Many individuals who are pursuing in a masters in public health are interested in the development and improvement of public health programs. The Affordable Care Act, a small component of healthcare reform, has been cause for serious debate over the last presidential term. One January 31st, 2011 U.S. District Judge Roger Vinson found the Affordable Care Act unconstitutional. Judge Vinson’s argument is that mandating the purchase of health insurance and requiring every citizen in the United States negates the constitution. This newfound court decision could further set back the essential healthcare reform component that is meant to provide millions of uninsured Americans with health coverage. If you have researched information for a masters in public health online, you will find that the Affordable Care Act has many critics and many loyal supporters. While there are legitimate arguments explained from both sides, the fact the United States is lagging behind all other industrial nations in healthcare insurance for citizens is something everyone agrees on.

When the Affordable Care Act was passed in 2010 a majority of the company rejoiced. While some appreciated the fact that health insurance companies could no longer deny applicants because of pre-existing conditions, others appreciated the fact that affordable plans would be available to those with a low monthly income. Individuals supporting the Affordable Care Act of 2010 are either underinsured or uninsured all together. Uninsured members of society lack the health care and prevention services they need to live a happy and healthy life. As a citizen of the nation, supporters of the Affordable Care Act believe it is their constitutional right to have access to affordable and proper healthcare. This new healthcare reform gives them the right to life, which is directly stated on the constitution. The with Act at risk of being overturned, citizens who once had hope are now skeptical if uniform healthcare will ever exist in the United States.

Skeptics of the Affordable Care Act support Judge Roger Vinson’s ruling that the Act passed in 2010 is unconstitutional. Their primary argument is that requiring all citizens of the nation to purchase and maintain their own healthcare insurance violates the rights stated in the US constitution. It is important to understand that most skeptics are not opposed to some form of universal healthcare insurance in the United States. While they are not opposed to universal healthcare, skeptics do not believe mandating health care coverage is the way to go about providing uninsured citizens with the proper coverage they need. The fact that citizens who already fall into low-income bracket could be fined for not carry continuous healthcare coverage does not sit well with those opposed to the act. Dissenters of the act feel like this is just another “mention of how the federal government is sticking its hands in our pockets.”

Not all members of Congress are opposed to the Affordable Care Act passed in 2010. Some congressmen believe there are positive aspects to the act that must be revised and set forth in a different manner. Republican congressmen proposed a different strategy- a compromise between the national healthcare system and the individual purchasing insurance. While compromise is something the Act is aiming for, congressmen who once supported the proposal of affordable healthcare have now become the proposal’s main opponent. The justice system is full of supporters and dissenters. Legislators opposed to the healthcare reform are extremely happy with the court decision on January 31. Giving states the right to nullify the healthcare reform policies, Governors and State Legislators are more than happy with the Vinson’s decision even if it is only a tactic to delay policies.

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Why Study Public Health?

The public health field is an exciting and growing part of our society. There are opportunities for one to pursue an online Master’s in Public Health as well as wonderful universities that specialize in public health offerings. Complex health issues are being faced, daily and conquered. Good health practices are being taught to the people in an effort to prevent the spread of disease. Expanded health care is promoted by the public health worker as is substance abuse and sexual education. As a public health person, one might be engaged in any of a number of subfields, such as teachers, journalists, researchers, administrators, environmentalists, lab techs, and scientists. The main reason for a degree in public health is the fact that it is a field that is dedicated to the helping of others. These health care professionals serve the local, national, and international communities and are the first lines to form against any infectious disease.

Public Health in History

In reality, the field of public health is a rather new kid on the block, but it has its roots in antiquity. The earliest public health employees were the religious leaders of the day. The early leaders sought to influence behavior by instructing the people as to what foods were safe to eat and what water was safe to drink. The priests also tried to regulate sexual conduct by establishing rules that were to be followed by their people. All of the religious rules were instituted in an effort to keep the population healthy so that they could be strong militarily and economically. The early Romans quickly discovered that if they did not practice good sanitation, the people would all get sick. Some of the earliest of sewer systems were established by the clever Romans. During the Black Death Plague in Europe, it was discovered that by burning down areas with a high concentration of disease, the disease could be controlled as the rats which carried the infection were burned.

What is Public Health?

When one has a Master’s in Public Health one will practice the art of preventing disease and promoting the health of the society. The practitioner of public health always deals with sicknesses that impact just a few or many thousands of people. Public health workers will be found in surveillance of existing health cases, infectious diseases, and sexual health. The workers will participate in vaccination programs and teaching people how to wash their hands and practice good hygiene. Where you find the public health person he/she will be dealing with the prevention and treatment of disease.

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World Health Organization Pressures Food & Beverage Industry to Put the Brakes on Advertising Junk to Kids

The World Health Organization made a compelling worldwide public announcement—to stop overloading our children with advertisements for food and drinks that will eventually make them sick. The plea comes at an appropriate time, since the WHO is committed to focusing on global prevention non-communicable diseases this year. That’s cancer, heart and lung disease, and diabetes.

Aspiring public health students with an interest in helping to resolve these types of issues may benefit from researching the advantages that a Master’s in Public Health can provide. A student of a Public Health Program can work with local, national and international populations to help fight issues such as childhood obesity, health-related advertising, and more. A Masters in Public Health offers an extensive array of opportunities for all different professions—with each person working together to form a team that protects the health of the public worldwide.

Dr. Timothy Armstrong, the WHO’s chief promoter of healthy diet and physical education, claims that 90% of premature deaths are caused by these diseases, especially in countries of low and middle-income, where obesity is increasing.

Health leaders and the UN health agency are reaching out to internationally recognized brands, such as McDonalds, Kellogg, Kraft, Nestle, Mars, Bimbo and others, in the hopes of convincing them to stand by the pledge they made not to market unhealthy products to kids under twelve. Officials reported that in some countries, several companies had been abiding by the agreement, but it appears that in less-developed and poorer nations, precautions were either not being followed closely, or were not being followed at all.

Dr. Armstrong urged national leaders to have a stronger stance when it comes to enforcing the commitments made by the industries. The companies will most likely not police themselves. All of the officials are hoping the advertisements will eventually be banned, in a similar fashion as tobacco companies eventually being explicitly prohibited to show advertising to children, to use cartoon characters as mascots, and to show commercials during family programming.

Vermont May be First State to Adopt Single-Payer Healthcare System

In January, 2011, Dr. William Hsiao—professor of economics at Harvard School of Public Health Program—introduced a proposal before the US House of Representatives that could make Vermont the first state in the union to elect a single-payer healthcare system, if they can get lawmakers committed to untangling the web of federal restrictions and barriers. This scenario would mean every resident of Vermont would have healthcare coverage, including vision and dental care.

Dr. Hsiao’s report on the single-payer healthcare system was very highly anticipated, and fairly well-received by the House. Appropriately so, representatives had many difficult questions. It appears that approaching single-payer healthcare at the state-level is a very ambitious undertaking. If you are interested in helping our state and federal governments sort through the nation’s healthcare crisis, consider a Masters in Public Health.

Single-payer healthcare is a method used by many other countries—including Canada, the UK, Taiwan and Australia—to provide reasonable and affordable treatment options for their residents. All health-related care is paid into and paid out of one single entity, usually a government-created insurance pool. The pool can have many entities paying into it. The Veteran’s Administration in the US is one example of a single-payer, socialized medicine, because not only are the hospitals set up, funded and run by the US government, but all Veterans (and only Veterans) can receive treatment at VA hospitals.

However, the US is not currently designed to support a system like the public/private single-payer proposed in Vermont. Questions were raised about out-of-state residents who work in Vermont. How would they be treated? Another concern was voiced about teachers and other unionized employees who have rallied long and hard for affordable and high-quality health care coverage—would they end up paying the same, or possibly even more, for a lesser quality of care? Would the care be instituted as a payroll tax? What about the people who don’t take a paycheck or pay payroll taxes—do they get care for free, or do they not get care? In what ways does the plan interfere with federally-funded healthcare assistance programs, such as Medicare for the elderly and Medicaid for those with few resources? Would there be ways to work around these programs? What about people who require specialized hospitals or doctors in other states?

People today enjoy better diets and greater shelter from the elements than ever before; but exposure to other people is greater, obesity is becoming pandemic, and the general population is aging.  The modern world is a benefit to health, but also creates unique medicinal problems.  The solution lies between the determination of the individual to live carefully and the ability of the healthcare provider to dispense aide.  That is you, if you are a medical or nursing student.

The status of Medicine:

Americans spend more money on healthcare than any other country in the world.  Although the United States is wealthy, about 16 percent of the entire Gross Domestic Product is dedicated to medicine.  This is an extraordinary amount of money, estimated about two and a half trillion dollars.   It is good if you are a medical student; expect plenty of jobs and a stable career.  On the other hand, it costs society an incredible amount of money.  If you are an average person, earning less than 30 thousand dollars a year, the cost of going to the doctor is inflating and growing faster than a blob monster.  It threatens to devour anyone not rich.  On top of the fact, Americans are not necessarily the healthiest people in the world.

The system has done a good job of handling pandemics; plagues wiping out a third of the population does not happen today, in spire of the potential with millions of people crammed into cities.  Advances in medicine make it possible to cure even the most radical diseases and bodily dysfunctions.   On the other hand, we are older and our waist size has grown over the years.  Obesity and old age are expected; obesity and youth is a challenge to the economy.  It is unfortunate we spend so much money on healthcare, then ruin our bodies so effortlessly by not taking care of them.  Complications with things such as overeating, smoking, and poor nutrition amount to billions of dollars that might be spent elsewhere.  The cheapest medicine is prevention, and so you are your own most important doctor.  Intelligent living in youth greatly reduces the expenses incurred in old age, and so the cost of medicine is much higher than need be.  If people only took care of themselves, they would not face mounting bills.

Everything is connected

On the other hand, everyone in society pays for this.  In the United States, healthcare is still substantially a market enterprise, and hospitals are actually private institutions.  Since demand is rising higher than the number of healthcare providers, doctors are pressed harder for their time, and so may command higher salaries.  Personnel really is the major factor in health costs.  The solution to cheaper medicine comes on three fronts:

>  The will of the individual to live carefully

> The will of college students to pursue medicine as to provide greater supply

> The will of government to subsidize public health programs to ensure more nurses and doctors.

On the other hand…

Healthcare also rises because the richest members of society pay the most.  They demand the best and newest equipment, and this raises the bar in the entire industry.  Much of the rising expenses relate to new technology.  American healthcare is the best in the world, but also the most expensive.  Sixty-two percent of bankruptcies relate to medical bills.  If you are a normal person, take care of yourself and get insurance.  If you a student, seriously consider pursuing a masters in public health.  You are serving society in a desperately needed way, and guaranteeing yourself an exciting and rewarding career.

There is no doubt that a Masters in Public Health Degree opens up a world of career advancement opportunities. When reviewing salaries for graduates of a masters in public health keep in mind the diverse range of career opportunities across a large spectrum of employers. There are not many graduate degree programs that offer such job sector diversity. As a public health professional you can find employment with local, state, and federal authorities; consultancies; hospitals; universities; and even regulation firms.

The common salary figures of an MPH graduate; therefore, must be understood in context of the jobs surrounding the specific focus. For example, salaries for epidemiologists range from $50-$60k, whereas a public health professional working in the same field earns around a 15% premium. i

As with all jobs, expertise is an important factor. The more advanced your education, typically speaking, the more opportunities there are for career growth. The base salary for public health professionals is anywhere from $40 to $45k. Public health professionals with 4-6 years experience earn between $60-$65k. The pay and earnings potential obviously will vary based on the type of employer. Employers such as, governmental agencies, and non-profit organizations will pay less. However, it is important to note that such organizations typically make up for the lower base by through increased benefits such as retirement, vacation, and healthcare. This is one of the reasons that it is important not to grade a career by base earnings, and instead by total earnings, which includes such factors. Health care companies, consulting firms, and and specialized government agencies pay on the upper end of the scale and covet candidates with advanced degrees.

Most advanced careers within the sector of public health typically require a masters degree. Without one you are likely to limit your career and salary. Most advanced degrees such as the masters in public health can be completed in as little as two years. When you factor in the career opportunities they generate it really makes sense to pursue such a graduate degree.

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