Human Consciousness Essay -- English Literature Essays

Human Consciousness Erich Fromm and Shirley Jackson have both written wonderful true-life affecting essays and should be awarded for them. I appreciate both stories and feel they both set tales to learn from and live by. As a combined theme for both I ‘ld say â€Å"human consciousness is more then a gift†. And read on to see what I mean. In Erich Fromm we notice a compassionate concern for the unfolding of life. Fromm claims that "the growing process of the emergence of the individual from his original ties, a process which we may call ‘individuation,’ seems to have reached its peak in modern history in the centuries between the Reformation and the present." Of course, the beginning of change is not the cause of all our problems but it did magnify them because now the existence of humanity itself has become a problem according to the way I am reading into Fromm’s story. Then when you shift you focus towards Shirley Jackson’s â€Å"The Lottery†, it depicts an ordinary day with anticipation of yearly appointments. Her description awakens you to a pleasant sunny day, flowers blooming, and everyone united around the town square. All are gathered to cast lots for the right to another year's meeting. From the onset, this story quickly takes you into a dismal, gloomy atmosphere. The first hint comes in the first paragraph when they indicated that The Lottery will only take two hours and be over with in time for dinner." (78) This was one meeting no one was eager to attend. These two stories are different from one another in text but are same in form. Fromm later on talks about animals living completely within nature and proclaims that they are guided by instinctive behavior. He continues and says humans have lost such instinctive mechanisms. This is where Jackson’s simplicity of life fall’s in. She brings up Fromm’s ideas of animals in a form of a meeting that took place. This meeting took place every year in the town square where all other happy and significant town occasions were held; it was not your usual gathering of friends, bringing covered dishes, balloons and clowns for the kids. A celebration it was not, but just the opposite. This story reveals the dark side of human nature. It's flaws, lack of compassion, selfishness and "anybody but me" attitude. If you had had the opportunity to talk with my late grandmother she would characterize it as being "set in... ...corrupting man, set him free; it was the beginning of history. Man had to leave the Garden of Eden in order to learn to rely on his own powers and to become fully human. Fromm offers with these comments an idealistic interpretation of the fall that leaves no place for the concept of original sin. He believes he is supported in this interpretation by the Old Testament tradition because even the prophets confirm the idea that humans have aright to be disobedient. Only after their disobedience can human beings establish a harmony between themselves, other persons, and nature through the forces of reason and love. Fromm even believes that humanity, through new acts of disobedience, has progressed in its development. This applies to humans’ spiritual as well as intellectual development because they liberate themselves from authorities that would not tolerate any new thoughts or any new freedoms for the individual. But in the end of all this I feel that Jackson’s â€Å"The Lottery† brings up it’s main theme as being â€Å" how traditions lose their meaning due to human forgetfulness† which links very well to Fromm’s thoughts on how humans can accept change and not know how to put it to use.

Healthcare Fraud Essay

On May 14, 2013 Attorney General Eric Holder and Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sibelius announced â€Å"nationwide takedown† by Medicare Fraud Strike Force operations, in eight cities that resulted in charges against 89 individuals, which included doctors, nurses and other licensed medical professionals, for their alleged participation in Medicare fraud schemes involving approximately $223 million in false billings. In Chicago, seven individuals were charged, including two doctors, with a variety of health care fraud schemes. This (sixth) nationwide takedown targeted eight cities: Miami, Houston, Los Angles, Detroit, Tampa, Brooklyn N.Y, and Chicago. On April 16, 2013, the owner, senior executive of Sacred Heart Hospital, along with four physicians in the west side facility were arrested for conspiring to pay and receive illegal kickbacks. The kickbacks included more than $225,000 in cash, along with other forms of payment, in exchange for the referral of patients insured by Medicare and Medicaid to the hospital. On Oct 19, 2012, a west suburban dermatologist, Robert Kolbusz, was indicted in U.S. District Court on four counts of wire fraud and three counts of mail fraud. He was accused of submitting false claims for hundreds of patients, according to FBI officials. The Department of Health aand Human Services reported that in fiscal year 2011, in Illinois alone there were: 326 Medicaid fraud investigations, 48 were indicted on Medicaid fraud charges, 30 were convicted, 18 cases of civil settlements/judgments, and $47.8 million dollars was recovered in Medicare fraud cases. There are abundant news stories in the media today about the federal government enforcements against hospitals, laboratories, medical equipment suppliers, hospices, home health agencies, physicians and other health care service providers. Unfortunately, these cases are just the tip-of-the-iceberg with many health care fraud cases going undetected and or unreported. According to Black’s Law Dictionary fraud is defined as â€Å"some deceitful practice or willful device, resorted to with intent to deprive another of his/ her right, or in some manner to do him an injury. It is distinguished from negligence, and is always intentional†. Healthcare fraud is a white-collar crime that usually involves filing health care claims by healthcare service provider to turn a profit for the healthcare service providers. It involves â€Å"an unlawful act, generally deception for personal gain†, and encompasses a wide range of irregularities and illegal acts that  are characterized by intentional deception. (Pozgar, 2011) According to the FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigations) healthcare fraud in our country costs an estimated $80 billion a year- making it one of the biggest â€Å"white-collar-crime†. Health care fraud is committed when a dishonest provider or consumer intentionally submits or causes someone else to submit false or misleading information for use in determining the amount of healthcare benefits payable. (Pozgar, 2011) Health care fraud usually includes insurance fraud, drug fraud and medical fraud. There are several ways by which the health care insurance fraud can be committed by fraudulent health care service providers: 1.) billing for services not rendered, 2.) up-coding of services which is billing the Medicare for services that were more expensive than the ones provided, 3.) up-coding of items which is billing for more expensive items than was provided, 4.) unbundling, wherein a corrupt healthcare service provides bills that stagger over time in order to claim more monies from Medicare, 5.) unnecessary services, 6.) duplicate claims- Medicare is charged twice for the same service and 7.) Kickbacks, which are rewards in cash or kind received by healthcare professionals for recommending or referring specific services for example referring a patient for an MRI even when it’s not required. The findings from the Office of Management and Budget’s fact sheet â€Å"Transforming and Modernizing America’s Health Care†, revealed that the United States spends approximately $8,000 per person on health care. This figure is expected to rise to approximately $4 trillion by 2017. Even the most conservative estimates of the cost of fraud abuse within our health care system range from between $66 billion and $220 billion per year. With the increasing cost of health care in America, the cost of health care fraud abuse could easily rise above $400 billion per year by the year 2017. (Office of Management and Budget’s fact sheet). Therefore, it is safe to say that health care fraud is not only an economic drain on our health care system, but costs our nation the health of its citizens (Semi-Annual Report to Congress, 2009) as it robs the system of the money that would be far better spent on making sick people healthy. Health care fraud not only costs our nation in terms of health care dollars and patient care. It is one of the important factors that has contributed to the increasing cost of the health care services. Due to the immense role played by the healthcare fraud on the economic drain on our health care system and  also on the health of the nation, it is receiving a tremendous attention from both the government and the people. Increasing cost of healthcare is a valid concern for American families and a primary concern for the American government. It affects all individuals, directly or indirectly as the billions of dollars that are lost to the healthcare fraud lead to increased health care costs and increasing the cost of potential coverage, which may further lead to loss of personal income savings leading to ruined credit. Health care fraud is not a victimless crime. (Price & Norris, 2009) The money lost due to fraud increases the costs of providing a full range of legitimate medical services tremendously. Physicians may perform unnecessary procedures to increase reimbursement, which may compromise the safety of the patient. Further, when medical providers bill for services that were never rendered, they end up creating a false medical history for patients which may hinder them from obtaining disability or life insurance policies, at a later date. An inaccurate medical history also influences treatment decisions and allows some third party insurance companies to deny coverage based on a previous medical condition. Health care fraud also tarnishes the reputation of the medical profession and other health care service providers. Additionally, the efforts by the federal and the state government cost taxpayers billions of dollars a year, thus diverting the scarce tax money from other essential services and meeting the needs of elderly and the poor. This diversion of the taxpayer’s money often results in reduced benefit coverage, changes in eligibility for programs such as Medicaid, higher premiums for individuals or their employers, or higher copays. Health care fraud has become a primary issue for people and the government. In the last ten or so years, the government has invested a lot of effort and time on investigating health care fraud with the goal of decreasing its occurrence, and the government continues to initiate new policies, and create investigative bodies to deal specifically with health care fraud. Health care fraud is a critical issue for the government for a variety of reasons. Firstly, given that the government is the principal payer of health care, it is obviously concerned about how that money is spent. Secondly, health care fraud is a waste of taxpayer money. Third, it is the government which is in charge of regulating the health care system. Last but not the least, it is the government that is entrusted with protecting its citizens  from all sorts of criminal and crimes. Health care fraud is a serious problem affecting every patient and consumer. The devastating situation is rooted not only in the excessive financial losses incurred, which often extends into the billions of dollars every year, but also in patient harm. The Department of Justice has declared health care fraud to be its second highest priority, following violent crimes (Kalb, 1999). In the past fifteen years the government has spent millions of dollars fighting health care fraud. In May 2009, the HHS and Department of Justice (DOJ) collaborated to create the Health Care Fraud Prevention and Enforcement Action Team (HEAT). With the creation of HEAT, the battle against the healthcare fraud especially against Medicare and Medicaid fraud became a cabinet-level priority. The HEAT’S mission is to 1.) â€Å"Gather resources across the government to help prevent waste, fraud, and abuse in the Medicare and Medicaid programs. 2) Crack down on the people and organizations who abuse the system and cost Americans billions of dollars each year. 3) Reduce health care costs and improve quality of care by preventing fraudsters from preying on people with Medicare and Medicaid. 4) Highlight best practices by providers and organizations dedicated to ending waste, fraud, and abuse in Medicare. 5.) Build upon the existing partnerships between HHS and DOJ to reduce fraud and recover taxpayer dollars.† (HEAT Task Force Mission) In addition, to creating a task force, the administration also encourages ordinary citizens to report against health care fraud. There are several ways to report a healthcare fraud – a patient or health care provider who may have witnessed a fraud, may report to FBI, at their local office, or telephone and or online forms. â€Å"Stop Medicare fraud† website also provides various tips to citizen to protect themselves from healthcare fraud. Understandably, to completely stop healthcare fraud is a difficult task, but â€Å"the more we know about it, the easier it is to stop† (Blue Cross Blue Shield) References Black’s free online law dictionary Definition of Fraud. (2nd Edition) Retrieved June 13, 2013 http://thelawdictionary.org/fraud/ Blue Cross Blue Shield. Healthcare Fraud Regence. Retrieved June 17, 2013 from htttp://www.regence.com/docs/legal/provider-fraud-brochure.pdf. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Office of the Actuary. National Health Expenditure Projections 2007- 2017 Chicago Tribune, Featured Articles. Retrieved June 13, 2013 from http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2012-10-19/news/ct-tl-downers-dermatologist-charged-20121019_1_medicare-fraud-fraud-cases-medicare-medicaid-services Federal Bureau of Investigations. Healthcare Fraud. Retrieved June 14, 2013 from http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/investigate/white_collar/health-care-fraud Illinois Policy Institute. News & Blogs. Retrieved June 14, 2013 from http://illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5746 Kalb, Paul, E. â€Å"Health Care Fraud and Abuse†. Journal of American Medical Association 282 (1999): 1163-1168. Price. Marilyn & Norris, Donna. Health Care Fraud: Physicians as White collar criminals? Journal of American Academy Psychiatry Law 37:286–9, 2009 Pozgar, George. D (2011). Legal Aspects of Healthcare Administration (11th Edition) Sudbury, MA: Jones & Bartlett Lea rning. Semi-Annual Report to Congress October 1 2008-March 31-2009, Office of the Inspector General Stop Medicare Fraud. HEAT Task Force Mission. Retrieved June 17, 2013 from http://www.stopmedicarefraud.gov/index.html US Department of Health and Human Services. News and Press Release. Retrieved June 13, 2013 from http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2013pres/05/20130514a.html US Department of Justice. News and Press Release. Retrieved June 13, 2013 from http://www.justice.gov/usao/iln/pr/chicago/2013/pr0416_01.html

Evidence of the Armenian Genocide Essay - 779 Words

The Armenian genocide was a systematic eradication of the Armenian population who lived under the Ottoman government. The genocide took place before and after World War I and it was set out in two phases. The first phase was to kill all able bodied men by massacre and forced labor. The second phase was to deport women, children, and the elderly and make them walk through the Syrian Desert in which a lot of people died from lack of food, water and the climate. The total population that had died was between one and one and a half million. Despite the high death rates, Turkey still denies the Armenian genocide took place. The evidence that the genocide took place is that one and a half million of Armenians died, the Armenian genocide is†¦show more content†¦After that, the Turks started arresting Armenian men throughout the entire country. They took the men and they were sent to the outskirts of town. The troops then tied up the men and shot or bayoneted them to death. After t he murder of the men came the children, women and elderly. The Turks told the women, children and elderly to pack their things so they can relocate them to a safer area, but their real intentions were to send them out in a death march. The Armenians walked through the Syrian Desert with lack of food and water and the weather of the Syrian Desert only made it worse for them. Many of the Armenians did not survive the march and died. This was planned out by the Turkish government; they brought no food or water for the Armenians and in some instances, even killed the women, children or elderly. One million people just do not die from starvation without the help of the government. The Turks did not try to help the starving Armenians in their march. In the picture below, you will see evidence of women and children starving throughout the march to the Syrian Desert. Figure 1: Starved Armenian woman with her son in Syrian Desert, 1916. Collection of the Armenian Genocide Museum Institute Archive - See more at: http://www.genocide-museum.am/eng/online_exhibition_3.php#sthash.A1g3Js9s.dpuf The National Archives – Armenian Genocide There are many historical documents, photographs, witness reports that have been recorded and have beenShow MoreRelatedTurks Denying the Truth On 4th century AD, Armenia became the first nation in the world to make1600 Words   |  7 Pagesreligion. Because of that Armenia known as an independent entity. During 15 centuries, Armenia was under Ottoman Empire control. Ottoman Empire was the leader of two different religion groups, Muslims and Christianity. Ottoman Empire treated the Armenians differently. They had to pay higher taxes than the Muslim people. They had very little political and legal rights. Beside their obstacles, they still lived wealthier than the Muslims. For instance, they tended to be better educated than the TurkishRead MoreWas Genocide Committed against the Armenian People in the Ottoman Empire During World War I1597 Words   |  6 PagesWAS GENOCIDE COMMITTED AGAINST THE ARMENIAN PEOPLE IN THE OTTOMAN EMPIRE DURING WORLD WAR I? In some countries, it is highly forbidden to mention the Armenian Genocide, which took place during the First World War with an approximate number of one and a half million Armenians exterminated. Currently around the world, there are still arguments whether genocide took place in the Ottoman Empire, targeting the Armenians. However, Turkey continues to firmly deny the fact that there was genocide, concedingRead MoreIt the Mass Murder in Armenia Genocide or Civil War?946 Words   |  4 Pagesmass murder in Armenia be considered a genocide or civil war? 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The late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries were a dark world for the Armenians who were held helpless and bound at the treac herous hand of the Muslim Turks ofRead MoreExtermination in Genocide1105 Words   |  5 PagesMarch 2012 Extermination in Genocide All genocides that have occurred in human history include various stages that are usually present; however, extermination, the 7th stage of genocide, is one that is present in all genocides. From the Armenian genocide and Darfur genocide, to the Rwandan and Jewish genocides, extermination is ever present in all of these. Extermination is explained to be mass killings of people, which defines the legal term â€Å"genocide†, and is caused when the killersRead MoreThe Armenian Genocide And The Decline Of The Ottoman Empire1671 Words   |  7 PagesI. The primary underlying cause of the Armenian genocide derived from the decline of the Ottoman Empire towards the end of the 19th century, and was based on land dispute, religion, and ultra-nationalism. â€Å"One of the main factors that led to the Armenian genocide is to be found in the mental conditions and characteristics of Turkish National identity† (AkcÃŒ §am, 2004, 59). The Armenians have claimed their home in the southern Caucasus since 7th Century BCE. Throughout many centuries, the MongolRead Moreember World War II, and the effects it caused around the world, especially to the Jewish People.1500 Words   |  6 Pagesconcentration or work camps to be eventually killed off or worked till they are almost dead. People called it the holocaust, and it was the genocide of the Jewish. Genocide is one of the worst things in the world today, as it injured and killed many people. It is referred to having malicious intent of destroying or hurting a specific group. The word â€Å"Genocide† is derived from the Greek word â€Å"Geno-â€Å"which is Greek for race or tribe, while the Latin word â€Å"-Cide† means killing. This word was createdRead More The Horror of Genocide Essay997 Words   |  4 Pagesbut definitely possible. The word genocide, which is also known as ethnic cleansing, is certainly not uncommon to anyone living in this not so perfect world, full of violence, hatred and discrimination. Throughout the decades, genocide has taken place in more than one occasion, causing wars, slaughters and mass destruction of cities and towns. I think that genocide is by far the worst crime in humanity. Hatred, superiority and personal memories are all behind genocide. Everyday, I get more surprisedRead MoreGenocide: The Flaw of Civilization Essay639 Words   |  3 Pagestwentieth-century, the world was unfamiliar with the newly-named phenomenon known as genocide. 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In March of 2007, Dr. Margaret Lavinia Anderson, a Professor Emerita of History at the University of California, Berkeley, published an article in The Journal of Modern History, entitled â€Å"‘Down in Turkey, far away’: Human Rights, the Armenian Massacres, and Orientalism in