Health Care

nytimes.com
September 20, 2011
http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/health/diseasesconditionsandhealthtopics/medicare/index.html?scp=13&sq=health%20care&st=cse

Summary-
    Medicare is one of the most costly federally funded programs in America, and today, citizens above the age of 65 are the only group with nearly universal coverage. This past summer, President Obama considered putting Medicare on the table of things to cut from the budget, but other politicians did not like the idea of doing so. Recently, however, the baby boomer generation has become eligible for care, and costs have risen dramatically.

Connection-
     The budget is very important to consider when discussing whether to keep health care for the elderly. Congress will have to decide on a course of action that will keep health care for people who need it, but also manage the current debt. It has been suggested that the age at which people are eligible for Medicare be raised, but with the political maneuvering that comes with every change in government policy, it may not happen soon.
    This connects to class through the explorations of political socialization. During these lessons, it has been revealed that older people tend to vote more, and that this gives them advantages with politicians who want to gain support. Those in office, therefore, will likely want to keep some kind of care for the elderly regardless of the cost.

Personal Reaction-
    It seems as though some of the people involved in American politics are more concerned with the political party that they are affiliated with looking strong, than with genuine problems that they could be fixing. It would not offend the principals of either party simply to raise the age of Medicare recipients.