Healthcare reform initiatives that have been implemented in the past 2

Healthcare reform initiatives that have been implemented in the past 2 Introduction For a long time now, the polarizing debate concerning the healthcare systems of the United States of America has never ceased. Some people have argued that the Americans receive the best health care in the world with reference to the freely available medical technology as well as the system’s highly emblematic state-of-the-art facilities.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Healthcare reform initiatives that have been implemented in the past 2-3 years specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More On the contrast, others have pointed out that it is the most inefficient in the world with the government spending very much on healthcare yet the citizens are prone to inequality, uninsurance and administrative waste. As a result, the government of USA initiated reforms to be made in the health care systems in a bid to perfect it to becoming one of the best in the world. If implemented, the reforms will lead to the bigge st expansion of the Medicare to have existed in the last 45 years (Reid 21). This paper is therefore a discussion and identification of the health care reforms that have been implemented in the past 2-3 years. The provisions of health care reforms It is during his tenure that President Obama became the signatory of the health care reform legislation into law in March 2010 (Bunce 4). He did this by signing two federal statutes that were enacted in the same year. These are Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) and the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010. According to the new law, the health care system is bound to improve such that more people become insured and ensure that quality services are offered among other stipulated reforms. The reform was planned to take part in two phases with the first phase taking place between 2010 and 2013. This has provisions for expanding the insurance option such that more people obtain medical covers. In the second phas e Organizations will be forced to make sure that they obtain insurance for their employees. Implemented Reforms Since the enactment of the provisions into law, most of the reforms have already taken place some of which include the following;Advertising Looking for essay on health medicine? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More There has been an extension on the coverage for young adults such that they can continue being on the plans of their parents until they are 26 years of age. This has ensured that the young adults continue to receive proper healthcare until the time when they get jobs and are now able to pay for their own insurance (Reid 34). The lifetime limit that was before imposed is no longer in place as insurance companies have been banned from enforcing the lifetime dollar limits they initially placed o services such as the stay in hospitals. At the present, there are about 4 million businesses that have been authorized to get credit to cater for the employer’s contribution with regard to the health insurance plans for employees. This therefore ensures that the small businesses afford the expected contribution to the health insurance firms. The new plans have free preventive procedures on health care. For instance mammograms and colonoscopies are provided free on charge without being deducted on the employees pay slips. The consumers are protected such that they can make appeals on issue concerning their insurance. The reforms have seen that the primary care medical doctors are encouraged through incentives such as having their number increased, being allocated assistants to help them among others (Network 1). On the same matter, those healthcare providers working in the rural areas are offered increased support to ensure that they increase their efficiency in those areas. As a result the whole population has access to proper health care. The reforms have also seen the implementa tion of funding for projects that are aimed at preventing disease through the health fund. This is done through the Public Health Fund that was begun in the year 2010 (Network 1). Other of the reforms that have been implemented and are already in action up to no include; Increased home options for the disabled people, aid for the seniors once they leave the hospital on stays, discounted costs on Medicare, improved accountability and creation for a center of Medicare and Medicare innovation just to mention but a few. Conclusion From the above discussion it can be clearly seen that the signing of the bills by President Obama was a big step towards the beginning of attainment of proper health care for the American citizens. Despite the many challenges such as political influences and legal challenges, some of the reforms have been already implanted. The fact that these reforms are many number means that they cannot be all implanted at once hence the reason for the phases put in place to ensure the implementations occur sequentially. However, at the time when all the documented reforms are implemented, then Americans will be enjoying the best health care system in the whole world. This is because the better part of the population will be insured and all having access to proper health care. Bunce, V. and Matthews, M. The 2008 presidential candidates on health care reform. Web. Network. What is changing already as the healthcare reform law is implemented? Web. Reid, T. The Healing of America: A Global Quest for Better, Cheaper and Fairer Health Care. 2009. Penquin Books.

The Origins of Memorial Day

The Origins of Memorial Day Memorial Day is celebrated in the United States each May to remember and honor military men and women who died while serving in the nations armed forces. This differs from Veterans Day, which is celebrated in September to honor everyone who served in the U.S. military, whether or not they died in service. From 1868 through 1970, Memorial Day was celebrated on May 30th each year. Since then, the official national Memorial Day holiday is traditionally celebrated on the last Monday in May. Origins of Memorial Day On May 5, 1868, three years after the end of the Civil War, Commander in Chief John A. Logan of the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR)- an organization of former Union soldiers and sailors- established Decoration Day as a time for the nation to decorate the graves of the war dead with flowers. The first large observance was held that year at Arlington National Cemetery, across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C. The cemetery already held the remains of 20,000 Union dead and several hundred Confederate dead.  Presided over by General and Mrs. Ulysses S. Grant and other Washington officials, the Memorial Day ceremonies centered around the mourning-draped veranda of the Arlington mansion, once the home of General Robert E. Lee. After speeches, children from the Soldiers and Sailors Orphan Home and members of the GAR made their way through the cemetery, strewing flowers on both Union and Confederate graves, reciting prayers and singing hymns. Was Decoration Day Really the First Memorial Day? While General John A. Logan credited his wife, Mary Logan, with the suggestion for the Decoration Day commemoration, local springtime tributes to the Civil War dead had previously taken place. One of the first occurred in Columbus, Mississippi, on April 25, 1866, when a group of women visited a cemetery to decorate the graves of Confederate soldiers who had fallen in battle at Shiloh. Nearby were the graves of Union soldiers, neglected because they were the enemy. Disturbed at the sight of the bare graves, the women placed some of their flowers on those graves, as well.Today cities in the North and the South claim to be the birthplace of Memorial Day between 1864 and 1866. Both Macon and Columbus, Georgia, claim the title, as well as Richmond, Virginia. The village of Boalsburg, Pennsylvania, also claims to be the first. A stone in a cemetery in Carbondale, Illinois, the wartime home of General Logan, carries the statement that the first Decoration Day ceremony took place there on Ap ril 29, 1866. Approximately twenty-five places have been named in connection with the origin of Memorial Day, many of them in the South where most of the war dead were buried. Official Birthplace Declared In 1966, Congress and President Lyndon Johnson declared Waterloo, New York, the birthplace of Memorial Day. A local ceremony held on May 5, 1866, was reported to have honored local soldiers and sailors who had fought in the Civil War. Businesses closed and residents flew flags at half-mast. Supporters of Waterloos claim say earlier observances in other places were either informal, not community-wide or one-time events. Confederate Memorial Day Many Southern states also have their own days for honoring the Confederate dead. Mississippi celebrates Confederate Memorial Day the last Monday of April, Alabama on the fourth Monday of April, and Georgia on April 26th. North and South Carolina observe it May 10th, Louisiana on June 3rd and Tennessee calls that date Confederate Decoration Day. Texas celebrates Confederate Heroes Day January 19th and Virginia calls the last Monday in May Confederate Memorial Day. Learn the Stories of Your Military Ancestors Memorial Day began as a tribute to Civil War dead, and it was not until after World War I that the day was expanded to honor those who have died in all American wars.  The origins of special services to honor those who die in war can be found in antiquity. The Athenian leader Pericles offered a tribute to the fallen heroes of the Peloponnesian War over 24 centuries ago that could be applied today to the 1.1 million Americans who have died in the nations wars: Not only are they commemorated by columns and inscriptions, but there dwells also an unwritten memorial of them, graven not on stone but in the hearts of men. What a fitting reminder to all of us to learn about and tell the stories of our military ancestors who died in service. How to Trace Your U.S. Military AncestorsAre You Descended from a Civil War Soldier?Discover Your American WWI AncestorsResearch Your Revolutionary War Patriot AncestorSymbols, Acronyms Abbreviations Found on Military Tombstones Portions of the above article courtesy of the U.S. Veterans Administration

Wealth management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Wealth management - Essay Example There is no standard definition for wealth management that will be generally accepted, though according to Maude â€Å"a basic definition for wealth management would be financial services provided to wealthy clients, mainly individuals and their families† (Maude, 2006). â€Å"a type of financial service that combines personal investments, tax planning strategies, estate planning and legal counsel. It is designed to provide a broad array of services within the confines of one office† Detailing the key elements that differentiate their services from other forms of retail financial institutions, wealth managers draw attention to the exclusiveness of their client relationships, which are extensive in that they cover all aspects of a client’s financial life, and with great respect to the adviser’s devoted knowledge of a client’s priorities and values. Likewise, this breadth and depth of the manager-client relationship allows the wealth manager to form and apply specially designed solutions that meet all key elements of a client’s financial welfare. The following three criteria distinguish a firm as a wealth manager: - The relationship between wealth managers and their clients, in regard to both terms of breadth (such as â€Å"holistic†, â€Å"comprehensive†, and â€Å"all-inclusive†) and depth (â€Å"intimate† and â€Å"individualised†). Since wealth management has scored the fastest growing in late 1990, all of the financial services industry sector and even through the recession after that wealth management still attracts investors. In term of the population growth the number of millionaires till 2006 the number increased which is more than 7% a year referring to the devolved in the economy in Europe and North America. â€Å"Given that financial markets and economic growth in 2008 has been far worse so far than 2007, I expect flat growth or a contraction in the millionaire population in 2008.

Develop a tourism planning Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Develop a tourism planning - Assignment Example If it is found not to benefit in any way then another option is picked. In the tourism planning several issues are regarded which encompasses the environment in which the actual planning is taking place. The socio-economic is one important factor, physical and political factors are considered when deciding on the planning. These are either interrelated or interdependent components of the system (Marcouiller, 1995). Just like any other planning, it is also in tourism that the planning aim is to achieve certain goals and objectives. This is the benchmark for any planning activity. The achievement of the goals and objective is done after a careful evaluation of the available resources and the needs of the peoples. This allows one to make efforts of marching the two given the available resources. The planning is a multi disciplinary activity in which a comprehensive and systematic approach is used to reach a comprehensive approach. It involves several steps, which are subject of revision as the process goes on (Reid, 2004). Tourism planning then has the following steps; defining of goals and the objectives, Identification of the system of tourism to adopt, Available resources, organization, Market availability, alternatives, evaluation of the alternatives, selection, and finally monitoring and evaluation. Goals and Objectives Setting the goals and objective in any organization will always allow the management to work in relation to a target. The goals in this case will be set after doing the SWOT analysis (Reid, 2004). This is very important, as it will enable as to appreciate the resources and challenges that we have so that we can define an appropriate goals and objectives to pursue. Before deciding on the goals, we will have to evaluate our past performance and current performance vis a vis the resources we have and the expectations of our customers. In setting the goals and objectives, we have to consider the strategies that are used by the competitors in the m arket. This will enable us to be at par with them or surpass them in the provision of services (Riley, Ladkin, & Szivas, 2010). Following the above set criterion, we will have to set our goals and objectives as follows; I. To launch an extensive advertisement of our tourist site all over the world and demonstrate that we are the site of choice given the diverse natural flora and fauna in our site. II. Modernize our system to meet the international standards. That is, including indoor pools in to provide services during winter periods. We also intend to improve maintain he infrastructural activities within our site. III. To collaborate with other stakeholders in an effort to create a brand name for our site and at the same time get involved in the corporate social responsibility to increase domestic tourism in to the site. IV. To increase the total revenue collection of the site by expanding both the local and the international market to maintain all round visitation into the site. T ourism System to Adopt In the planning, we are going to couple both domestic and international tourism. This is aimed at widening the market level of the customers. In the resent past, both international and rural tourism has shown remarkable increase and there is need to develop a system that will trap the looming potential of visitors in the site. We therefore want to modernize the rural tourism to attract the international

Ocean Liner Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

Ocean Liner - Essay Example The Vice President of Finance for Ocean Carriers has received an attractive proposal from a prospective customer who wants to lease a ship for the period of three years from the company. The customer, his offer and contract terms are all feasible, but the problem is that the company does not have any ship available at that time to meet the customer’s unique needs. Therefore, the company needs to urgently purchase a new ship so as to fulfill the customer’s request on time, or on the contrary reject the customer’s proposal. The problem underlying the case is not merely concerning the acceptance or rejection of the lease proposal by the customer. As the company cannot meet the customer’s demand simply with any of the available ships, it either needs to purchase a new ship matching the customer’s needs or to reject the proposal altogether. This does not concern the company with a single moment of thought regarding a new investment. The problem basically lies in investigating and analyzing the attractiveness of the customer offer against the investment that the company needs to make in this project. The crux of the issue is whether or not the company should purchase the new ship, which is necessary if Ocean Carrier wants to accept the proposal of this customer; otherwise the company will have to forego the attractive return offered. Secondly, the customer is willing to contract the ship for a period of three years, while the life of the ship would be 25 years. However as per the company’s policy, it utilizes a ship for no more than 15 years of its operations. Therefore, the investment in this new ship exclusively for this customer’s request needs to be analyzed in the perspective if the market environment is feasible for the purchase of new ship and that the ship can be used to generate returns for the company

Financial Risk (Masters Level) Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Financial Risk (Masters Level) - Coursework Example It indicates the highest possible loss amount, which some portfolio will likely lose within a given time period at specified confidence level. A good example would be 95% daily VaR for $1 Million, could mean the likely hood for the same portfolio to lose over a million dollars within a worst day happens to be below 5%. In no way does this mean that such portfolio may not lose over a million dollars. The truth is that over one hundred days, the portfolio would be expected to lose over $1 million for five time approximately. In addition, this does not mean that an individual would not collectively loose significantly more along a longer horizon. Banks, mutual funds, hedge funds as well as other financial service companies or even brokers can utilize value at Risk. Most of such firms use VaR in prediction of size of outlying losses of the future, or even gains that their portfolios or those of their clients might experience (Ran & Jin, 2008: p 1). Most firms make use of VaR in the determination of needed collateral from an execution customer for some margin loan utilized in trading financial instruments, for instance. Buy-side entities like hedge funds make use of VaR in determining whether the allocation of a portfolio does exceed investment mandate or a current risk tolerance (BPL, 2015, 2). Despite the fact that VaR was not used broadly before mid-1990s, the measure’s origin date further back in time. Markowitz Harry and others developed the mathematics, which underlie VaR in portfolio theory context (Glyn, 200:p 32). However, their efforts aimed at a different destination (devising equity investors’ optimal portfolios). Specifically market risk focus as well as the co-movements effects in such risks are core to the manner in which VaR is computed (Ronald, Kees, & Rachel, 1999: P 2). The Motivation for VaR measures utilization, though, arose from the crises, which affected financial service firma through time as well as supervisory responses to such

Pivot Tables Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Pivot Tables - Assignment Example Excel also allows you to generate charts from the data in your pivot table which can be very handy in comparisons. Similarly, Pivot Tables are interactive means of summarizing the data, allowing you to add or delete fields in the contingent (summary) tables. This is especially useful when a sample has to be chosen from a specific characteristic of the population which endows various other characteristic as well that are irrelevant. Pivot Tables are also dynamic which can automatically recalculate the data based on addition or elimination of new fields. This feature is really helpful in saving time and effort of the data collector. Pivot tables are also easy to change if the data from original source is changed. As a result, these tables are really important when the changes in data are quick and frequent. These tables can help you to keep your records updated at all times and can be used when the original data keeps on changing. Multiple worksheets are really handy in grouping and summarizing data. A collection of two or more worksheets is called group worksheet. In order to group two or more work sheets, you need to first click the tab of first worksheet, then you press and hold shift key and click the tab of the other worksheet that you want to group.