Post
• Identify at least two differences between Medicaid and/or the State Child Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) and Medicare.
• Identify one challenge with Medicare and Medicaid.
LEARNING RESOURCES
• DiNitto, D. M., & Johnson, D. H. (2016). Social welfare: Politics and public policy (8th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson.
o Chapter 8, “Providing Healthcare: Can All Americans Be Insured?” (pp. 281–330)
Sample solution
Dante Alighieri played a critical role in the literature world through his poem Divine Comedy that was written in the 14th century. The poem contains Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso. The Inferno is a description of the nine circles of torment that are found on the earth. It depicts the realms of the people that have gone against the spiritual values and who, instead, have chosen bestial appetite, violence, or fraud and malice. The nine circles of hell are limbo, lust, gluttony, greed and wrath. Others are heresy, violence, fraud, and treachery. The purpose of this paper is to examine the Dante’s Inferno in the perspective of its portrayal of God’s image and the justification of hell.
In this epic poem, God is portrayed as a super being guilty of multiple weaknesses including being egotistic, unjust, and hypocritical. Dante, in this poem, depicts God as being more human than divine by challenging God’s omnipotence. Additionally, the manner in which Dante describes Hell is in full contradiction to the morals of God as written in the Bible. When god arranges Hell to flatter Himself, He commits egotism, a sin that is common among human beings (Cheney, 2016). The weakness is depicted in Limbo and on the Gate of Hell where, for instance, God sends those who do not worship Him to Hell. This implies that failure to worship Him is a sin.
God is also depicted as lacking justice in His actions thus removing the godly image. The injustice is portrayed by the manner in which the sodomites and opportunists are treated. The opportunists are subjected to banner chasing in their lives after death followed by being stung by insects and maggots. They are known to having done neither good nor bad during their lifetimes and, therefore, justice could have demanded that they be granted a neutral punishment having lived a neutral life. The sodomites are also punished unfairly by God when Brunetto Lattini is condemned to hell despite being a good leader (Babor, T. F., McGovern, T., & Robaina, K. (2017). While he commited sodomy, God chooses to ignore all the other good deeds that Brunetto did.
Finally, God is also portrayed as being hypocritical in His actions, a sin that further diminishes His godliness and makes Him more human. A case in point is when God condemns the sin of egotism and goes ahead to commit it repeatedly. Proverbs 29:23 states that “arrogance will bring your downfall, but if you are humble, you will be respected.” When Slattery condemns Dante’s human state as being weak, doubtful, and limited, he is proving God’s hypocrisy because He is also human (Verdicchio, 2015). The actions of God in Hell as portrayed by Dante are inconsistent with the Biblical literature. Both Dante and God are prone to making mistakes, something common among human beings thus making God more human.
To wrap it up, Dante portrays God is more human since He commits the same sins that humans commit: egotism, hypocrisy, and injustice. Hell is justified as being a destination for victims of the mistakes committed by God. The Hell is presented as being a totally different place as compared to what is written about it in the Bible. As a result, reading through the text gives an image of God who is prone to the very mistakes common to humans thus ripping Him off His lofty status of divine and, instead, making Him a mere human. Whether or not Dante did it intentionally is subject to debate but one thing is clear in the poem: the misconstrued notion of God is revealed to future generations.
References
Babor, T. F., McGovern, T., & Robaina, K. (2017). Dante’s inferno: Seven deadly sins in scientific publishing and how to avoid them. Addiction Science: A Guide for the Perplexed, 267.
Cheney, L. D. G. (2016). Illustrations for Dante’s Inferno: A Comparative Study of Sandro Botticelli, Giovanni Stradano, and Federico Zuccaro. Cultural and Religious Studies, 4(8), 487.
Verdicchio, M. (2015). Irony and Desire in Dante’s” Inferno” 27. Italica, 285-297.
Sample Answer
Sample Answer
Differences between Medicaid and/or SCHIP and Medicare:
Eligibility Criteria:
Medicaid and SCHIP: These programs are means-tested, meaning eligibility is based on income and other factors like age, disability, and family size. They primarily target low-income individuals and families who meet specific criteria set by each state.
Medicare: This program is not means-tested and provides health insurance primarily for individuals aged 65 and older, as well as certain younger people with disabilities. Medicare eligibility is based on age or disability status, regardless of income level.
Funding and Administration:
Medicaid and SCHIP: These programs are jointly funded by the federal government and individual states, with the federal government providing a significant portion of the funding. While Medicaid is administered by states, SCHIP may be run by either states or through a combination of state and federal administration.
Medicare: This program is solely funded by the federal government through payroll taxes, premiums paid by beneficiaries, and general revenues. Medicare is administered directly by the federal government through the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).
Challenge with Medicare and Medicaid:
One challenge that Medicare and Medicaid face is the rising cost of healthcare and the strain it puts on program funding.
Rising Healthcare Costs:
Both Medicare and Medicaid grapple with the increasing cost of healthcare services, including prescription drugs, hospital care, and physician services.
As healthcare costs continue to rise faster than inflation, it becomes challenging for these programs to provide comprehensive coverage while ensuring long-term sustainability.
The rising cost of healthcare necessitates ongoing adjustments to program funding and reimbursement rates, which can lead to budgetary constraints and potential limitations in access to care for beneficiaries.
Furthermore, it is worth noting that both programs face unique challenges. For example, Medicaid faces challenges related to variations in eligibility criteria, coverage gaps in states that have not expanded Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act, and potential disparities in access to care across different regions. On the other hand, Medicare confronts challenges related to the aging population, potential funding shortfalls in the future, and addressing the rising costs of prescription drugs.
