USA Health Care Spending - What are the Priorities?

Health care costs have increased on Americans and their families.

$ Senate agrees to triple anti-AIDS funding, Jim Abrams AP 7/2008.

AIDS funding - The legislation also extends an implicit pledge that has little precedent in the history of U.S. foreign assistance: to continue purchasing lifesaving drugs for millions of individual people in developing countries for an indefinite period of time.

$ According to this report the US spends $18.2 Billion for the estimated 1 million US residents who have AIDS.

$ Reuters - U.S. AIDS policies neglect blacks: report | HIV Incidence Report CDC 8/2008

$ AIDS epidemic in U.S. 'worse than previously known' - About 56,300 people are now thought to be infected with HIV annually—a startling 40 percent jump from the government's previous estimate of 40,000. 8/4/08 Chicagotribune

State Health Care Statistics on HIV/AIDS

What should be the Nation's spending priority regarding health care for people with AIDS?

 

The Congressional Budget Office forecasts the federal deficit at $482 billion in 2008-2009.

Where in the federal budget would you make cuts in order to increase funding for AIDS programs for US citizens?

 

Where would you make budget cuts in order to fund the U.S. AIDS programs for other nations?

 

The US Census Bureau reports that over 40 percent of the 47 million people, who lack health insurance in the US, are foreign born people. Income, Poverty, and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2006. Immigrants living in the United States are much less likely to be insured than natives.

HIV Immigration Ban Repeal Passes Through Congress.

TB - CDC report 2006 "The proportion of total cases occurring in foreign-born persons has been increasing since 1993. In 2006, 57% of TB cases occurred in foreign-born persons. Foreign-born persons accounted for the majority of TB cases in the United States for the sixth consecutive year. Moreover, the case rate among foreign-born persons was more than nine times higher than among U.S.-born persons (Table 5).

Rising health care costs put focus on illegal immigrants USA Today

Immigrants Facing Deportation by U.S. Hospitals New York Times 8/3/08

Who should pay for the health care for people with illnesses who come to the USA?

Resources:

Washup.org | Immunization map | Dental Health | The Nation We Live In US Census Data 2000

Writing to persuade | Picking Letters, 10 a Day, That Reach Obama

Examine the Data on overweight teens - use the source noted on the form to update the data then complete the exercise.

Time use of Teens activity | Images as Messages | Hunger in America - What is the Priority?

Government, Statistics and the Media | How to track Federal Legislation using THOMAS

Tech Tip: Working in a group or in two different places like the library & home? You do not have to be physically together to work together. Watch Google Docs video TAI - How could you use free, Google Docs to do a project? How would this facilitate group projects?