A Comparative Analysis of the Health free essay sample

A Comparative Analysis of the Health Care System in France vs the United States Introduction Everyone would agree that a good health system, above all, must contribute to good health. It is certainly not considered acceptable to protect or improve the average health of the population, if at the same time inequality worsens or remains high because the gain accrues disproportionately to those already enjoying better health. The responsibility of a health care system is also to reduce inequalities to race, gender, social status and religion. While the United States is considered a world eader in almost any category they are Judged; however, the US healthcare system remains one of the worst. This analysis will compare the US health system with that of the French. Their health system is worth comparing because they are considered a world leader when it comes to their healthcare system. Population and Health Status Rated the best health system in the world by the World Health Organization in 2000, the French Health Care System serves more than 65 million individuals (French Health Care System). We will write a custom essay sample on A Comparative Analysis of the Health or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Dutton summarizes statistics compiled from the Organization or Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in 2005 detailing the population to include more than 16% over 65 years of age with a life expectancy of 79 years of age. He goes on to explore the mortality and morbidity rates. In 2003, the infant mortality rate was four per 1000 live births. And, interestingly it was reported that 26% of the population 1 5 years and older consumed tobacco products daily and 9. 4% of the total population were obese. Dutton, 2007, p. 7) The comparative summary of the same data for the United States shows that while the American population is uite a bit larger at more than 293 million individuals, the life expectancy is shorter at 77 years of age, and the infant mortality rate is greater at 6. 9 per 1000 live births. The United States population has a much higher percentage of obesity at 30. 6% more than 200% greater than that of the French; however a smaller reported percentage of tobacco con sumption at 18. 4%. (Dutton, 2007, p. ) One can deduct from these statistics that the health care system in the United States has not successfully been able to keep up with the growing population. In addition, the United States system does not effectively maintain the aging population. At this rate of growth in population and the aged population, access to health care services requires strategic attention. Access to Health Care The French have access to more practicing physicians and physician consultants per capita than that of the United States by more than 30% as summarized by Dutton of the 2005 statistical analysis done by the OECD (Dutton, 2007, p. ). The French government provides coverage for the majority of all health care services allowing individuals to decide which physicians and/or facilities they desire, whether it is for specialty or general care in a public or private sector. The hospital system is profit institutions. This differs greatly from that of the United Stat es, in that the government insures way less individuals leaving the management of care for the people at the direction of primary care physicians participating in a managed care insurance company. The people of the United States not only have access to fewer practicing physicians and physician consultants, they are also required to see only those that belong within their managed care network at the discretion of their primary care physician. For the United States, managed care by private insurance ompanies has resulted in a failed healthcare system; hence the dire need for reform. But, the problem presented now is reform is being done in reaction to failure. Any industry will show that making change based on a reaction is much less effective and more costly than making change proactively after careful consideration. And, at whose expense will reform come It will come at the expense of the American people. Expenditures Dutton, summarizing OECD statistics reported in 2005, claims that the French government pays for 78. 3% of Frances total health care spending which accounts for 10. 4% of their GDP equating to $3048 per capita. Depressingly for the United States, health care spending makes up a much higher 15. 2% of the GDP at $5711 per capita, of which the United States government is contributing only 44. 6%. (Dutton, 2007, p. 7) Health insurance in France is primarily funded through their Social Security System. The system is made up of many different bodies and is complicated to understand in detail. Everyone working in France must contribute to the French Social Security system and everyone (French or not, working or not, unemployed, child or retired, legal or illegal immigrant) is entitled to benefit from it with no exception; the system s rather complex and considered bureaucratic. The system is threefold: Health, Family and Retirement, each of them having different structures and financing; each of them being financially autonomous. The Health system is based on the concept of providing help to anyone for any medical need. The French Health system of insurance differs from that of the United States in that in the United States, not everyone is entitled to benefits. Individuals and their conditions or problems are subject to rules and regulations and standards of practice. The proposed health care reform adds debt to the United States budget; owever where is the true expense being incurred? Physicians are threatened with a more than 20% reduction in Medicare reimbursement. And, patients and employers will be forced to make decisions regarding health care solely on the basis of costs. These two items only hurt the people of the United States. Should the government take more of a financial stand with the United States health care system? Environmental Influences on the Healthcare System Controlling costs in both France and the United States is at the forefront of the future state of their health care systems. The French have historically allowed eimbursement to physicians to allow for any and all services they provided, giving them full freedom to determine what services they deemed are necessary. As a result, physicians were exceeding their fee schedules on multiple levels. They have put controls on such costs and to alert doctors to economic conditions that cannot be ignored (Dutton, 2007, p. 165). This is the path the United States has been taking for quite some time now, but they are still in a state of flux. The United States government is looking to reform health care to its fullest potential, when in fact it eeds to be rebuilt. There are portions of health care reform that will help the people yet there are others that will hurt the people. Take for instance the focus on quality. Introducing coverage for preventative medicine will reduce long-term negative effects to the body. And, basing physician and hospital payments on quality will only reduce medical errors; therefore improving the life expectancy within the United States. Summary In summary, contrary to what one could expect from a large, state-owned and centralized organization, the French Health Care System is very efficient and has the tatistics to back it up; however placing controls on physicians could lead them in the direction that the United States seems to have failed.. It is obvious that there is no one solution to the best health care system; however France has proven through statistics and patient satisfaction that they are definitely one of the best. References Dutton, P. (2007). Differential Diagnoses: A Comparative History of Health Care Problems and Solutions in the United States and France. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press French Health Care System. http://ambafrance-us. org/spip. php? article625

The Feast of the Tabernacles Essays

The Feast of the Tabernacles Essays The Feast of the Tabernacles Essay The Feast of the Tabernacles Essay Essay Topic: East Of Eden The Feast of the Tabernacles Name: Course: Date: The Feast of the Tabernacles The Feast of the Tabernacles is considered as among the seven annual biblical festivals. The feast was introduced to the Israelites during the exodus. It is considered as a pilgrimage whereby all Jews journeyed to Jerusalem to observe the feast. As one of the feasts observed by the Jews, The Feast of the Tabernacles is considered as a means provided by God in order to fulfill his plan for mankind. This feast is deemed as a banquet that was a celebration of the blessings of God that were provided in abundance in order to coincide with the harvesting which occurred during fall. The Feast of the Tabernacles is also a representation of God’s faith to the Israelites after their exodus from captivity in Egypt, a memorial of their wandering through the wilderness, and life in the tabernacles. Essentially, the deepest meaning to Christians from the feast is the return of Christ and the commemoration of his return for his rule on earth. Literature provides that Jesus was probably born during the fall period that is relative to The Feast of the Tabernacles. The coinciding events, the birth of Christ, and the season of harvesting in the fall were an indication of the abundance of the blessings of God (Stalley, 2000). Christ is termed as man’s greatest gift from God. God provided mankind with Jesus Christ as an indication of his willingness to provide man with an avenue to redeem himself and reunite with God. Essentially it was an indication of the desire by God for man to save himself after the disappointing fall from grace in the Garden of Eden. Hence The Feast of the Tabernacles is essentially fulfilled in the second coming of Christ. The second coming will provide Christ with an opportunity to tabernacle among his flock. This will be made possible as Jesus Christ will assume the title King of kings and Lord of lords and ensuring that he provides rests to all the burdened (Towns, 2002). Mankind is burdened with sin and misfortunes attributable to the fall of humanity. The second coming is termed as the ultimate and climax of The Feast of the Tabernacles. This is because mankind will rejoice at the second coming of Christ as he will provide mankind with the much needed rest from their daily burdens of sin. Additionally, the reunion of Christ with mankind is joyous as this will provide mankind with the chance for eternal redemption and a place with the Creator and Son of God in the Kingdom of God. The symbolic return of Christ is symbolic in that it indicates that achievement of eternal existence and the loss of burdens of sins and achievement of happiness and joy brought about by the resurrection of Christ and his attainment of the throne (Stalley, 2000). The achievement of the eternal life marks a pivotal point for mankind. Hence Jesus could be termed as a symbol of the feast, which is the attainment of eternal life and peace. In addition, his resurrection, ascent and return to earth for a reunion with his disciples is similar to the exodus of the Israelites from the Egyptians where they were held in captive. In addition, it is also a reward from God to the Israelites for their belief in God to lead them to the Promised Land (Morris, 1989). Hence Jesus made a promise to mankind that he would return to save those who had faith in him and who believed in his teachings. More so, it was an indication of His second coming to take his people home. Such a reunion of the body in Christ is also similar to The Feast of the Tabernacles whereby all people brought together their harvests, sacrifices and offerings. In conclusion, The Feast of the Tabernacles is symbolic to the life of Christ and his coming into the world (White, 1971). His birth in Jerusalem is presumed to have occurred during that harvest in the fall, a period which people congregated in Jerusalem in order to celebrate The Feast of the Tabernacles. This was a means of rejoicing to God for his abundance in blessings. Additionally, The Feast of the Tabernacles reaches a climax in the second coming of Christ whereby he indicates the end to human suffering and the achievement of eternal life. References Morris, L. (1989). Jesus is the Christ: Studies in the Theology of John. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans Publishing Company. Stalley, R. A. (2000). George Edmund Street and the restoration of Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin. Dublin: Four Courts Press. Towns, E. L. (2002). The Gospel of John: Believe and Live: Twenty-First Century Biblical. Ed. Mal Couch and Ed Hindson. Chattanooga, TN: AMG Publishers. White, J. (1971). The second coming of Christ: Or, A brief exposition of Matthew Twenty-four. Battle Creek, Mich: Steam Press of the Seventh-day Adventist Pub. Association.

Nurse Staffing and the Quality of Patient Care Essay

Nurse Staffing and the Quality of Patient Care - Essay Example ency that translates to improved care to patients, leading to swift recovery and reduced patients’ mortality rates because they have the full attention of the nurses throughout their convalescence (Needleman, et al, 2002). On the other hand, when the ratio of nurses to patients is low this contributes low quality patient care, increased medical errors and high mortality rates of patients this is due to overwork and fatigue among the nurses, which reduces their efficiency. In conclusion, it can be said that the level of nurse staffing does indeed have an impact on the quality of care that patients receive since patient to nurse ratio has a direct impact on the effectiveness of nurses, occurrences of medical errors and patient mortalities. Therefore, it is paramount despite the increased health care cost and the urge to offer quality care at a reduced cost, that the nurse to patient ratio be maintained at an adequate level to ensure efficiency and effectiveness is

Which Are The Effects Of Political Marketing In The Parliamentary Essay

Which Are The Effects Of Political Marketing In The Parliamentary Elections Of 2004 In Greece - Essay Example Opinion polls for the last year have given the right-of-center opposition New Democracy party (ND) a commanding lead, while Costas Simitis, the reformist prime minister and PASOK leader who steered Greece into the euro zone, has lost ground to Costas Karamanlis, his younger conservative rival. True, the ND party came out ahead of PASOK, winning mayoral races in Athens and Thessaloniki, Greece's two biggest cities. Furthermore, the conservatives exploited farmers' dissatisfaction with declining European Union subsidies to win thirty out of fifty-two provincial governor's posts. But PASOK held on to the high-profile post of Attica governor--won comfortably by Fofi Gennimata, a rising star and one of only a handful of women in the party's upper echelons. Overall, barely two percentage points separated the two big parties. While ND is still the favorite to win the next general election--not due until spring 2004 but likely to be held earlier--PASOK has shown remarkable powers of resilience. A feel-good factor is certainly at work, with Greece's economy projected to expand this year by 3.8 percent, more than twice the EU average, and by 4.1 percent in 2003. Growth is being driven by high levels of public and private investment, backed by a five-year, $24.6-billion package of EU structural aid. A massive program of infrastructure improvements is aimed at giving the Greek capital world-class sports facilities and a modern transportation system in time for the 2004 Olympic Games. While unemployment is the second highest in the euro zone, this year it has declined to single digits (just less than 10 percent) for the first time since the mid-1990s. PASOK has expanded job creation programs targeting women and young people and has launched tax cuts for lower income workers. But they face criticism for postponing urgently needed pension system reforms and for failing to cut corporation taxes--among the highest in the euro zone at 35 percent--to boost inward investment. Foreign direct investment, averaging only around $1 billion yearly, is much lower than in the Central European countries that will join the EU in 2004. "When the EU funds start to decline after 2006, Greece will need a sharp increase in foreign investment to maintain reasonable rates of growth," says George Alogoskoufis, ND's spokesman on the economy. The Simitis government has earned praise from the US for arresting eighteen alleged members of the November 17 (N17) terrorist organization over the summer. Since its emergence in 1975, the left-wing group had claimed responsibility for more than twenty assassinations, including US diplomats and servicemen and, most recently, Stephen Saunders the UK defense attach in Athens, as well as dozens of bomb and rocket attacks. The arrests came after two years of close cooperation between Greek police and Scotland Yard over the Saunders killing. Trials are due to start early next year and are likely to last for months. The apparent dismantling of N17, together with plans to work closely with the US on security for the Athens Olympics, has brought a significant improvement in relations with Washington. In response to concerns that other members of the group were still at large, Simitis said: "We will deal thoroughly with the terrorism problem. There may be some pieces of N17 left, but we intend to expose them." This month EU leaders are due to approve the accession of Cyprus--even if it is still divided into separate Greek and Turkish Cypriot sectors--at their Copenhagen summit along with another nine enlargement candidates. Accession for the island will mark a milestone in Greek

Native American Music Essay Example for Free

Native American Music Essay Native American music has many different musical styles. Within every Native American tribe there is a variety of musical styles and instruments. In response to the research that I have conducted, there are three main musical styles that are going to be my point of focus. The Sioux Grass Dance, the Zuni Lullaby, and the Iroquois Quiver Dance are the principal methods which contribute to Native American music. The Sioux Grass Dance is considered to be the most popular style of Native American Music. As one dances to this music, they follow a pattern known as toe-heel. This consists of the individual placing the left foot in front of the right and repeating with the other foot. Each male dancer makes many personal variations of this dance resulting in a solo display. The costume is an elaborate style that correlates with the vocal approach of music. Bells are tied around the legs of the dancers for an added effect. The Zuni Lullaby illustrates a contrast with Plains singing to assist in confirming that there is not an individual style to Native American music. Through the Native American styles of music, repetition becomes a prominent feature. This is not because the Native Americans cant find words to fit into the music, but because repetitions with slight variations are often too insignificannot for outside listeners to notice. In the Iroquois Quiver Dance the first thing to strike the ear is what is often known as a call and response form. One singer announces a phrase of lexical text, known as the call, the other singer answers him in a vocal pattern. This continues throughout the song. In illustrating many of the musical styles among Native American music, this has another name known as the Warriors Stomp Dance. The voices in the Iroquois Quiver Dance are relatively relaxed compared with that of the Plains singing. Instruments used to portray these various styles of music were often drums of all shapes and sizes, rattles, and often tambourines or bells with other percussion instruments. The drums were constructed by using such materials as clay, iron, wood or aluminum with heads of buckskin, chamois, or rubber. These drums were typically played with a single drumstick, holding a steady pattern of four beats. Also, in addition to these instruments there were wind instruments. The most common was the vertical flute, whistle, and occasionally panpipes. The flute was most often used to express a love song and never for religious ceremonies. Looking at Native American music, one can conclude that there are three main types of music: The Sioux Grass Dance, Iroquois Quiver Dance, and the Zuni Lullaby. Drums and wind instruments are used in portraying the music. The Native Americans dressed accordingly to the music that they dance to. All of these features add to what we have become acquainted with, Native American music.

The Negative Portrayal of Native Americans in Children’s Literature Ess

The Negative Portrayal of Native Americans in Children’s Literature The American institution has raised countless generations with misconceptions and lies regarding various foreign cultures. During the 1950’s the educational system in America was given the responsibility of teaching children the horrors and injustices they would suffer if the "evil" communist took over the world. Schools taught students that communist wanted to take away music, apple pie, baseball, and anything else that Americans cherished. Students learned that it was best to believe in the righteous of America. The preceding discussion has much in common with the treatment that Native Americans have received from picture books in America. The American society came to the conclusion hundred of years ago that it was in the best interest of America to misrepresent Native Americans, both in the past and present. The American continents were said to be inhabited with animal-like savages that had no cultural value. Schools have taught that it was the European's duty to civilize the new lands. One of the primary tools that have been used in the education of children is the picture book. Picture books have provided the American institution with a means of teaching our children that the Native Americans were bestial and animalistic, thus enabling us to ignore or justify the atrocities that Europeans and Americans have inflicted on the native societies. Picture books are one of the first mediums of learning that children encounter. The picture book was first created in 1657 by John Amos Comenius. Comenius’s book was entitled Orbis Pictus (The world of Pictures) and was an alphabet book (Martinez 57). Picture books are used to lay the foundations of the histori... ...York. 1969. D'Aulaire, Ingri & Edgar Parin. George Washington. Doubleday, & Co., New York. 1936. Edmonds, Walter D. The Matchlock Gun. Dodd, Mead & Company, New York. 1941. Fritz, Jean. The Good Giants and the Bad Pukwudgies. Putnam, New York. 1982. Goble, Paul. Buffalo Woman. Bradbury Press, New York. 1984. Hoyt-Goldsmith, Diane. Arctic Hunter. Holiday House, New York. 1992. Lewis, Richard. All of You was Singing. MacMillan Publishing Co., New York. 1991. Lindgren, Merri V. The Multicolored Mirror: Cultural Substance in Literature for Children and Young Adults. Highsmith Press, Wisconsin. 1991. Maxim, George W. The Very Young: Guiding Children from Infancy through the Early Years. Prentice Hall, Ohio. 1993. Monjo, F. N. Indian Summer. Harper & Row Publishing, New York. 1968. Parish, Peggy. Little Indian. Simon & Schuster, New York. 1968.

Controlled assessment: Sainsbury’s transcripts Essay

In the first transcript ‘store standards’ Joseph and Jason communicate with each other on the shop floor using spontaneous speech . However Jason comes with an agenda. In the second transcript, ‘setting up the meeting’ Jason and joseph are arranging a meeting where they argue a bit about joseph having a meeting with someone else. However Jason warns him that he is to have a meeting with him and he ‘holds the floor’. In the third transcript ‘the appraisal meeting’ Jason and joseph have a meeting where Jason again ‘holds the floor’.Jason: is the manager of the largest Sainsbury’s store in the country which means he has a huge responsibility to make sure the workers have everything in place , staff are dressed neatly and provide people with their needs and wanting’s. Joseph: is a trainee who is training to be a manager in Sainsbury’s and has been working there for more than a year. He has also been sup plying people with help and helps set out the food, toys, clothes and much, much more. The first transcript ‘store standards’ begins with an adjacency pair, Jason and Joseph, greeting each other informally with the use of ‘alright’ and as I have mentioned in the introduction, they are standing on the shop floor which also adds to the informality of the situation. This continues with Joseph’s response of ‘yep, yep, yeah’ which possibly shows that he is nervous. Another place where it possibly shows that he is nervous is when he uses some jargon. Here is some evidence: ‘they’re back of the run (?)’. As the conversation continues to move on, Jason expresses a prosodic feature by telling Joseph about the store standards ‘the standards you set are the standards you get’. By saying this he is explaining Joseph about how he has to keep the corporative image of the store standards. However joseph does not seem to be listening and Jason gets annoyed and say’s ‘you’re talking to me now.’ Later on in the transcript Joseph corresponds to a paralinguistic feature by ‘laughing’ .This does relate to the subject they are talking about which shows that Joseph might conceivably be annoyed by the subject and might want to change it. In the second transcript, ‘setting up the meeting’, Jason has come back to the shop floor to arrange a meeting with Joseph. However joseph has to meet another member of staff called Ginger and askes Jason if he has cleared it out with him or not because apparently he has other plans for him; ‘have you spoken to ginger about this? cos he has other plans for me’. This makes Jason bothered and say’s ‘no’ with annoyance and overlaps him and tells him to meet him at halve past twelve. The third transcript ‘The appraisal meeting’, Jason and Joseph are having a meeting but this time not on the shop floor. The meeting is about Joseph being task focused and not paying attention to others. Jason explains the disadvantages about being task focused while Joseph is agreeing with his mistake and apologising. Later on in the conversation, Jason demonstrates and methodizes (to joseph) how he wants him to work. He also uses a form of spontaneous speech (which is also known as abbreviated language) when he says ‘yeah so I’m driving my double decker bus yeah and I’m the driver cos I’m the leader’.