Issue #2

However old this information may be, These are the facts. Many people agree that Medicare needs to be reformed so that it is successful in the years to come. The way that Medicare is set up is that the doctors get paid for the amount of work they do, not the quality of the work. A "pay for performance" system was approved by legislature in 2006 to allow Medicare to pay doctors a bonus of 1.5% for information on quality and type of work they do. The goal of this is to reward better doctors for their efforts in their work. Some argue that federal officials do not know what type of standards to set for the quality and bonuses. Among these opposers is Representative Pete Stark of California.

I think that it is a great idea to let doctors get benefits for the quality of work they do and not the quantity of work. If they misdiagnose a person, the person needs to come back after already paying for the wrong diagnoses only to get a new diagnosis and another medical bill. This could just keep on happening as the doctor gets richer and the patient gets poorer and sicker without the correct treatment or medication. The doctors need to take their jobs seriously and this will just further encourage them to do this. The government may not know the exact level that the quality of work should be at but it can be close and people could vote to establish a level. The quality of doctor visits needs to be increased. The bills are also a little over priced but perhaps if they gain bonuses for better work than the prices that the patients have to pay can decrease.
The American Medical Association also thinks that this bonus for doctors idea is a good idea.






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Links to other important issues:

Issue #1
Issue #3

S. Korea Fires Warning Shots At Disputed Border

There was a North Korean fishing boat that crossed the disputed border of South Korea and they were warned with warning shots fired by the South Korean Navy in Seoul. Approximately ten warning shots were fired in attempt to force the North Korean boat to return to North Korea. They did warn them from a loud speaker multiple times before firing the shots. There have been no incidences like this for seven years. Most North Koreans know not to cross the Northern Limit Line, set by the United Nations after the Korean War.

I think that if the South Koreans warned the fishing boat multiple times over a loud speaker they had the right to fire warning shots to force the boat back out of their territory. They have the right to protect themselves and if the boundary is known, then no North Korean should be able to cross into it without the permission of South Korean officials. They have the right to be cautious of North Korea because of the Korean War and conflicts that have to do with that. They most definately have the right to protect themselves whether from a fishing boat or a navy. They did not fire at the boat, only warning shots so I think it was okay to do so.

Link to article:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/39983651/ns/world_news-asiapacific/

11/03/10