On October 1 at 12:01 p.m., the U.S. federal government shut down, hours after the Senate failed to reach an agreement on the 12 appropriations bills for its upcoming fiscal year. In the days leading up to the standstill, tensions rose between the Republican and Democratic parties in Congress, neither of whom wanted to give […]
Tag: Affordable Care Act
How to Handle Health: Strategies and Recent Developments
Traditionally, medical institutions and systems are portrayed as places of cures and remedies, but what if they are actually major sources of health issues, woven into a broader system of inequitable access to healthcare and distribution of basic human needs? Well aware of this contradiction, the Black Panther Party (BPP), led by Huey P. Newton, […]
Medicare for All: Resolving the Affordability Crisis Obamacare Didn’t
Prior to the enactment of the Affordable Care Act — or, as it is more commonly known, Obamacare — health insurance in the United States failed Americans in two significant ways: it did not cover a sizable amount of the country, and it did not make healthcare affordable. Health insurance companies were legally allowed to […]
Tried and True? Obamacare and the Nationalization of American Policy
Until the winter of 1917, the hallmark of American government had been limited federal power. With the entrance of the United States into the first World War, President Woodrow Wilson shattered this standard with a single signature. In December 1917, he signed into action the Federal Possession and Control Act, effectively nationalizing the railroad industry […]
A Disunified Party in Power: Republicans off to a shaky start with ACA Repeal
January 9, 2016 — On the floor of the Senate, Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) stands in front of a large posterboard emblazoned with a neon yellow “$9.7 trillion” — the amount of money he claims national spending will be increased by, were the current budget reconciliation plan to pass. Paul is arguing that the current […]
Medicaid: It Hurts. How Healthcare Is Wounding the Republican Party
“Now, when you die and get to the meeting with St. Peter, he’s probably not going to ask you much about what you did about keeping government small. But he is going to ask you what you did for the poor. You better have a good answer.” Republican presidential candidate and Ohio governor John Kasich […]
The State of Affairs in Congress: In the Era of Hyperpolarization, Embrace Bipartisanship or Fail
As the 2016 US primary season nears its end, so too does the current session of Congress. Both houses will be off for half of July for the Democratic and Republican conventions, as well as for most of August and October. A RealClearPolitics average of congressional approval polls from the last month shows only 14.5% of […]
Putting a Price on Life
The cost of medical treatment in the United States may be more of a headache than the health problem itself. Insurance prices are extremely high, but if one doesn’t buy insurance, s/he can be hit with even higher out-of-pocket expenses in case of a medical emergency. The need for the United States to reform its […]
The Silent Plea of America’s New Mothers
In the U.S., the fight for women’s rights in the workplace has come a long way. In 1963, Congress passed the Equal Pay Act, protecting women’s rights to be paid equal wages as men. In 1978, the Pregnancy Discrimination Act was passed, banning workplace discrimination based on pregnancy. In 2015, King v. Burwell upheld the […]