Politics | Medical Politics Database

Gay Marriage a Hot Topic in Politics

December 21, 2010 by admin Leave a Comment

What year will gay marriage become legal in the United States?
Whether you agree with gay marriage or not, politics around the world suggest within ten years gay marriage will be the norm and not the exception.
The United States has been slow to approve these unions between those of different genders. Currently four states: Massachusetts, Connecticut, Iowa and Vermont are the only states that have legalized gay marriage.
Gay marriage around the globe is becoming more common. Mexico and Argentina both got on board by legalizing gay marriage in 2010, and more South American countries are expected to follow.
In the free-thinking political worlds of Europe, gay marriage is legal in several countries. Among them are Sweden, Norway, Holland, Belgium, Spain and Portugal. Iceland is another country where gay marriage is legal.
Gay marriage is one of the issues in Politics that is essentially polarizing.
Those that support gay marriage suggest the following pros:
1. Denying gay marriage is a violation of civil and religious rights.
2. Joint ownership and medical decision making should be afforded to all couples
3. Benefits of finances should be afforded to same sex couples.
4. When two people love each other they should be allowed to marry
Those that oppose gay marriage have their cons:
1. Homosexuality is a sin.
2. Allowing gays to marry weakens the institution of marriage.
3. Promoting gay marriage promotes the lifestyle.
4. Family and moral values would be weakened as the result of allowing gay marriage.
Wherever you stand on this issue, you better brace yourselves because gay marriage is coming. Over the next 10 years, countries around the world are going to continue to make gay marriage legal. The United States will not be first on this train, but it will get on the train. Experts suggest gay marriage in the United States will be allowed by Federal Law.

Filed Under: Medical Issues Tagged With: Connecticut, Marriage, Massachusetts, Mexico, Politics, Same-sex marriage, United States, Vermont

Is Politics Only For Politicians? Adopt This Line Of Thought At Your Own Risk

November 29, 2010 by admin Leave a Comment

Why is it important to be aware of one’s role and position in political society? Many persons presume that politics is merely a game that politicians play. They fail to realize that each and every person, including the ordinary man on the street, is deeply involved in politics. The politicians who play dirty politics and pander to their vote banks merely do so because the last man on the street supports them. Let us take the issue of abortion.

There are so many viewpoints and the general belief is that nobody wants the discord to continue. However, the truth is that nobody is prepared to compromise on his or her line of thought. That is where politicians gain their support from. When you hear a politician take a hard line stance on such an issue, keep in mind that he or she can do so only because voters are supporting such an approach. If majority voters are not in favor, then they are probably guilty of not caring enough about the issue to voice their opinions.

In such a scenario, you have the option of either joining the game or stepping out of it. You cannot participate and complain about the complexity of politics. Each and every person has an opinion on how the country should run.

Some try to create peace and harmony in the world. Others adopt a cynical approach and conclude that there is no point in trying to be peaceful with others. Some try to achieve power through consensus. Some try to achieve power through the barrel of the gun. You cannot delegate the task of protecting your ideals to somebody else.

Does this mean each and every individual should become a politician? There is a huge difference in having a political view or being politically mature and becoming a politician. The latter is simply the representative of the political will of the masses.

Filed Under: Politics Tagged With: Politician, Politics, United States, Voting

Tips for Safely Using Prescription Drugs

November 17, 2010 by admin Leave a Comment

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It’s a common misconception that taking prescription drugs is something you only do when you are sick. This simply isn’t true; many healthy people take prescription medication, sometimes even to prevent becoming ill.

There are thousands of reasons that you might take prescription drugs daily. Whether you have a long-term illness, you were born with a condition that needs to be maintained in order for you to live comfortably, or you’re trying to decrease your acne, there are some things that you should always do when taking prescription drugs in order to stay safe. Here are some tips for safe prescription medication use.

Ask questions. When you have your prescription filled, ask your pharmacist if there are any particular times of day or ways that you should take your medication. Splitting some pills in half can decrease their effectiveness and sometimes cause side effects by breaking the outer coating, for example.

Read the instructions. Some prescription drugs make you drowsy; others cannot be mixed with alcohol. Some even react adversely to being consumed along with grapefruit juice! You don’t want any surprises with what might react badly–read the label thoroughly.

Follow the instructions. This might seem obvious, but a surprising amount of people do not take their prescription drugs properly. Seemingly little things like whether you take your medication with food can drastically alter their effectiveness, so try to follow the instructions to the letter for best (and safest) results.

Do not take more than one dose at a time. If a single dose doesn’t seem to have much effect, inform your doctor as soon as possible so that you can try some alternatives. Taking extra doses is dangerous and may create medical complications. Remember; prescription drugs are stronger than their over the counter counterparts, which is why you need a prescription to get them in the first place.

Filed Under: General, Health Care Tagged With: Health, Office of National Drug Control Policy, Pharmaceutical drug, Pharmacy, Politics, Prescription drug, Substance abuse, United States

Technology In The Political Process – A Grey Area With No Clarity Yet

October 22, 2010 by admin Leave a Comment

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How far is it advisable to rely on technology to simplify the logistical and administrative task of managing the political system? Recent instances have shown us good and bad effects of using technology in the political system. Use of the internet to collect donations during candidate campaigning reduced risk of money power dominating the candidate. This is definitely a good thing. However, the fiasco during the presidential election involving electronic voting machines bring a shudder every time somebody recommends complete reliance on tech to solve administrative problems.

The general consensus is that technological innovations should be encouraged as long as it does not play a significant role. It is a good slave but a poor master. Manual confirmation of electronic voting continues only because people are still not ready to trust the machines to tell the truth. There is fear that it may malfunction or that it may be manipulated. That is why people prefer to rely on humans to play the pivotal role in the political process.

Spread of video and audio on the internet has made the web a popular political campaigning tool. However, politicians were never interested in disseminating their views on the internet when text ruled the roost. Hence, the personal touch is always given priority and preference over all other solutions.

The biggest fear that people have when considering technology in political setup is the consequences of something going wrong. To appoint somebody who has not won the presidential race as the President of the country for four long years can have disastrous effect on sanctity of elections. Despite the fact that the country acted in a mature manner and moved ahead, there are doubts whether the system can withstand another such shock again. Till date, there is no happy solution to this conflict. Politicians are still struggling to find the right balance that will help them connect with masses without seeming like slaves of technology.

Filed Under: Politics Tagged With: Electronic voting, Politics, United States, Voting machine

U.S. Healthcare Reform

September 25, 2010 by admin Leave a Comment

: Image by Getty Images via @daylife

With all the hoopla surrounding healthcare reform in the United States, it’s easy to get discouraged and cease following the debate and what has been enacted. But don’t give up. Health care is one of the biggest issues facing Americans today, especially as the population ages and the economy stays mired in the economic doldrums. How to get everyone affordable health care is not an issue that will dissipate anytime soon.

So read on to get a better understanding of the new health care laws passed in March of this year. One heartening aspect that is expected to be enacted next year is that individuals who get sick cannot be dropped by their insurance companies because of their illness. This makes sense to many Americans, who feel that they have paid for insurance just in case they get sick. When they are sick is when they most need their insurance companies to kick in and take care of them.

Another provision allows young people to stay on their family plan until they reach the age of 26. This gives high school graduates a bit of breathing room and freedom from worrying about their health care. They can head to college without obsessing about what they are going to do if they break an arm playing Frisbee on the quad — or sprain an ankle trying to escape with the rival school’s mascot!

Some new programs are also available to ease the concerns of individuals with pre-existing conditions, such as cancer or multiple sclerosis. Individuals with a preexisting condition who are uninsured can take advantage of a new program until 2014. Another program is tailored to companies who have individuals who are retiring early and need to keep their health insurance benefits.

There is also a tax credit that will enable small businesses to offer health care insurance to their employees.

Filed Under: Medical Issues Tagged With: Health, Health care, Health Care Reform, Health insurance, Insurance, Politics, Pre-existing condition, United States

Health Care Reform 101

September 9, 2010 by admin Leave a Comment

Mention health care reform to a group of Americans, and many people’s eyes start to glaze over. The debate had been so vociferous and ongoing that it is hard to believe that President Obama passed a health care reform bill in March, 2010. It is even harder to believe that there is a law on the books because it is going to take at least five years for it to be implemented.

Some rumours that keep cropping are simple to dispel. Why such rumours abound is anyone’s guess, but with the myriad provisions and stipulations in the complex reform package, it is understandable.

So let’s dispel a few of the more prominent ones that are scaring people,

Senior citizens will not have to attend counseling in order to make decisions about ending their lives. While this may sound like a good idea, it is not in the reform package and is certainly not mandated by the government.

Another scary rumour for many seniors declares that one they are 59, they cannot receive heart care. On a common sense level, this would seem to defeat any package about health care. The health care reform bill is about ensuring that more people receive the care they need, not denying care to individuals.

Some believe that the package will provide free health care to illegal immigrants. Absolutely not. The debate over how to handle illegal immigration is ongoing, and providing free health care is not on the table.

Filed Under: Medical Issues Tagged With: Barack Obama, Health care, Health Care Reform, Illegal immigration, Interest Groups, Law, Politics, United States

Uninsured in America

September 7, 2010 by admin Leave a Comment

: Image by jmtimages via Flickr

The uninsured cost the United States up to $100 billion annually — this is the cost of providing those individuals in the U.S. who have no insurance with health care.

Part of the reason this cost is so astronomically high is because the uninsured don’t have the money — or obviously the health care plan — for preventive care. When an uninsured individual seeks health care, it is usually because the person is in dire straits. That means the Emergency Department is where they are often seen, and costs incurred there are higher than going to see your family doctor.

The news is particularly bad for hospitals, which garner up to $34 billion in bills that are left unpaid because the patients had no insurance. For those that have the funds, but are not insured, the cost is high — approximately $26 billion annually. That’s a pretty penny.

Estimates indicate that around $37 billion is paid out by private insurers for uninsured individuals — or those who may have some health coverage, but too little too little to pay for all of their health care.

In addition to the dollars and cents that are lost because people don’t have insurance, there are people who miss days and days of work. This translates into lost productivity for companies.

If you still need convincing that it is worth it to figure out a way for everyone to be insured, think about the spread of infectious disease. If an individual is sick and goes to school or work without getting antibiotics or needed treatment, then the condition will spread throughout the general population. Think of tuberculosis — an easily cured disease, but if someone doesn’t have insurance to go to the doctor, the disease won’t go away on its own.

And to end, think of this sobering statistic. About 100,000 Americans because they couldn’t afford health care coverage.

Filed Under: Medical Issues Tagged With: Emergency Department, Health, Health care, Health Care Reform, Health insurance, Insurance, Politics, United States

Health Care Reform 2010

September 5, 2010 by admin Leave a Comment

: Image by Getty Images via @daylife

Many expect that if the Republicans win a majority of Congressional seats in the upcoming November election, they will try to appeal the health care reform bill President Obama finally passed in March 2010. Remember, not one single Republican voted for this bill, so it was quite a coup for the president!

Of course, then the waiting game began. Not much occurs in government quickly or even right away after a bill has been passed. An important and far-reaching change did occur quickly, however, when the right to refuse children with pre-existing conditions health insurance was stamped out.

The reform package had increased in popularity, so it may be tough for the Republicans to challenge after the midterm elections. At the end of July, a survey reported that 50 percent of Americans like the law, and those who do not agree with the package is down to 35 percent.

Another portion of the law that kicked in relatively soon after the law was passed is that Americans can appeal their health insurance decisions to a third party. That can certainly win over individuals who have been denied benefits. Think about the parents of a child who has leukemia and needs a transplant.

One tactic the Republicans might explore is cutting off funds to implement crucial portions of the bill, since it is unlikely they will be able to repeal Obama’s plan and replace it with a watered-down version culled by their party. Choking the money supply could be a back-handed way to slow down reforms, although that too will be a hard path to take.

So stay tuned, logged on, and reading the fine print to see what happens to health care reform in the United States. Long a contentious issue, just because a law has finally been passed doesn’t mean there aren’t still some hurdles ahead!

Filed Under: Medical Issues Tagged With: Barack Obama, Health Care Reform, Health insurance, Politics, Pre-existing condition, Republican Party (United States), United States, United States midterm election

California’s Race for Governor

September 3, 2010 by admin Leave a Comment

: Image by Meg on Facebook via CrunchBase

California — it’s a land once expected to make golden dreams turn to reality, but in the past decade, the rubric is more along the lines of a place where golden dreams turn to dust.

So the race for governor of the golden state is one to watch. The race pits Republican Meg Whitman against Democrat and favorite son Jerry Brown.

The race has been neck-and-neck, with Whitman pulling a few points ahead in the latest polls. The charismatic Whitman is not one to shy away from a fight and is used to being in the limelight as the former CEO of eBay, the premiere site for Internet junkies with something to sell or a yen to buy.

The billionaire has no qualms about spending her fortune. Recent reports indicate that she has spent upwards of $100 million on her campaign — in this, her first try for public office. Whitman stresses her position as an outsider to politics and the machinations that go along with a lifetime in the arena.

This is in contrast to Brown, a former California governor and who now serves as the state attorney general. Even though California is a Democratic state and has seen the current Republican governor cripple the state with economic woes, Whitman is still ahead.

Some might wonder why anyone would want the job of leading the nation’s most populated state. Whoever wins the job in November has a tough road ahead. The state has a budget deficit that won’t quit, a budget that continually gets delayed by the Congress, and unemployment in the double digits. This is the state where state employees were told they had to take furloughs — up to three days off a month — to save the strapped state some cash.

Let’s face it — it’s not a pretty picture!

Filed Under: Medical Issues Tagged With: Attorney general, California, Democratic, EBay, Jerry Brown, Meg Whitman, Politics, United States

Political Parties: How Different Are They?

July 27, 2010 by admin Leave a Comment

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There has always been a fierce battle between Democrats and Republicans for control of the White House, the Congress, and a lot of the smaller offices across the country. That will probably never change, but what does it actually mean? Are the two political parties really different enough that having one or the other in power will matter? Some people certainly think so, or they wouldn’t have allegiance to a particular party. Others, though, are becoming increasingly disenchanted with politics in general. They don’t seem to care which party is in control, because they are more concerned with the state of the country and the world. Time has shown them that not much changes, no matter which party has control.

When people feel this way, and think that the political parties really aren’t very different, they often stop voting and stop trying to support the changes in government. They also become less patriotic, and it’s unfortunate to see that. The pride that a person has in his country and his feelings about the government shouldn’t really be the same thing. They are often intermingled, though, which is understandable. It can be difficult to separate the two feelings from one another. For anyone who wants to get involved in the political process and make a difference, there are still many things that he can do.

Studying the different political parties and what they really believe in is the start of finding out whether you want to get involved in politics. Then, once you’ve chosen a party based on what you’ve studied, pay close attention to whether that party actual adheres to what it says it believes in. You’ll likely find that some of the people in that party really believe in its principles and some do not. At that point, it’ll be up to you to decide how different from one another you really feel the parties are, and which one (if any) you want to support. There are also smaller political parties that exist, and the ideals of one of those parties might be better suited to what you believe.

Filed Under: General Tagged With: Political party, Politics