American Government and Politics Today

Chapter 15 Domestic Policy

The Policy-Making Process

– Agenda Building: identifying a problem and getting it on the agenda. – Policy Formulation: the debate that occurs among government officials and the public in the media, in Congress, and through campaigns. – Policy Adoption: selection of a strategy for addressing the problem from among the solutions discussed. – Policy Implementation:the administration of the policy adopted – Policy Evaluation.

Health Care

– The Rising Cost of Health Care 15% GDP • Advanced Technology-MRI,CT,PET • Large Elderly Population-growing • The Government’s Role in Financing Health Care 45/35/20 % – Medicare-2 nd largest domestic program • Govt cut rates of re-imbursement, physicians refuse treatment – The Uninsured 15% - 35% Hispanics • The Uninsured Employed- most young due to Medicare coverage • Shifting Costs to the Uninsured-Individual plans expensive, less bargaining power, bankruptcy – National Health Insurance-European countries • The Canadian System-Government controlled medicine – Health Savings Account-Allows premiums promotes saving and cost savings by the patient.

Percentage of Total National Income Spent on Health Care in the U.S.

Cost of Health Care in Economically Advanced Nations

Life Expectancy in the U.S.

Poverty and Welfare

– Income transfers, transfers of income from some individuals in the economy to other individuals. This is generally done by way of the government.

– The Low-Income Population: Definition ~$19K in goods and services – The Antipoverty Budget-$396B 1/6 th of Fed Expenditures ($188B Medicaid w/$142B State match) Everyone cared for… – Basic Welfare • Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) – Additional needs funded by states – Welfare Controversies-Led to Welfare reform act • 2 years at a time and 5 year lifetime – Supplemental Security Income (SSI)- additional income for elderly and sickly – Food stamps-dual subsidy – Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC)-Social security tax rebate – Homelessness-Street People, Sheltered, The Numbers, Criminalizing the poor, HUD Efforts.

The Official Number of Poor in the U.S.

Immigration

– The Continued Influx of Immigrants • About a million people a year immigrate to this country.

• Larger families, more taxpayers, workforce, support medicare and social security, strong work ethic, often conservative value systems • Others believe immigrants burden to anti-poverty programs. – Immigration and America’s Security • Student Visas--Then and Now • New Security Guidelines – Loose guidelines/background checks vs. additional background checks as well as enrollment checks

Environmental Policy

– Environmentalism • Conservation was a policy under which natural resources should be used, but not abused. • Preservation called for natural preserves that are isolated from the effects of human activity.

– The Environmentalist Movement • Rachel Carson ‘Silent Spring’ Pesticides • 1969 Oil spill in Santa Barbara • Cuyahoga River fire in Cleveland – Ecology-revived old preservationist ideas by considering the ‘total pattern of relationships between organisms and their environment’

Cleaning Up the Air and Water

– The National Environmental Policy Act 1969 • Formed the Council on Environmental Quality • Required EIS’s including public involvement – Curbing Air Pollution • The 1990 amendments to the Clean Air Act of 1963 constitute a comprehensive policy mandating cleaner air in urban areas. Phased vehicle emission reductions. Reductions in stationary emissions by 40%. Phasing out of CFC’s, new standards for particulates. Ozone action days – Water Pollution • The Clean Water Act 1972 sought to make waters safe for swimming, protect fish and wildlife, and eliminate the discharge of pollutants into the water. Prohibits the filling and dredging of wetlands. Supreme court struck down the migratory bird-rule ‘habitats for migratory birds not navigable waters.

Cost-Effective Solutions

– One method of supporting cost-effective solutions was part of the Clean Air Act of 1990. The act capped overall national sulfur dioxide emissions but also permitted free trade in “rights” to emit sulfur dioxide. As a result, the sulfur dioxide emissions are made by the companies that reap the greatest economic advantage from their right to emit. – As a result of legislation, air and water pollution is down dramatically from what it was three or so decades ago. Lead content in the air is 3 percent of what it was. Sulfur dioxide is down by four-fifths.

Other Environmental Issues

– Regulating Hazardous Waste: 1980 Comprehensive Environmental Response Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) Superfund-Generator, transporter, owner then and now.

– The Endangered Species Act (ESA)-Snail Darter/TVA/Tellico Dam Spotted owl/Fish and Wildlife/ Logging • Incentives for landowner participation.

– Global Warming • The UN Kyoto Protocol-exempted developing nations from lowering emissions US did not sign • The Global Warming Debate – Policy affects you!