Health Insurance

This is the VOA Special English Economics Report, from http://voaspecialenglish.com

A major reform of the American system of health care and insurance has moved farther in Congress than ever before. President Obama wants a final bill passed by the end of the year. But a difficult road still lies ahead.

On November seventh, the House of Representatives passed a bill with an estimated trillion-dollar price over ten years. The president called the vote historic. President Obama said the Affordable Health Care for America Act will provide stability and security for Americans who have insurance. It will provide quality affordable options for those who dont. And it will bring down the cost of health care for families, business and the government while strengthening the financial health of Medicare.

But thirty-nine Democrats voted no, and only one Republican, Joseph Cao of Louisiana, voted yes. The bill passed with just two more votes than required. Republicans say the plan would add to the nation’s debt, raise insurance costs and expand government involvement in health care.

Republican Representative Joe Barton from Texas said: “So, there is a choice. Bigger government, more mandates, more control, less freedom. Or lower costs, more opportunity, more freedom or more choice. I vote for more freedom.”

The bill aims to provide health coverage to thirty-six million Americans. That would raise the nation’s coverage rate to about ninety-six percent.

The most disputed part of the bill is a “public option” for individuals and small businesses. The government would compete with private plans by offering its own insurance — based on payment rates negotiated with providers.

The House bill would raise taxes on high earners to help pay for the plan. It would also cut four hundred billion dollars from health programs for the retired and poor — money that supporters of the bill say is now being wasted.

Most Americans would have to buy insurance or pay a fine; the government would help the needy. All but the smallest businesses would have to offer insurance for their workers or pay a tax. Some small businesses could receive tax credits to help with their costs. Insurance companies could not deny or cancel coverage for people with pre-existing conditions. And the industry would lose its protection from anti-competitive laws.

And that’s the VOA Special English Economics Report. You can read more about the health care debate at voaspecialenglish.com.

(Adapted from a radio program broadcast 13Nov2009)

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This is the VOA Special English Health Report, from http://voaspecialenglish.com

President Obama has signed legislation to make the biggest changes in the health care system
in forty-five years. The president said: “Today, after almost a century of trying; today, after over a year of debate; today, after all the votes have been tallied, health insurance reform becomes law in the United States of America.
Many parts of the plan will fully take effect in four years. But some take effect quickly. For example,
in six months the new law will bar insurance companies from denying coverage to children with
pre-existing health conditions. Adults with pre-existing conditions will be added in four years.
The government will help millions of people pay for insurance. It will also permit millions more to receive free coverage through the Medicaid program for the poor. In all, the plan aims to make health insurance available to thirty-two million people now without it. People will be able to buy private policies through marketplaces called exchanges to be administered by
the states. Illegal immigrants
will not be able to take part.
An estimated eighty-three percent of people under age sixty-five who are in the United States legally now have insurance coverage. The plan
is expected to raise that to
ninety-five percent within
several years. People over
sixty-five are covered by the Medicare insurance program which
the government created in nineteen sixty-five. For the first time, Americans will be required to have health insurance or face a yearly fine starting in four years. The law will also require companies with more than fifty employees to
offer coverage. If not, they could face a fine of two thousand dollars a year for every worker. Also, this year the law will start closing what is known as “the doughnut hole.” That is a lack of Medicare
coverage for some drug costs for older Americans. President Obama promised senior citizens that the reforms will not cut their guaranteed benefits. The
Senate quickly made a last set of legislative fixes needed in the
new law. However, some states have already gone to court to fight the new health care reform law. The health care plan is expected to cost about nine hundred forty billion dollars over ten years. But it is also expected to help reduce the federal budget deficit.
And that’s the VOA Special English Health report. You can comment on this story at our Web site, voaspecialenglish.com.

(Adapted from a radio program broadcast 24Mar2010)

Duration : 0:4:1

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This is the VOA Special English Development Report, from http://voaspecialenglish.com

We talked last week about a new report on preterm births the leading cause of death in newborn babies worldwide.

Each year an estimated thirteen million babies are born too soon. More than one million of them die as a result of their prematurity. Yet experts say many early births can be prevented.

The report came from the March of Dimes and the World Health Organization. Christopher Howson is the vice president for global programs at the March of Dimes, a nonprofit group. He says there are a number of simple, low-cost interventions that can improve the chances of a full-term birth.

Mister Howson said: “We should treat malnutrition in women both before and during pregnancy. We should treat infections that increase risk. We should monitor pregnancies carefully for signs of trouble. And should that baby be born preterm, we should care for that baby by providing a package of interventions that have been shown to be tried and true and very effective.”

For example, there are programs in Africa that teach the skin-to-skin method, also known as kangaroo care. Mothers learn to carry preterm babies in front instead of the traditional African way of carrying a baby on the mother’s back. Skin-to-skin helps keep a preterm baby warm and makes it easier for the baby to breastfeed.

Most preterm births take place in Africa and Asia. But rates in the United States have increased by more than one-third in the last twenty-five years.

Alan Fleischman is the medical director of the March of Dimes. He was among a group of medical experts who met in Washington, D.C., in October.

The group met to develop a plan for dealing with the problem in the United States. Doctor Fleischman says there is concern especially about rising numbers of what are known as late preterm births.

Those are the babies who are born between thirty-four and thirty-seven weeks of pregnancy. They are responsible for seventy-two percent of all premature births in America.

The rise of these births may be linked to increased use of drugs to start or speed up labor and more births by Cesarean section. Doctor Fleischman says the group strongly advises against these interventions before thirty-nine weeks unless medically necessary. The experts also say doctors need to work with pregnant women to do a better job of estimating exactly when a pregnancy began.

And that’s the VOA Special English Development Report.

(Adapted from a radio program broadcast 26Oct2009)

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This is the VOA Special English Economics Report, from http://voaspecialenglish.com
The United States has a new health care reform law. The main goal is to insure about thirty-two million additional people. That is about ninety-five percent of Americans who are not already covered by Medicare, the government insurance program for older people. About sixteen million people will be added to Medicaid, the government health plan for
the poor. The law will require Americans to have health insurance, with a few exceptions, or pay a fine starting in four years. Also, in four years, employers with more
than fifty workers will have to offer their employees a health insurance plan. Employers will pay a fine for each uninsured worker. Smaller businesses will receive
tax credits to help pay for
health plans. People not covered by employer plans, Medicaid or Medicare could buy health insurance in marketplaces called exchanges.
The idea is that competition among plans will drive down costs.
States will provide these exchanges by twenty fourteen. The law is the biggest change in American health care since nineteen sixty-five.
But it is not a government operated health care system like the ones in other countries. President Obama said it provides limited reform.
He said: So this is not radical reform. But it is major reform. This legislation will not fix everything that ails our health care system. But it moves us decisively in the right direction.
Barry Arbuckle is chief executive
of the non-profit MemorialCare Health System in
Fountain Valley, California.
He says the new law gets the
issue of health reform moving.
But he notes it is mainly health insurance reform. He says lawmakers will have to reform the way health care is provided. That means finding ways for hospitals, doctors and other providers to work together more effectively. Mister Arbuckle also would like to see more attention on prevention so
fewer people need costly
medical treatment. The law
is expected to cost about
nine hundred forty billion dollars over ten years. However, the Obama administration says the plan will cut the nations budget deficit by more than one hundred billion dollars during that period.
Last year, the United States spent two and a half trillion dollars
on health care. This was an
increase of almost six percent
from the year before.
And thats the VOA Special English Economics Report. You can comment on our reports at our Web site, voaspecialenglish.com.

(Adapted from a radio program broadcast 26Mar2010)

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This is the VOA Special English Agriculture Report, from http://voaspecialenglish.com | http://facebook.com/voalearningenglish

Weather does not discriminate between large and small farms. If it rains too much or too little, crop insurance can pay for losses. Yet insurance usually costs too much for a farmer with as little as a hectare or two of land. But now a program called Kilimo Salama, or safe farming, offers low-cost insurance in parts of Kenya. The program is offered by the Syngenta Foundation. The foundation was established by the Swiss agricultural-chemical maker Syngenta. Farmers register at businesses taking part in the program and receive a policy number through their mobile phone. Every time the farmers buy seeds, fertilizer or other inputs, they pay an extra five percent in addition to the price. This extra cost is the insurance premium. The farmers are paid back for the inputs if their crops fail because of drought or flood.The program is designed for maize and wheat farmers like Josephat Langat. He owns a two-hectare farm near Eldoret in western Kenya. He said: “In a case where we do not have a lot of rainfall, it means we are going to lose all the crops. But this insurance policy is going to cover the farm inputs that we use in the farms, so that is going to give us the certainty of going back to the farms again if the rains do not come.”He buys his agricultural inputs at Maraba Investments in Eldoret. About two hundred farmers signed up for the insurance within the first two weeks that it was offered there. Beatrice Kemboi is a director of the business.She says every day she and her workers register from five to ten farmers in the program. When farmers buy their inputs, the store worker uses a mobile phone camera to scan barcode symbols that match the product. A text message confirming the policy number and sale is then sent automatically. The program also uses solar-powered weather stations to record local rainfall amounts. The data is sent to the UAP Insurance Company. When there is crop failure because of a drought or flood, farmers receive a text message. It tells them to receive payment from the business where they purchased their inputs.And that’s the VOA Special English Agriculture Report. You can read and listen to our reports at voaspecialenglish.com. And you can add your comments. We are also on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and iTunes at VOA Learning English.

(Adapted from a radio program broadcast 11May 2010)

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