AP Government Unit 4 – Healthcare & Environmental policy

Healthcare policy American healthcare outcomes  US generally lags behind other countries in key health statistics Lower adult life expectancy Higher infant mortality rate Higher rates of obesity, diabetes

The Cost of Health Care US spends more than any other country—$2.3 trillion and 1/7 of GDP Reasons for high costs:  High-tech medicine  Insurance pays for health care  Malpractice lawsuits drive up costs

Healthcare problems (pre-2009) Health Insurance  46 million in US had no health insurance  Most common reason for losing health insurance is losing or changing a job  Closely tied to race & income Higher income = more likely to have insurance

Managed Care Health Maintenance Organization (HMO)  Organization set up to provide healthcare to a large group collectively  Economy of scale Designed to reduce costs through oversight and limiting patient choices  Limits choice of health care providers

Pre-2009 gov involvement Gov in US less involved than other countries Medicare  Provides hospitalization insurance for elderly & optional coverage for other medical expenses Medicaid  Program to provide healthcare for the poor  Funded by state govs mainly with federal tax $

Healthcare reform efforts Clinton  Fought for universal coverage  Interest groups lobbied hard against plan  Bill died in Congress

Healthcare reform efforts GW Bush  Health savings plans Allowed tax-free spending on healthcare  Medicare drug benefit

Major issues in healthcare Malpractice insurance Stem cell research Elevated costs for uninsured Preventative care

Environmental policy Environmental Protection Agency (1970)  Administers gov’s enviro legislation  Administers policies dealing w/toxic waste  Largest independent agency (in # of ee)

Clean Air Act Originally passed ’63, amended ’70 & ’90 EPA responsible to regulate pollution  Transportation  Factories  Greenhouse gases  Acid rain

Clean Water Act Passed in 1972 Intended to clean rivers & lakes requiring the use of pollution control technology Helped reclaim numerous rivers & lakes Misses “runoff” pollution from city streets & other areas

Other environmental policies Wilderness Preservation  The U.S. is a world leader  National parks, forests, wildlife areas restricted to development Endangered Species Act  Federal gov must protect endangered species regardless of economic impact

Toxic waste Superfund – created by Congress in 1980  Clean up hazardous waste sites  Money comes from taxing chemical products  Virtually eliminated haphazard dumping of toxic waste, but less successful in cleaning up existing waste Nuclear waste presents serious challenge—Yucca Flats in Nevada dumping ground for nuclear waste

Sources of energy in US

Energy politics 85% of US energy from coal, oil & natural gas Coal is most abundant fuel – 90% of nation’s energy resources – but also the dirtiest Oil – 40% of energy, but creates dependence on foreign (especially Middle East) sources Most controversial energy source is nuclear

Energy supplies & consumption

Global climate change Earth is warming 2°-6° by 2100 due to CO 2 US is world’s leading producer of CO 2 Never ratified Kyoto Protocol treaty  Kyoto required reduction in greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels by 2010 Some states have own CO 2 emissions laws

Environmental cleanup is political issue b/c it puts public interest against private concerns 60s-70s – Explosion of environmental groups Others oppose strict environmental laws, claiming it may hurt economy

Policy topics and us Healthcare & environment issues involve all levels of government Highly technical issues limit citizens’ participation & knowledge Relies heavily on group participation  Groups (not individuals) needed in order to have resources to afford necessary scientific research

Technology and policy Technology is important to healthcare & environmental policies  Healthcare has generally improved but costs have increased  Quality of life has improved, but reliance on nonrenewable energy sources have contributed to environmental degradation