POL 201 WEEK 2 COMPLETE (ASSIGNMENT DQS AND QUIZ)

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POL 201 WEEK 2 COMPLETE

(ASSIGNMENT - DQS AND QUIZ)
Week 2 DQ 1 Policy-making in the Federal System.
The U.S. government's expansive role in public policy is caught in a swirl of conflicting crosscurrents. On the one hand, popular expectations about government's
responsibility to solve problems often exceed the capacity of state and local authorities to respond
effectively. On the other hand, policies developed at the national level may not sufficiently reflect the
great diversity of interests across the U.S. to be effective at the local level. Moreover, the search for
effective policy is further complicated by theoretical debates about the constitutional framework of
federalism, e.g., what limits on national power can be derived from the Tenth Amendment?
A policy area in the middle of these cross-currents is elementary and secondary education a
subject traditionally under local control, with some oversight by the states. However, during the last
four decades especially since 2001 the national government's role in education has grown
significantly as a result of initiatives by Republican and Democratic administrations. Use the
assigned resources to inform yourself about this role and the arguments of its supporters and critics.
In your initial post of at least 200-250 words, briefly summarize the national government's education
policies. Explain the main pros and cons in the debate about these policies. Evaluate them from two
perspectives:
a. The policies effectiveness in improving the quality of U.S. elementary and secondary education.
(Justify your assessment by clearly explaining your definition of "effectiveness" and how it should be
measured or determined.)

b. Their consistency with the constitutional framework of federalism. (Justify your assessment by
clearly explaining your interpretation of American federalism's constitutional framework and why
federal education policies are or are not consistent with it.)
Week 2 DQ 2 Meet Your Rep.
The Constitution states, "The House of Representatives shall be composed of Members chosen
every second Year by the People of the several States..." (Art. I, Sec. 2). Contrast
this with the original constitutional language for the other house of Congress, "The Senate of the
United States shall be composed of two Senators from each State, chosen by the Legislature thereof
for six Years..." (Art. I, Sec. 3).
The phrase "chosen by the Legislature" was changed to "elected by the people" by the 17th
Amendment, but not until 1912. In other words, from the beginning the House of Representatives
was intended to be exactly what its name suggests representative of the people. (Note that in 2010
the Tea Party, and some Republican politicians, called for repeal of the 17th Amendment, eliminating
the popular vote for Senators. While most Republican politicians have backed away from that view,
many Tea Party chapters continue to demand its repeal.)
Textbook models suggest how members of the House of Representatives may fulfill their
constitutional duty to "represent" the delegate model, the trustee model, the oversight model, and
the service model. A weakness of these models is that they ignore the pervasive influence of interest
groups, partisanship, and political money (campaign contributions) on the behavior of congressional
reps. To what extent do these factors interfere with effective representation? First, get to know your
rep in the U.S. House of Representatives, using the websites listed in the required resources for this
discussion.
Then, in your initial post of at least 200-250 words, identify an important issue related to your
representative's committee or subcommittee work in Congress. Summarize your representative's
position on that issue as described on his or her website or illustrated by legislation sponsored by
your representative. Be concrete and specific, avoiding vague generalities like "my representative is
for jobs" or "my representative is for national security." With respect to this issue, evaluate your
representative's performance as a representative of the people in your legislative district. Justify your
assessment from two perspectives:

a. How well does your representative's position reflect your district's likely preferences or broad
interests on the issue? Support your inferences about the district with facts not just your opinion
about the district as shaped by your own political opinions and ideology.
b. Is there any evidence that may raise questions about whether interest groups, political party
loyalty, or campaign money may influence your representative in ways that weaken his or her
effectiveness as a true "representative" of the district? (Put on your critical thinking cap to respond to
this aspect of the question.)
Week 2 Quiz
In Cooperative Federalism,
States and localities might prefer block grants to categorical grants because
Contemporary federalism is characterized by
General Revenue Sharing offers states and localities even greater flexibility than block grants
because they
Unfunded mandates are similar to Creative Federalism in that
The division of Congress into committees allows for all except
An earmark is
During a hearing, executive branch officials are asked to
Under the necessary and proper clause, Congress may
The basis for congressional regulatory authority lies in Congress
Week 2 Assaignment

THE TRUTH OF
OBAMACARE
AMERICAN NATIONAL
GOVERNMENT/ POL201
THE TRUTH OF
OBAMACARE
AMERICAN NATIONAL
GOVERNMENT/ POL201
THE TRUTH OF
OBAMACARE
Obama Care is the unofficial name for The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act
which was signed into law on March 23, 2010. In a more general sense Obama Care and
The Health Care for America Plan or any such name is a reference to the ongoing health
care reform under President Obama.(http://obamacarefacts.com/whatis-obamacare.php)
The ACA is landmark legislation designed to increase access to health care coverage for
millions of Americans.(Wizemann,2011) This legislation represents one of the largest
and most comprehensive reforms to the American health care system since the
enactment of Medicare and Medicaid in 1965. The ACA seeks to extend coverage to
roughly 50 million uninsured Americans, slowing down the growth in the cost of health
care, and improving the quality of care health care by changing the delivery system.(
Some people who oppose the Act are concerned that it gives the Federal government

too much control over personal health care decisions and benefits, forcing a complex
one-size-fits-all health system onto the states. Some people who are in favor of the Act
want lower health care costs overall by making it affordable for more people.
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 significantly changed health care
in the U.S., making insurance available to 32 million more Americans -- a total of 95% of
the legal population. The Act, is being phased in over four years. By 2014, every citizen
will be required to have health insurance, or face a penalty. However, they can choose
how to get coverage. If they already have a plan, either through their employers,
Medicaid, Medicare, or privately, they can keep it. Those who can't currently get health
insurance will have additional options. They can purchase it from a state-based health
insurance exchange (and possibly get subsidy) or they may be eligible under expanded
Medicare guidelines.
The program is originally designed to add to the federal budget $930 billion dollars. The
act was designed to offset the budget by lowering payments to hospitals, Increasing
Medicare taxes on higher income households, assessing penalties on employers who
don't offer, and individuals who don't take, health care insurance, assessing taxes on
various health related activities, and reducing overhead by consolidating the higher
education loan program with the Pell Grant program.
Although there has been tremendous opposition before, during and after its becoming
law. The Supreme Court ruled it was constitutional that all U.S. citizens must purchase
health care insurance from a private carrier, or pay a penalty, is for the right for
congress to impose a tax. Even with our house of representatives trying numerous time
to repeal the law ti still keeps getting over ruled. The opposition has been so great that
many Americans think the law has already been repealed. I am sure you are asking
yourself what does this mean, when does this come to affect and how does this affect
you?
Here are the changes that happened in 2010. Medicare beneficiaries who fell into the
Medicare Part D Prescription Drug "donut hole" received a $250 rebate. They received a
50% discount on brand name drugs in 2011, and the doughnut hole is eliminated in
2020. Children were allowed to stay on their parents' health insurance until they turn
26. New private plans were required to cover preventive services with no co-payments,
and they are exempt from deductibles. Consumers who applied to new plans have

access to an external appeals process if coverage is denied. Insurance companies were

prohibited from dropping coverage if someone got really sick. They couldn't create
lifetime coverage limits. They could no longer deny coverage to children with preexisting conditions. The same will apply to adults in 2014. Until then, adults with preexisting conditions who have been denied coverage will get access to temporary health
insurance coverage until the exchanges are set up.
These are the changes that happened in 2011Medicare-covered preventative services
were exempted from deductibles and the co-pay was eliminated. Insurance companies
must prove they spent at least 80% of the premium payments on medical services,
rather than on things like advertising and executive salaries. Those that didn't were
required to provide rebates to policyholders. States were funded to require health
insurance companies to submit justification for all rate hikes. Funds were expanded to
increase the number of doctors and nurses, and more community health centers -enough to double the number of patients they can treat in the next five years.
These are future changes to look forward to. Medical expenses must be at least 10% of
income before they are deductible for those under 65. Manufacturers and importers of
medical devices will pay a 2.3% excise tax. Federal funds will increase to allow Medicaid
to offer free preventive services, and to extend CHIP for an additional two years. The
Federal government will fund states to pay primary care physicians 100% of the
Medicare fee. Medicare will start a pilot program to encourage hospitals to bundle
services before submitting for payment. Additional taxes will be paid by the 1 million
people who make more than $200,000 and the 4 million couples filing jointly who make
more than $250,000. Specifically, they would pay 3.8% Medicare taxes on dividends,
capital gains, rent and royalties and 2.35% (up from 1.45%) Medicare taxes on income.
In 2014, the state-run health exchanges will be set up. Medicaid eligibility will be
expanded to include those with incomes up to 133% of the Federal poverty line
($29,000 for a family of four). New subsidies will become available for with incomes up
to 400% of the poverty level ($88,000 for a family of four). Those who don't purchase
insurance will be assessed penalties: 2014 - The greater of $95 or 1% of income. 2015 $325 or 2% of income. 2016 - $695 or 2.5% of income. Businesses with 50+ workers
must pay $2,000 per worker (except for the first 20) if they dont offer health insurance.
Those that do receive a tax credit of 50% of the premium cost. (Donmoyer, 2012 )

References
Wizemann, Theresa. Health Literacy Implications for Health Care Reform : Workshop Summary.
Washington, DC, USA: National Academies Press, 2011. p 5.
http://site.ebrary.com/lib/ashford/Doc?id=10488622&ppg=19
Copyright 2011. National Academies Press. All rights reserved.
http://obamacarefacts.com/whatis-obamacare.php

THE AFFORDABLE CARE ACT TURNS

TWO,LEE GOLDBERG,SABIHA
ZAINULBHAI,HTTP://WWW.NASI.ORG/
DISCUSS/2012/03/AFFORDABLECARE-ACT-TURNS-TWO?
GCLID=CLOUYV9VRICFURXQGOD3TWALA MARCH
2012
HealthReform.gov, Ryan Donmoyer, "New Health Care Taxes," Bloomberg, March 22, 2010) Article
updated July 13, 2012