery colours in the background could be expressing the persons feeling of anger or stress. During the last 30 decades I think the popularity of black solo artists has increased no matter what style of music it is. I also think that focus of black artists back then was not just on them but what the music is about. Unlike today where it just seems to be about the person and how cool and great they look. Show preview only The above preview is unformatted text This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our GCSE Miscellaneous section.