CM Model UN



The Obama CabinetChairs: Isabella McIntyre, Meghan HobbsLetter from the ChairDear Delegates, My name is Isabella McIntyre, and I am one of your chairs. I am a senior at Ursuline Academy. This is my fourth year as a member of Model United Nations but my first time chairing at a conference. I am excited to see all of you debate during this committee. My name is Meghan Hobbs. I am a senior at Ursuline Academy, and this is my fourth year as a member of Model United Nations as well. This will also be my first time chairing at a conference. I cannot wait to hear all of your arguments during debate.We welcome you to the committee President Barack Obama’s 2008 Cabinet focused on socialized healthcare and pandemic preparedness. We have prepared this document with the purpose of providing a general idea of the issue and its significance. This briefing guide is merely a starting point for your research. If you have any questions do not hesitate to reach out to either of us. Position papers are not required but if you wish to do one and want to send it to us, feel free! Our contact information will be listed below. Isabella McIntyre ‘21 & Meghan Hobbs ‘21imcintyre21@, mhobbs21@Statement of the Issue In 2010 the The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act was passed. This Act is a new healthcare system in which more people will have access to healthcare. However, this act comes with both positive and negative effects on Americans. As Americans continue to debate this new healthcare and argue as to whether this healthcare benefits all Americans, the Ebola virus breaks out in 2014. As the virus is killing thousands across the world, the United States government must first find a way to prevent the virus from coming onto the United States soil. The government also has to find a way to aid the countries being directly affected by Ebola. Lastly, the cabinet must find a way to save the United States’ citizens from the Ebola epidemic before it becomes a pandemic while attempting to avoid a total economic shutdown. In previous years, there was a market crash under the Obama administration. With the economy already in a precarious position, it is more important than ever to consider the economic implications that Ebola could have on the country especially if it were to become a pandemic. Virus updates throughout the presidential term will prove crucial to the strategy employed by the presidential cabinet. Good luck. The fate of the United States’ citizens are in your ic A: Healthcare The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (often referred to as Obamacare) was signed into law by President Obama on March 23, 2010. Before this, no major changes had been made to the healthcare system since 1965, when Medicare and Medicaid were established. Obama and his Cabinet worked tirelessly and moved quickly to pass the Act. At the signing of the act, Obama stated that the act guarantees “the core principle that everybody should have some basic security when it comes to their health care”. The Act extends insurance to more than 30 million uninsured people, primarily by expanding Medicaid and providing federal subsidies. Many Americans who are unemployed or had low-paying jobs have benefitted from the enactment of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) as they have received insurance coverage. People can no longer be denied coverage from an insurance company solely because they have a pre-existing health condition. Additionally, with the ACA, insurance companies can no longer have a preset dollar limit on the coverage that they give to their customers. More screenings are now covered and prescription drugs cost less. “According to a Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services press release from 2017, Medicare beneficiaries have saved over $26.8 billion on prescription drugs under Obamacare,” (Roland). Although there are many pros of the ACA, some middle and upper-class Americans have disapproved of certain aspects of the act. The ACA is extremely expensive which has resulted in an increase in insurance premiums as well as taxes which are both used to pay for the ACA. Multiple new taxes were put into law to help pay for the ACA, including taxes on medical devices and pharmaceutical sales as well as increased taxes for those with large incomes. Businesses are also cutting employee hours to avoid covering the insurance of employees. The rule is that a business with 50 or more full-time employees must offer insurance or make payments to cover healthcare expenses for employees. By minimizing hours of working, businesses escape the 30-hour-per-week definition of a full-time employee. Since the Act has been passed, there has been a large amount of controversy and debate as to whether the ACA is a fitting health-care plan for Americans. Topic B: The Ebola Outbreak On March 23, 2014 the World Health Organization reported 49 confirmed cases and 29 deaths resulting from the Ebola Virus disease in southeastern Guinea. These cases quickly spread to Liberia, Sierra Leone, Italy, Mali, Nigeria, Senegal, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The United States had to figure out how to respond to this quickly spreading disease both internationally and domestically. There would eventually be 11,323 deaths across the world as Ebola tore apart entire communities and countries. The United States must come up with a preventative plan to try and keep the virus out of the United States as well as a way to help the countries that are being greatly affected by the virus. Along with these plans, the United States must make sure that they are avoiding an economic shutdown. They must make sure that they have the money and resources to protect the United States, help other countries, and avoid economic turmoil throughout this time. Cabinet Members and PositionsPresident: Barack Obama (2009-2017)During the Ebola outbreak in 2014, President Obama utilized professionals from the CDC to take care of the issue on the front lines of West Africa before the outbreak became a pandemic. Obama wanted to avoid more cases of Ebola, especially in the United States, because it could lead to a public health crisis during an already fragile economic state. Vice President of the United States: Joseph Biden (2009-2017) Vice President Biden saw the Ebola Outbreak as a global security threat. He believes that the order in the world since the end of World War II was fraying and he was worried of a pandemic arising. Secretary of State: John Kerry (2013-2017)Secretary of State John Kerry urged for greater international response to the Ebola outbreak and called for more preparation for disease outbreaks, including long-term strategic planning.Secretary of the Treasury: Jack Lew (2013-2017)He believed the countries hardest hit by the Ebola outbreak should have their debt forgiven to free up resources available to respond to the epidemic. He asked the International Monetary Fund to use the special trust fund set up for poor countries coping with catastrophic natural disasters to write off the debt.Secretary of the Defense: Chuck Hagel He disagreed with the President on use of the military during the Ebola outbreak and the mandatory quarantine for soldiers returning from the fight against the Ebola outbreak on the frontlines.Attorney General: Eric Holder (2009-2015)He attended all the meetings about the response to the outbreak as one of his chief duties as Attorney General is to direct the administration. He would have to make sure the response is legal and constitutional. The main priority would be to defend against the threat Ebola poses to the country. Secretary of Commerce: Penny Pritzker (2013-2017)She was a big part of discussions with the CDC on how to deal with the Ebola virus outbreak. She wanted to ensure the virus was contained so that American businesses would not be apprehensive.Secretary of Labor: Thomas Perez (2013-2017)He worked to make sure American jobs remain unaffected by the outbreak to avoid an economic downturn.Secretary of Health and Human Services: Sylvia Burwell (2014-2017)As the top health official, she provided the science behind the regulations being put in place. The Department provided money for the advancement of treatment of Ebola and helped with the plans for pandemic preparedness. She believed in taking the knowledge gained from Ebola to prepare for future public health crises.Secretary of Homeland Security: Jeh Johnson (2013-2017)He previously was the General Counsel of the Department of Defense from 2009 to 2012 during the first years of the Obama Administration. He had a role in defining the availability of Obamacare to immigrants and those implications. The Department of Homeland Security worked closely with the CDC and National Security Council to formulate the response to the Ebola outbreak. Chief of Staff: Denis McDonough (2013-2017)Deputy National Security Adviser Denis McDonough replaced Jack Lew as chief of staff. McDonough was No. 2 on the National Security Council staff as well as a senior foreign policy adviser in the 2008 campaign. He headed communications in the early days of the administration. He is a former House International Relations Committee aide before becoming a senior policy adviser to former South Dakota Sen. Tom Daschle. The Chief of Staff’s job is to manage the flow of information, to protect the interests of the president, and to negotiate with Congress, other members of the executive branch, and extra-governmental political groups to implement the president's agenda. Chair of the Council of Economic Advisers: Jason Furman (2013-2017)In 2008, Furman joined Barack Obama's presidential campaign as the Economic Policy Director. Initially, Furman's appointment as a campaign adviser had been criticized by some labor activists for his defense of Walmart's business model. He was one of the architects of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, including stimulus-spending initiatives to benefit the poor as well as business tax incentives. Furman is also credited with helping to create the administration's corporate tax-overhaul plan, influencing fiscal policy negotiations, and for helping to design and negotiate the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. His appointment to the role was met with bipartisan support. He had to manage the budget during the Ebola outbreak, and has made statements regarding the economy during a pandemic is something to be worried about once the public health crisis is over.Questions to ConsiderIs The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act benefitting and protecting all Americans? Should it be repealed or is it viable? Is The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act too expensive? Are taxes too high because of the act? Economically, how will the Ebola virus affect the United States?How should the United States respond to the virus?What role will the ACA play in the administration’s response to the Ebola virus outbreak?Works Cited“2014-2016 Ebola Outbreak in West Africa.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 8 Mar. 2019, vhf/ebola/history/2014-2016-outbreak/index.html.“Barack Obama's Health Care Reform Bill Explained.” Health for California Insurance Center, obamacare/explained.“FACT SHEET: The U.S. Response to the Ebola Epidemic in West Africa.” National Archives and Records Administration, National Archives and Records Administration, obamawhitehouse.the-press-office/2014/10/06/fact-sheet-us-response-ebola-epidemic-west-africa.“Home.” Affordable Health California, timeline-obamacare/.Jennifer Kates“The U.S. Response to Ebola: Status of the FY2015 Emergency Ebola Appropriation.” KFF, 13 Mar. 2019, global-health-policy/issue-brief/the-u-s-response-to-ebola-status-of-the-fy2015-emergency-ebola-appropriation/#:~:text=On November 5, 2014, President,funding (see Table 1).“The Obama Administration's Ebola Response.” National Archives and Records Administration, National Archives and Records Administration, obamawhitehouse.ebola-response.“Obama's Inner Circle: Who's in, Who's out?” CNN, Cable News Network, interactive/2012/11/politics/obama-cabinet/index.html.Oberlander, Jonathan, et al. “Long Time Coming: Why Health Reform Finally Passed.” Health Affairs, 1 June 2010, doi/full/10.1377/hlthaff.2010.0447.Roland, James. “The Pros and Cons of Obamacare.” Healthline, Healthline Media, 17 Aug. 2019, health/consumer-healthcare-guide/pros-and-cons-obamacare#cons.Pritzker, Penny. “U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker Delivers Remarks at the Discover Global Markets Sub-Saharan Africa Business Forum.” United States Department of Commerce, 5 November 2014, 2010-2014.news/secretary-speeches/2014/11/05/us-secretary-commerce-penny-pritzker-delivers-remarks-discover-gl.html. Obama, Barack. “Remarks by the President on the Ebola Outbreak.” The White House, 16 September 2014, obamawhitehouse.the-press-office/2014/09/16/remarks-president-ebola-outbreak. Killough, Ashley. “Joe Biden explains how Ebola is like ISIS.” CNN Politics, 3 October 2014, 2014/10/03/politics/biden-ebola-isis/index.html. ................
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