Imports in Agriculture Essay - 584 Words

How many of you remember what you ate for lunch How many of you know exactly which country your lunch came from Over one-third of the food we eat is shipped from over seas and nearly another 1/3 comes for Canada, Mexico, and South America. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;This is the reality; if you don’t raise your food yourself, you don’t know where it came from, or how it was handled. Chemicals such as DDT and Guthion are still used every day in less developed countries that the US buys food from. Toilets and sinks in the field are not even considered in these countries. It seems that if the USDA prohibited DDT and set up sanitation laws in the United States to protect the food we eat, then counties we buy food from should have the†¦show more content†¦nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;More danger comes to the American population in this time of war. The fact that over one-third of the food consumed in the US is shipped in from over seas makes it easy to cut off part of our food supply or contaminate it. A loss of imported food could cripple America in a grave way, by making us hungry or gravely sick. If terrorist are not afraid to contaminate our mail then what will stop them from contaminating our food What about all the food grown here in Oregon? Where does it all go? Over 80% of the crops grown in Oregon are exported. The sad truth is, commodities such as sweet corn, green beans, and peas are then imported into Oregon cheaper than they can be grown. Now, how do we solve this problem? Several options look as if they have a real potential for solving the problems at hand. The option I have heard from the most growers is only importing food into the United States when it is not in season here. This option will allow American agriculture to produce food to be consumed most of the year while keeping a friendly door open to trade. This would benefit the slumped economy through putting Americans back to work in the canneries; equipment manufacturing industries, the steel industries and the list of positives goes on. Another option maybe government subsidized farming. Though subsidizing farmers now being forced to compete on a global market would have the playing field leveled. This would benefit the farmers, but foodShow MoreRelatedMacroeconomics641 Words   |  3 Pagesfrom manufacturing, service sector and imports in this example and from no other source, while inputs into manufacturing sector come from agriculture, services and imp orts, while inputs into service sector come from agriculture and imports only. AGRICULTURE Sales to manufacturing 4000 Sales to services 1500 Sales to consumers 700 Exports 800 MANUFACTURING Sales to agriculture 500 Sales of investmentRead MoreThe Philippines : Economic, Political, And Military Indicators1457 Words   |  6 Pagesattempted to help the economy grow to ensure the welfare of the Filipino people. One of the relevant changes is a push for industrialization from an economy that was heavily based on agriculture with its rich biodiversity. There are so many factors that contributed to the rise of development in the Philippines such as its agriculture, tourism, transportation, trade, culture, colonization, etc. This paper will examine the current state of the Philippines’ development and the strategies that have made it oneRead MoreBalance of Payment1714 Words   |  7 Pagesbalance sheet, whereas the items, which give, rise to an outflow of foreign currency are placed on the debit side. Definition: â€Å"Balance of payment is a systematic record of a nation’s total payments to foreign countries, including the price of imports, the outflow of capital and gold, and the total receipts from abroad, including the price of exports and the inflow of capital and gold.† According to Pas Taylor: â€Å"Balance of payment refers to the difference between the total payments out of a countryRead MoreBusa 3000 Country Paper1518 Words   |  7 Pagesthe EU, or European Union, since September 2005. This allows Algeria to export to the EU nations tariff free and in return, it has gradually lifted tariffs on imports from those nations. Algeria’s top imports are consumer goods and foodstuffs from France, China, Italy, Spain, Germany, United States, Tajikistan, and Turkey. In 2010, imports totaled $38.4 billion USD. The currency of Algeria is the Algerian Dinar, or DZD, and is freely exchanged. The current exchange rate is approximately 73 DZDRead MoreAgriculture in India: Before and After Independence1101 Words   |  5 PagesAgriculture In India – Introduction Agriculture has been an integral part of the Indian Economy, before and after Independence, despite its decline in share of GDP (17.2% as of 2011). Half of India’s population depends on Agriculture as a livelihood. India is 2nd in farm output. It the largest producer of coriander, spices, millets and many more; second in fruits such as mangoes and papaya; and third in rapeseed, tomatoes and coconuts. Yet 1/3rd of Indian population is under poverty line. BeforeRead MoreEssay On Cape Verca1362 Words   |  6 Pagesproblems concerning its mountainous terrain, poor soil, precipitation, and barriers to creating intrastate infrastructure. These problems are all related and largely affect Cape Verde’s agricultural output. The mountainous terrain make large-scale agriculture difficult especially because of soil quality and precipitation. Problems with the mountainous terrain and poor soil are exacerbated by precipitation. Torrential downpours lead to destructive soil erosion. Water shortages and cyclical droughts makeRead MoreAnalysis of Macroeconomic Indicators of China1579 Words   |  7 Pagesprovided in the below table Macro Economic Indicators | Value | GDP Growth Rate | 9.1% | IIP Growth Rate | 14% | Agricultural Growth Rate | 4.3% | Fiscal Deficit | 800 billion yuan | Interest Rates | 6.56% | Exports | 180.2 billion USD | Imports | 148.5 billion USD | Current Account Deficit | 59.8 billion USD | Inflation | 7.65% | Foreign Exchange Reserves | 3.24 trillion USD | GDP Growth Rate: * GDP (purchasing power parity) of china is $11.3 trillion second largest in the world.Read MoreEssay on Global Markets, Represented Through Food1328 Words   |  6 Pageseconomy’s fluctuation, I feel the global markets would suffer due to the unstableness. Another negative impact would include the climate change. The climate plays an important role in the agriculture aspect because it helps the growth of fruits and vegetables. Climate change affects all areas of the agriculture and the product farmers need to produce for the food markets. In the twentieth century, food supply came under the rules of a new political and economic order. Large food stocks have provedRead MoreExport Promotion Strategy vs. Import Substitution Strategy1745 Words   |  7 PagesIntroduction It was the export promotion (EP) strategy that accounted for East Asians states success of economic development. Meanwhile, many other developing countries such as Latin America countries had committed to an alternative strategy, import substitution (IS). The IS strategy yielded disappointing results: most of these countries did not succeed in either industrialization or economic growth while export-oriented industrializations (EOIs) sustained fast economic development. Data fromRead MoreThe Industrialization Of The World Trade Markets Essay741 Words   |  3 Pagestrade markets. Some larger countries such as Brazil and Argentina grew exponentially by trading there products (coffee and wheat). After the World Wars, trade declined in world markets and Latin American governments found it necessary to practice Import Substitution Industrialization (ISI). ISI is the creation of domestic industry to provide products previously imported. ISI was Latin America’s principle meth od in achieving economic growth. Though the ISI was not successful in Latin America, it was

Essay on Of mice and Men - 1058 Words

The film â€Å"Of Mice and Men† was a fantastic transformation of the Steinbeck novel that has many different intricacies that can only be viewed in a movie. Gary Sinise is the director of the movie and also plays the role of George. This movie was made in 1992, and for a fairly old movie, Sinise adapts this classic novel with great exploration of characters. I feel that the movie is at a much higher level in entertainment than the book it was derived from. Though I believe Steinbeck does an outstanding job in the novel to set the reader’s imagination on many aspects such as the time period, what George and Lennie look like, and how other characters interact with George and Lennie, I found that Sinise does an unbelievable job at visually†¦show more content†¦It seems to take place in the southern part of the United States, because of the increased ethnic tensions we see in the movie. For example there is Crooks, who is isolated from everyone else because of the color of his skin. Also, the clothing worn by the actors was very true to the time frame. The audience can actually feel that they are back in that time period by watching this movie. The clothing worn by Lennie and George showed that they were not well off, as were the majority of the population during the Great Depression. In the movie, the actors were very good. In scenes the audience would get emotional. An example is when Carlson shoots Candys old dog, and Candy lies down on the bed and tosses and turns in pain. In the movie, I actually felt sympathetic for Curleys wife since she seemed to always be the victim. This is something I had not felt in the book. Also, the very last scene when George shoots Lennie and then he starts to cry. In many ways the movie is very similar to the book. Right from the beginning of the movie you can see that Lennie has a mental illness, and George is taking care of him like a father. Also, you can tell that George gets impatient with Lennie numerous times and that he gets frustrated very easily. The characters speeches were very strong in language, just like the speeches were in the novel. The characters in the movie are almost exactly like their book counterparts. Lennie is very big andShow MoreRelatedOf Mice and Men1242 Words   |  5 PagesOf Mice and Men Thomas Hobbes in his Leviathan states that, in the state of nature mans life is nasty, brutish and short. In depression era America, no greater truth could be said. There were millions unemployed, largely unskilled and living on the margins of society. The lowest of the low were the migrant labourers travelling from place to place trying to scratch a living. They often had to travel illegally by freight car with all its consequent dangers. Their life expectancy was low, crimeRead MoreOf Mice and Men961 Words   |  4 PagesPeople have a tendency to lose sight of their goals and dreams. Mentally, people struggle to maintain their sanity in this game of life that has no set of rules. In the book Of Mice and Men, this story portrays the inequality between people’s dreams and what can actually be accomplished. John Steinbeck, the author Of Mice and Men, utilizes his general themes of friendship and loneliness, through his deep characterization and connection between characters i n order to illustrate â€Å"The American dream.† TheRead MoreOf Mice and Men1352 Words   |  6 PagesOf Mice and Men Essay - Fate or Choice? Choice is defined by the ‘Shorter Oxford Dictionary’ as; â€Å"The act of choosing; preferential determination between things proposed.† It also states the definition for fate; â€Å"The principle, power, or agency by which events are unalterably predetermined from eternity.† Is our life choice, can we determine our fate by choosing our path or is our destiny determined for us? John Steinbeck puts forward this question in his novella Of Mice and MenRead MoreMice and men1998 Words   |  8 PagesHey this essay is about me not having one and just wanting a free account.GCSE JOHN STEINBECK The first 200 words of this essay... à ¯Ã‚ »Ã‚ ¿Of Mice and Men Essay à ¢Of Mice and Menà ¢ is the fictional short novel written by John Steinbeck in 1937. Steinbeckà ¢s perspective when writing the novel could be based on the fact that he had once worked on a ranch and had a certain fascination about it. The novel is set in 1930s America and this can be seen as the cause of the very enduring culmination that takesRead MoreOf Mice and Men1006 Words   |  5 Pagesheart of every novel.† In your view, what are the distinctive ideas explored in Of Mice and Men? Explain how these ideas are developed throughout the novel. Themes are integral and fundamental aspects which render the literature valuable. They usually provide insight into the author’s perception and internalisations of the world in which they live. Set in California during the Great Depression, Of Mice and Men, by Steinbeck, illustrates the hardships experienced by individuals as they roamed theRead MoreOF MICE AND MEN1721 Words   |  7 Pagesï » ¿In the book Of Mice and Men, the single women that appeared in the book resented herself as an object. The statement Women today are more often treated by men as equals rather than objects can be true or false. A man that goes to Gentleman s Cubs every night is a different man that studies at Harvard Law School. A striper is going to be a different person than a CEO of a successful business. It’s all about how you present yourself. In Of Mice and Men, Curley s wife presents herself in a seductiveRead MoreOf Mice and Men1035 Words   |  5 PagesFriendship of George and Lenny The book Of Mice and Men focuses on the friendship of two migrant workers in California at a time when most of the work was done by people and not by machines.  Ã‚  George was a small man who acted worldly and wise.  Ã‚  Lennie was a huge man that had the mind of a child.  Ã‚  Together George and Lennie would bounce from job to job with no money in their pockets and only the dream of someday owning a place of their own to keep them going.  Ã‚  The two men were not able to stay in one placeRead MoreOf Mice and Men547 Words   |  2 PagesJohn Steinbeck’s landmark novel Of Mice and Men is perhaps best known for its revolutionary telling of two characters that are very different, but have come to rely on each other to survive during the Great Depression. The two characters are men named George and Lenny. George is somewhat of an average fellow who has no real special skills or attributes. Lenny is large and abnormally strong, but unfortunately has the mind of a child. Le nnie looks up to George as if he were a role model. This statementRead MoreMice and Men822 Words   |  4 Pagesâ€Å"Of Mice and Men† The Great Depression took place in the United States in the 1930s. Northern California, Salinas Valley was affected by the Great Depression. Many farmers lost their properties and were forced to find other work. Banks were forced to foreclose on mortgages’ and had to collect debts. Hundreds of thousands of farmers packed up their families and few belongings, and headed for California. The Great Depression left many people in poverty and caused them to face unpleasant eventsRead MoreOf Mice and Men1171 Words   |  5 PagesOf Mice and Men by John Steinbeck Q- â€Å"I never seen no piece of jail bait worse than her† what is the reader supposed to think about Curley’s wife? * How is she described by the other characters? * How the author describes her * How she speaks/behaves * Her dreams * Is she the cause of all the trouble Written By Ruqayyah Draey Curley’s wife is not well described and respected by the other characters. She is often looked down upon and discriminated

Plato And Gatto On Divisions In Society Essay Example For Students

Plato And Gatto On Divisions In Society Essay F. Joseph MakoDohertyEN101Writing Assignment 1September 22, 1998The Divisions In education and in other fields of life, people are separated and grouped into nice sections. It has been going on for a long time, even before Plato defined his ideal society. The separating of the good and bad, intelligent and stupid, and high and low class will continue to be a part of who we are as a culture, because our educational structure requires students to learn the basic skills. A problem arises because many people do not fit nicely into a box. I didnt want to be in a box. I was not Gattos good student, who waited on the teacher for instruction. (Gatto 169) I was driven to find the answer before the teacher asked the question, not so I could answer quickly, but for the reason of having time to do what I wanted. I am not one who likes following other peoples trains of thought; I would much rather take a jumping point, and go off in other directions. As in the time when one of my teachers wanted a paper on an animal, and I wrote a story about two boys hunting a squirrel. I didnt like the teachers agenda, but I did it so I could go do my own. When the class worked on mechanical procedures, as in Anyons working-class schools, I looked for reasoning behind why. I thought in original ways, and was successful at staying out of a box. I soon found I had another dilemma, as a result of not fitting in, I failed at relating with other children therefore, was rejected by my peers. When we were all classified and pegged at the start of junior high, the other children were not pleased with the fact that I was different and placed in the high level classes. I thought it odd that most of the lower level children focused their rage on me, when I was very quiet, and rarely bothered anyone. Gatto failed to teach them to envy and fear the better classes. (Gatto 168) It was possibly to create an illusion of them having a higher self-esteem by beating mine down. I just wanted everyone to leave me alone. So, I let my grades fall, but for some reason that made them even madder. As a last resort, I made everyone fear me through various violent and illegal actions. It solved one problem, but in the process, I created myself a criminal record and no one wanted to get near me for fear I might kill him or her. I was the example of following a private drummer, the type teaches dont want. (Gatto 171) My family and I moved away, I grew up, and I started high school. The four years I spent in secondary school were mostly uneventful. The restrictions on what I could do during the school day were levied, as they were in Anyons executive elite school. I joined the track team, learned how to make friends by being nice, and found a group of others like me that I fit in with. High school was very different from junior high; people looked up to me for my intelligence, instead of trying to push me down. Maybe it was because I focused my efforts on being nice and helping others, instead of forgetting about everyone else. I came to understand that school did a poor job at teaching me book-knowledge. Yet it put me in social situations that no amount of bookwork could get me out of; it took non measurable skills such as reasoning with the irrational. Facts couldnt help me out in a physical conflict; logic and experience in dealing with others helped to find a solution.The more that I think about it, the more I believe that I mostly educated myself, and learned about myself through interactions with others. School really didnt teach me book knowledge, but I learned who I am by attending. I am an exception to Gattos lesson on intellectual dependency. I rarely waited for an expert to tell me what to do, and that our economy depends on how well the public follows the advice of experts. (Gatto 170) I believe our culture depends on the economy, but that our economy depends on ideas and new products that only an individual can think of. Gatto pointed out many other principals t hat school teaches as externalities. I made an effort to not follow the schools curriculum, hidden or declared.The focus of Gattos hidden lessons is conformity to the place assigned to you, and how to live in that position well. The confusion Gatto teaches causes the student to break away from natural thought, so the school can instill its own philosophy of reasoning. Gatto correctly connected the patterns of a schools class system to Platos. Plato divided labor into three strict classes: the elite philosopher-rulers, a middle class called auxiliaries, and the lowest class was the labors and tradesmen. Platos class division is similar to the three level system I went through in high school, of honors (high), 1 (middle), and 2 (lower). Schools want their students to be well rounded, a jack of all trades, but they also make the students master of none with bells putting the same value on each subject. The emotional dependency lesson has the student rely on the teacher for rights, know n in school as privileges. Intellectual dependency has the student give up their ability to make decisions without instructions. The testing and grading methods hinder students ability to make opinions about themselves. School convoys the message that students should not have time to themselves, but rather the school should have control of the students daily schedule. The public wants graduating students to have basic skills as a product of twelve years of schooling, which can be taught much more efficiently to the select that posses the desire to learn.The schools purpose was to teach the basics, but I wanted to know the complex. I believe that nearly everything taught to me from school, I could have learned on my own. For the ideas I wanted to learn that the school didnt teach, I learned on my own and on my own time. I didnt let the teachers decide what I would and would not learn; I chose what I wanted to learn. Through making choices, I made myself to be who I want to be. I didn t look to the school for emotional support, because I was a loner. School didnt give me a purpose of life; neither did it teach me a valuable trade for life. School taught me many little things, many unusable facts, and how to do well on standardized tests. Also, School many times limited my exploring. One common instance of its limiting is when an English teacher would give me a list of subjects to write on, with no option for other concepts. In the math and science courses, I valued the few times that the students were asked derive the formulas. School made an effort to engrain the belief that all commonly accepted rules should be obeyed and all should conform to the methods the school taught. The schools view of education was on a different track than mine. .ub513c66c510fc3b9e0e7787e01c22c70 , .ub513c66c510fc3b9e0e7787e01c22c70 .postImageUrl , .ub513c66c510fc3b9e0e7787e01c22c70 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .ub513c66c510fc3b9e0e7787e01c22c70 , .ub513c66c510fc3b9e0e7787e01c22c70:hover , .ub513c66c510fc3b9e0e7787e01c22c70:visited , .ub513c66c510fc3b9e0e7787e01c22c70:active { border:0!important; } .ub513c66c510fc3b9e0e7787e01c22c70 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .ub513c66c510fc3b9e0e7787e01c22c70 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .ub513c66c510fc3b9e0e7787e01c22c70:active , .ub513c66c510fc3b9e0e7787e01c22c70:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .ub513c66c510fc3b9e0e7787e01c22c70 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .ub513c66c510fc3b9e0e7787e01c22c70 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .ub513c66c510fc3b9e0e7787e01c22c70 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .ub513c66c510fc3b9e0e7787e01c22c70 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .ub513c66c510fc3b9e0e7787e01c22c70:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .ub513c66c510fc3b9e0e7787e01c22c70 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .ub513c66c510fc3b9e0e7787e01c22c70 .ub513c66c510fc3b9e0e7787e01c22c70-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .ub513c66c510fc3b9e0e7787e01c22c70:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Tesla Motors Essay English Essays

Running Head The Medicare Doughnut Hole Essay Example

Running Head: The Medicare Doughnut Hole Paper Medicare, the nations largest health insurance program, covers nearly 40 million Americans. Medicare part D, a federal program to subsidize the costs of prescription drugs for Medicare beneficiaries in the United States, was enacted as part of the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003 and went into effect on January 1, 2006. Medicare Part D benefits are administered by private insurance plans that are reimbursed by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Beneficiaries can obtain the Medicare Drug benefit through two types of private plans: a. Prescription Drug Plan (PDP) for drug coverage only or they can join a Medicare Advantage plan (MA) that covers both medical services and prescription drugs. The standard benefit for Medicare part D is defined in terms of the benefit structure and not in terms of the drugs that must be covered. This standard benefit requires payment of a $265 deductible and the beneficiary then pays 25% of the cost of a covered part D prescription drug up to an initial coverage limit of $2,400. We will write a custom essay sample on Running Head: The Medicare Doughnut Hole specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Running Head: The Medicare Doughnut Hole specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Running Head: The Medicare Doughnut Hole specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Once the initial coverage limit is reached, the beneficiary is subject to another deductible, known officially as the Coverage Gap but referred to more commonly as the Donut Hole, in which they must pay the full cost of medicine. Health economists rationalize this gap, the Donut Hole, as a political compromise in which the optimal policy for the non-poor is stop-loss in which benefit payments would only start after an insured suffers the stop-loss limit of $3,000-$5,000, after which the insurance covers 100% of the cost. For the needy who cannot absorb the total $3000 to $5000 stop-loss limit, supporters argue that plan should have a much lower (even zero dollar) limit. In those cases, the all needed drugs would be provided free as this approach forces a disproportionate burden upon senior citizens and patients with chronic illness (Lee, 2006). Medicare part D has had success, but has also faced daunting challenges. Researchers now have a chance to learn from experience to date and to strengthen the program, particularly as it affects the frailest, sickest, and most vulnerable beneficiaries, including nursing home residents. Senior citizens are the most overmedicated group of people in the world. Their lives and drugs are so intertwined that it is difficult to evaluate the justification for the enactment of Medicare Part D. The course of life is changed by dependence on drugs and quality of life is lowered when unnecessary drugs are taken. Unfortunately, this situation often occurs and Part D will aggravate the problem. This paper hypothesizes that continuing research on the effects of Medicare Part D will help improve the program and aid it into serving the US citizens more effectively. The criteria for choice of articles to include in the scope of this paper were (a) accessibility, (b) frequently quoted in other referenced sources, and (c) applicability to problem statement and hypothesis. The purpose of this paper is to review and synthesize the research from articles, using the framework of the problem statement: How does Medicare Part D affect the healthcare of senior citizens? Is Medicare Part D a form of Elder Abuse or Welfare? The complexity of the Medicare Part D program poses particular challenges for dual eligible beneficiaries, Medicare beneficiaries who also quality for Medicaid benefits. These beneficiaries, most of whom previously had received drug coverage through Medicaid, were switched to Medicare coverage under part D and auto-assigned to eligible plans. Attorney Judith Stein, head of the Center for Medicare Advocacy, says the problems are structural because Part D involves dozens of different private plans. Insurers impose quantity limits, step therapy and other hidden restrictions on drugs and their prices. The law provides that providers can determine which drugs their programs cover and which they do not. Senior citizens must then pick and choose which program to sign up for based on whether the drugs they are currently using are covered by the plan they choose. Plans differ from each other in design, in costs of premiums, deductibles, and coinsurance or co-payments, in formulary composition, and in the process of obtaining coverage for drugs not included in the formulary. In addition, Medicare Part D plans have broad discretion, within certain statutorily prescribed parameters, to decide which drugs to include in their formularies, the strengths and dosage forms of covered drugs to include, and the types of utilization management processes used to control drug costs and usages (Wessel, 2006). This provision makes choosing a program a confusing nightmare as the senior citizen is not able to compare programs as if they are choosing apples from a basket. When a person is choosing a Medicare Part D plan, the choice may be which basket among other baskets of apples will be best to have or not have. Not only does this make for a confusing array of choices for a senior citizen, this provision of the law presupposes that the drugs a person are currently taking will be constant over time. As a person’s condition changes and new drugs are introduced to the marketplace, that person’s prescriptions can and do change, thus making the previous choice of a program obsolete in a relatively short period of time (Wilson, 2006). Another problem is that it allows a provider to pick the drugs that it will cover, allowing providers to cut various deals with the drug companies to focus on the specific products it has chosen to provide. This is one of the reasons for the high cost of Medicare Part D for the taxpayer while the actual benefits provided to our senior citizens are less than what they should be. To complicate the process even more, a number of entities are involved in the administration of the Part D program. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) administers the Medicare program and has the overall responsibility for Part D, the Social Security Administration and state Medicaid offices have primary responsibility for approving applicant for the low-income subsidy, Part D plane provide the benefits, physicians prescribe medications based on plan design, and pharmacies fill the prescriptions (Lieberman, 2006). The law also includes a component that prevented the government from negotiating directly with any of the drug companies. The problem with this approach is obvious in that Medicare Part D is destined to become one of the biggest customers of prescription drugs on the face of this earth. The entire program is paid for by taxpayers. To not allow the government to participate in negotiations on price is a serious departure from marketplace supply and demand theory because it excludes the largest customer from participating on the demand side. The lack of this ability to negotiate is a primary reason for the huge cost of this program (Wessel, 2006), which also means expensive medicines. This is an issue especially since this standard benefit requires payment of a $265 deductible and the beneficiary then pays 25% of the cost of a covered part D prescription drug up to an initial coverage limit of $2,400. Once the initial coverage limit is reached, the beneficiary is subject to another deductible, known officially as the Coverage Gap but referred to more commonly as the Donut Hole, in which they must pay the full cost of medicine (Montgomery Lee, 2006). The CMS has just announced that nearly 1. 6 million low income Medicare beneficiaries will experience a major change in their prescription drug coverage in 2008. The change highlights the instability and unpredictability that have plagued low income beneficiaries in the Medicare Part D (NSCLC, 2007). Under Medicare Part D, beneficiaries who qualify for the Low Income Subsidy (LIS), together with dual eligible beneficiaries and those who qualify for Medicaid, are automatically enrolled into plans with premiums that fall below a certain level, known as â€Å"regional benchmark. † The regional benchmark changes annually. Many plans that had premiums below the benchmark of 2007 will not be available at all or will have premiums above the benchmark in 2008. As a result, CMS has announced that it will reassign nearly 1. 6 million low income beneficiaries currently in these plans to a new plan sponsor. That new plan sponsor will likely cover different rules requesting exceptions and will have a different pharmacy network (NSCLC, 2007). In 2007, all Medicare Part D beneficiaries eligible for the LIS, also called â€Å"extra help,† have a continuous Special Enrollment Period (SEP) and are given the opportunity to switch plans as often as monthly. Previously, only full and partial dual eligible beneficiaries, who qualify for both Medicare and any type of Medicaid, were permitted to change plans at any time. All LIS eligible beneficiaries have this benefit. A continuous enrollment period has many benefits such that if a beneficiary’s plan does not cover a necessary drug, it may be easier to switch plans than to seek an exception to the plan’s formulary (Senior Journal, 2006). The intensive marketing that has characterized plan outreach, many individuals have joined plans, which they later realized are not appropriate for their needs. The continuous enrollment period makes it easier to correct such mistakes. Kevin Prindiville of the National Senior Citizens Law Center says, â€Å"There is no end to the Part D nightmare for beneficiaries. After benefiting from consistent, stable, predictable Medicaid drug coverage for years, they have been thrown onto the health insurance equivalent of a rollercoaster where their benefits change year after year. With each new coverage year, sick, vulnerable, low-income dual eligible beneficiaries face challenge of starting all over, yet again, with a whole new system of benefits. † However, according to a survey conducted by the Commonwealth Fund Health Care, leaders in the healthcare industry agree that the enactment of Part D was on balance good for beneficiaries, even of majorities also support basic changes to the law. Eighty-two percent of seniors enrolled in the Medicare Part D prescription drug benefit are satisfied with their coverage into the program, according to a new survey commissioned by the Medicare Rx Education Network and conducted by KRC Research. The findings of the nationally representative survey of 802 seniors aged 65 and older are in line with results from a similar survey conducted by KRC in mid-March, soon after the Part D benefit began. According to a survey conducted by Harris Interactive, the health care industry sector were most supportive of the law, with 95% agreeing it was good for beneficiaries, while 56% to 67% of respondents in academic/research institutions, health care delivery, or other sectors said it was good for beneficiaries. Fewer than one-third (30%) of respondents agreed that making Medicare drug coverage available only through private plans was, on balance, good for beneficiaries. About one-third (36%) agree that the current benefit structure, including a coverage gap during which most enrollees are responsible for all of their covered costs will, on balance, help beneficiaries who are most vulnerable to high drug costs. Respondents were asked about approaches to address problems with the structure and complexity of the benefit, with majorities voicing support for several proposed changes. Just 8 percent of all respondents favored leaving the deadline and penalty for late enrollment in place, although 22 percent of the business/insurance/or other health care industry sector respondents favored this option. Fifty-one percent of all respondents favor extending the enrollment deadline and removing the penalty, while 39 percent favor leaving the deadline in place, but allowing people to enroll in the program next year without penalty (39%). Three-fourths (77%) of respondents agreed that benefits should be more standardized to reduce variation among plans, and 69 percent said better information on cost-sharing and formulary structure should be provided to beneficiaries. Only 2 percent said the system should be left as it is. However, in a commentary on the survey findings, John Rother, Group Executive Officer of Policy and Strategy for AARP also says Part D has fallen short in providing generous coverage to people with limited incomes, and recommends changes such as eliminating the asset test and simplifying the application process for the low-income subsidy. Among key results, the survey shows the majority of seniors in Part D plans reported that they are getting the prescription medicines they need through their Medicare drug coverage. 73 percent said that their stand-alone plan or Medicare Advantage plan covers all the medicines prescribed by their doctor. 32 percent reported that they no longer need to skip or reduce prescribed doses now that they are enrolled in a Part D plan. 79 percent said their total out-of-pocket costs are reasonable. Specifically, they reported that monthly premiums and co-pays are affordable (81 percent and 78 percent, respectively), and the majority (61 percent) said they now spend less on medications. 69 percent in Part D plans reported that they are better off now than before they enrolled in the Medicare drug benefit. Nearly all (92 percent) said their plan is convenient to use, and 87 percent said it offers good customer service. Over 75 percent of seniors surveyed were unsure of the timing of the open-enrollment period. Three-quarters (75 percent) said they do not intend to switch plans, while just over 10 percent said they might change plans and 13 percent were unsure. Conclusion From the articles reviewed in the paper, it can be inferred that: (a) Senior citizens, being the most and frequently overmedicated people, are affected by the provision under the Medicare Part D program that provides that providers can determine which drugs their programs (plans) cover and which they do not. Senior citizens must pick and choose which program to sign up for based on whether the drugs they are currently using are covered by the plan they choose. This limits the senior citizen’s list of available medications under his chosen plan and the inherent frequent changes in elder people’s prescriptions would certainly be a problem as it presupposes that the drugs a person are currently taking will be constant over time; (b) to complicate the process even more, a number of entities are involved in the administration of the Part D program and makes the application of not only the senior citizens but also the rest of the beneficiaries complex; (c) The senior citizens, given the expensive medicines the government is not allowed to negotiate with drug companies, are affect by the standard benefit, which requires payment of a $265 deductible and the beneficiary then pays 25% of the cost of a covered part D prescription drug up to an initial coverage limit of $2,400. After the initial coverage limit is reached, the beneficiary is subject to another deductible, known officially as the Coverage Gap but referred to more commonly as the Donut Hole, in which they must pay the full cost of medicine; (d) Low income senior citizens will get extra help from the law that those who are qualified in the LIS, as well as dual eligible and Medicaid beneficiaries will be automatically enrolled into plans with premiums that fall below a certain level, known as â€Å"regional benchmark;† (e) It will be easier to have an all-available list of medications in plans but a continuous enrollment period has many benefits to aid senior citizens who frequently change prescriptions. If a beneficiary’s plan does not cover a necessary drug, it may be easier to switch plans than to seek an exception to the plan’s formulary; (f) Senior citizens think the Medicare Part D program is good but the complexity must be reduced, benefit structure must be changed, and low-income benefits must improve. The law should be rewritten to require providers to cover all FDA approved commonly prescribed medicine. Senior citizens would then be comfortable that any plan they choose would provide the drug benefits they need now and in the future. Shopping for the programs would be less confusing as the programs offered all would provide drugs that are included on the same required list. Lastly, true competition could exist and costs could come down as companies would be required to compete on a level playing field. The government should be allowed to participate in pricing negotiations with the drug companies. This will quickly bring down the cost of the entire program. Each provider would then incur the same low cost as any other provider and they will compete based on their efficiency in administering their programs versus their ability to cut deals on specific drugs with the drug companies. Medicare Part D must loose the asset limits and simplify application procedures for the Low Income Subsidy. It must also provide an intelligent, auto-assignment procedure, set an annual cap on out-of-pocket expenditures by LIS recipients, and eliminate cost sharing for dual eligible beneficiaries receiving services through a home and community based care waiver. The Medicare Part D must also make a variety of other beneficiary-friendly changes that aim at low-income senior beneficiaries. In summary, it is a good suggestion that this year should be used as a test year for the current program and its recent legislation so that a totally restructured program that fixes the current law’s flaws can be implemented on 2008 once and for all, if the current provisions of Medicare Part D are deemed a success or failure. References Harris Interactive for the Commonwealth fund. (2006). The Medicare Modernization at Mid-Year Act. Lee, C. , (2006). Group Says Gap in Medicare Drug Coverage Will Be Costly. Washington Post. Lieberman, T. , (2006). Part D from Outer Space. The Nation. Medicare Rx Education Network. (2006). Montgomery, L. , and Lee, C. , (2006). Success of Drug Plan Challenges Democrats and Medicare Benefit’s Cost Beat Estimates. Washington Post. National Senior Citizens Law Center. (2007). Low Income on Medicare Part D. Newvine, C. , (2006). Students to Help Seniors evaluate Medicare Part D. News Service, University of Michigan. Prindiville, K. , (2007). Change and Instability Ahead for Low Income Beneficiaries. National Senior Citizens Law Center. Wessel, D. , (2006). In Healthcare, Consumer Theory Falls Flat. Wallstreet Journal. Wilson, L. , (2006). The Problems and Solutions of Medicare Part D for Senior Citizens. Senior Journal.