Obama: change for good? modern day slavery


Opposition to human trafficking is one thing on which pro-life believers and the Obama administration see eye-to-eye. This rare island of common ground can serve as a launch point for interaction amidst our sea of non-concordance. We expect continuation and advancement of the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act 2008. From a historical perspective, this is the third time Christians are leading the charge to end slavery (the first being the institution of the medieval serf system;35


the


second was William Wilberforce and the abolitionists).


health care provision


The US is in a unique predicament: it is the world’s third largest nation of both area and population. Americans reside in over 200 urban areas. The most challenging element of national health systems, regionalisation and rationing, would be magnified here. Worse yet, many Americans conceive that government-run health care equates to having all the current choices and benefits, but for free! These expectations cannot be met by any administration.


20


The Obama-Biden health plan 40 is estimated to cost an immense $50-65 billion. It proposes using and expanding the current structure with some


twists such as: n Tightening controls on and reforming insurers


n Covering a portion of catastrophic care


n Lowering insurance premiums


n Creating a Small Business Health Tax Credit (rewards small businesses for providing insurance to employees)


n Limiting malpractice insurance costs


n Raising the contributions toward insurance from large employers previously not offering such


n Developing a National Health Insurance Exchange (to assist people in finding private and public medical plans)


n Liberalising rules on generic drugs and their import


Obama’s colossal financial stimulus/recovery bill includes provisions for the new National Coordinator of Health Information Technology, a federal bureaucracy monitoring physicians for treatment cost containment over safety and effectiveness. 41,42


not new in Europe, but it is a chilling idea for Americans.


providing for the poor and marginalised


The national-level safety nets of Medicare, Medicaid and the Public Health Service are joined by numerous organisations supporting free or very low cost facilities. These include charity hospitals (eg Shriners and St Jude’s) and clinics, community health centres, Indian healthcare clinics (often funded by tribal casinos), Christian rescue missions, and pregnancy centres (often pro-life).


A recognised problem remains the working poor, those whose income levels exceed qualification for Medicaid while being insufficient for private insurance. Their safety valve remains emergency departments, which cannot turn patients away, but the consequence is the over-taxing and sometimes closure of such. In addition to the Obama-Biden health plan, the new team intends to help the poor by: 43


The concept is


n Raising the minimum wage n Investing in transitional jobs for upward mobility n Providing tax relief


nucleus easter ‘09


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44