Analyzing Texas Health Care vs New York Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Analyzing Texas Health Care vs New York - Essay Example A comparative look at the two states' programs can help reveal how the states differ in their goal of providing health care while trying to contain health care costs. Health care costs are covered through a variety of different sources such as employer provided insurance, Medicare, Medicaid, and individual insurance plans. In Texas, 47 percent of the population is insured through their employer, while the number is 52 percent in New York (Kaiser Family Foundation 1). In addition, New York has 19 percent of its population insured through Medicaid compared to only 12 percent in Texas (Kaiser Family Foundation 1). Medicaid is jointly funded through the states and matching federal funds, which is dependent upon the income level of the state. The matching rate varies between 50 percent and 72.29 percent, with the poorer states getting the larger amount (Flowers 3). While New York receives equal matching funding, Texas gets $1.50 for every $1.00 they contribute (Kaiser Family Foundation 2). Because the eligibility is income dependent and is based on a rate set by the states, the differences in total spending can be significant. Texas's total Medicaid s pending for 2006 was $18.1 billion, while New York spent $44.7 billion on the program (Kaiser Family Foundation 2). ... For example, the annual income eligibility level for working parents is $4824 in Texas, but is $25,755 in New York (Kaiser Family Foundation 2). This results is a significantly higher number of enrollees in New York than in Texas. In addition, Texas, "has forfeited more than $900 million in federal money under the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) during the past six years because it wouldn't put up 28 cents for each 72 cents in federal aid" (Wolf). When these statistics are coupled with the lower rate of employer provided insurance in Texas, the result is that 25 percent of Texans have no health insurance as compared with 14 percent of the citizens of New York (Kaiser Family Foundation 1). This difference is largely the result of the total dollars spent between the two states on Medicaid. The Medicaid program was initially designed as a means to provide health care for parents and children that had low incomes and few material resources. While Medicare was designed to primarily cover the health care needs of the elderly and disabled, Medicaid is a means tested program where the eligibility is set by number of children and the family income. However, Texas Medicaid has expanded in recent years to include the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), Texas STAR Managed Care, and the Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) (Texas Medicaid Program Information). In fact, "Texas is the only state that takes advantage of Medicaid's 1929(b) program, which provides community attendant services that help lower-income elderly clients live at home instead of moving into a nursing facility. Texas has roughly 47,000 Medicaid clients who benefit from this

Collective memory and Public Discourse Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4750 words

Collective memory and Public Discourse - Essay Example The foundation of Christian faith is based on the existence of Jesus Christ, the Son of God who was sent to save the world from sin by dying on the cross and rising from the dead after three days. Christ's resurrection gives assurance of a life after death and through faith with Jesus salvation is assured among his faithful followers. These concepts are supported by a known document called Scriptures, obtained from archeological explorations and other preserved documents, and other non-written accounts they refer to as traditions. Much of the information concerning Jesus, however, can be obtained from the New Testament, which is the second part of the Bible and covers the times after the death and believed resurrection of Jesus Christ. But varying interpretations of these writing and traditions led to new ideas and concepts as society evolved and created variations in the Christian faith the leads to creation of several branches. Today, the Christian faith has several subdivisions each one having created within an understanding and ideals based from Scriptures, from tradition, or both. In general the foundation of every group of Christians are based on strong faith which emanated from a concept or inspiration developed by a charismatic leadership and then later evolved into an organized society congregated by those who accepted the ideals presented. Christian organizations presently recorded include: The Amish, Baptist churches, Church of England, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Church of Scotland, Eastern Orthodox Church, Jehovah's Witnesses, Methodist Church, Pentecostalism, Roman Catholic Church, and Seventh-day Adventists among others. Within these major denominations are a lot of variations that existed and spread throughout the world. The Roman Catholics The largest among the subdivisions of Christianity is the Roman Catholicism (BBC) who claimed to be the first of the Christian religions and from which other groups sprung off. Its history can be traced back to as far as 2000 years back. The church was based in Rome headed by the Pope who was claimed to be the successor of Peter who in turn was the first head of the Christian Church instituted by Jesus Christ himself. The doctrines of the Catholics are unique in the sense that it considers both the scriptures and the church own traditions. Issues of Protestantism Belief in traditions, among others such as the control of the Pope over the church, the increased devotion to Mary, Christmas, Easter, the Rosary, the Idols, and others are common point of divergence of other Christian denominations that believed the "scriptures alone" as the source of inspirations, guidelines, and rules in following God. Among these groups who questioned traditions are the contemporary evangelical churches that emerged in the early 17th century and onwards. Today, a public discourse is raging over the use of corruptible collective memory-based traditions as against a written document alone as the basis of faith and social practices in Christian organizations. Critics to the Catholic practice argued that traditions are not reliable social guidelines to followers of Christ for they do not qualify to be divinely inspired. They pushed the idea of "Sola Scriptura" or the scripture alone as the source of divine revelation.