How Bismarck used wars to bring about the creation of the new German Essay

How Bismarck used wars to bring about the creation of the new German state.Why was Bismarck successful in unifying Germany when the revolution of 1848 failed to do so - Essay Example At that time, Austria was not willing to recognize a united Germany predominated by Prussia. Thus, a meeting was held at Olmutz by Austrians n the November of 1980 which was torn down by Prussians and thus the contract of Prussian Union was given up. This meeting is seen by the Prussian historians as a disgrace of Olmutz. Significantly, the Prussians were more dominant in Zollverein operations and thus the Germans created a union in 1834 to renaissance to free trade. The five German states, comprising Austria, were not part of Zollverein by 1854. Thus, economic empowerment of Prussia was guaranteed again.2 But, this dominance was achieved by Otto von Bismarck during the era of 1815-1898 for Prussia. He was selected as the President in 1862. He inherited the Prussian nobility or better known as Junkers from his father’s side. A highly conservative person, he succeeded to many diplomatic posts. The times of constitutional crisis marked the beginning of his prime minister career. William I (1861-1888), who was a regent since the year 1858, became the then Prussia King in the year 1861 after his brother’s death. This new king was contemptuous towards army receiving more funds and also was disdainful towards the lower house of legislature. King was reluctant to support the established military and wanted to build up his own army. But, he needed tax revenues for this endeavor. Parliament refused to this notion. Thus Bismarck decided to receive taxes somehow, without the parliamentary consent. The loyal people of Prussia paid the taxes; and the King with Bismarck’s assis tance gave birth to a new army. 3 Bismarck needed a strong military because according to him, military power was more than the power of masses. He blew off the liberal constitutionalism as shown by the Frankfurt Assembly. Being a pragmatist, he devised that force was the ultimate success factor; and being a

Lowering The Legal Age of Drinking Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Lowering The Legal Age of Drinking - Essay Example The considerable level of fatal road accident mitigation is one of the potential advantages of the higher drinking age. A study by National Highway Traffic Safety Administration shows that higher drinking ages could save approximately 22,798 lives on American roadways from 1975 to 2003 (msn). Concerned officials say that teens are more unlikely to use seatbelts or helmets when they drink. Likewise, there is a close relationship between teenage drinking and gun/gang crimes. Hence, the lowering of MLDA may adversely affect the country. The MLDA lowering supporters commonly say, â€Å"If you are old enough to go to war, you should be old enough to drink† or â€Å"the drinking –age law just increases the desire for the forbidden fruit†. The military largely recruits youngsters mainly because they can be easily molded t into efficient soldiers. However, the act of recruiting youngsters for the military does not mean that they have grown enough to drink. Scientific stu dies clearly state that drinking is dangerous to teenagers as they are still in the stages of physical and mental development (Mulligan, 25-26). The drunken teenagers are more likely to take risks and that would lead them to dangers. Researches show that when some states had fixed the MLDA as 18, teenagers in those states in between 18 and 21 drank more and liked to drink more as adults. In contrast, youngsters drank less in their early 20s when the states in which they involved had 21 as their MLDA. In the opinion of Gaither (2008), the frustrating impacts of underage drinking range from academic failure to robbery. A person under 21 may not have completed his academic studies. Psychological studies warn that drinking habit would distract the teenagers’ interest from academic studies. In addition, alcohol substances are capable of stimulating risky sexual behaviors, especially of teens. Hence, the lowering of MLDA from 21 also seems to be an issue of public safety and national interests.

Team Case Study 2 The Deepwater Horizon Part 1 Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Team 2 The Deepwater Horizon Part 1 - Case Study Example e, it becomes essentials to ask the difficult yet factual questions in order to obtain every possible view in the management of such disasters even in future. BP just as any other large multinational corporation understood the nature of their industry and the risks expected in such industries. As such, the company should have developed an effective crisis response and management team in order to contain the effects of the accidents. Despite such assumptions, the company could not contain the problem whose effects continued for weeks. Additionally, the company would later spend billions of dollars in an extensive public relations campaign as it sought to absolve itself and reestablish its reputation. Such occurrences portray laxity in the company’s management. Among the factual questions, thus include whether the accident was an act of either omission or commission in the management’s functions, whether the management acted promptly or not and whether the management of the multinational corporation valued the life of its employees and the ecosystem as it envisioned (Weiss

Annotated Bibliography Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Annotated Bibliography - Essay Example In so much, the authors of this particular article present a well-balanced approach to the topic that is been exhaustively studied and analyzed by a variety of different scholars of the past decade. In determining the way in which future actions with regards to technology should take place, an understanding of the key relationship between the human and his/her prosthetic is a vital component which must be understood prior to any informed level of understanding or ideals concerning future dynamics taking place. Gentile, Douglas A., Sarah M. Coyne, and Francesco Bricolo. "Pathological Technology Addictions: What Is Scientifically Known And What Remains To Be Learned." The Oxford handbook of media psychology. 382-402. New York, NY US: Oxford University Press, 2013. PsycINFO. Web. 4 July 2013. ... c to individuals with genetic markers, the given research article promotes the understanding that a predisposition to technological addiction may exist within a certain subset of the society as well. This is an important understanding to integrate with due to the fact that the broad majority of the research which is been conducted on this particular topic seeks to approach the issue from something of a one dimensional aspect. However, once the researcher is able to delineate and understand the fact that not each and every individual within society will be impacted upon the same level with regards technological addiction, and more fair and balanced approach to understanding this particular topic is able to be engaged. Hodis, Monica A., and Gordon C. Bruner II. "Technology Addiction: An Exploratory Study Of The Negative Impact Of Technology On Consumer Welfare." Advances In Consumer Research 36.(2009): 840-842. Business Source Complete. Web. 4 July 2013. Although technological addictio n has an impact upon each and every aspect of an individual’s life, it is oftentimes the case that technological addiction, within the realm of scholarship and research is only understood through the context of psychology and/or sociology. Although true that these two aspects are perhaps the most important means of integrating an understanding of this particular topic, it should also be noted that key understandings and applicable approaches within the realm of business also exist. Within the early stages of technological proliferation within the world, but a few decades ago, marketers and businesses sought desperately to integrate with consumers via this new medium. However, this particular article discusses the means by which technological overdependence is not only harmful to the

Countering Terrorism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Countering Terrorism - Essay Example Different quotas have used different methods trying to stop terrorism all over the world. In essence, the counter terrorism procedure incorporates both the exposure of potential acts and the reaction to related events (Maras, 2012). Counter terrorism is known to include standard police and domestic intelligence. It has both traditional and modern technology. In terms of traditional methods, there is interception of communication and tracing of persons. On the other hand, the new technology entails the range of military and law enforcement operations (Crenshaw, 2010). It is a common occurrence that terrorism has continued to cause pain and suffering on the lives of people all over the world. In fact, every single day does not go down without the act of terrorism being detected in a particular part of the world, as having affected innocent people who happen to be at the wrong place at the wrong time, this is one of the many unfortunate cases that has raised interest in one of the most renowned international defenders of Human Rights organizations, the United Nations, an agenda that is been discussed currently. According to Hughes, et al 2011, the impact of terrorism on human beings has devastating consequences especially on the right to life, liberty and physical integrity of the victims. Additionally, terrorism destabilizes most governments, undermine the freedom of civil society, tampers with peace and security in the conflict zones, as well as, those surrounding them, and further threatens the social and economic development of nations a factor that is tagged on the impact of enjoying human rights. Governments obligation such as security and protection of individuals, which is a basic human right is not respected as expected (Crenshaw, 2010). In the past years, numerous methods have been used by governments and states towards the curbing of terrorism. However, a high percentage of these measures and methods have continually posed challenges to human rights and the rule of law. In fact, some of these states have engaged in human torture and other ill treatments to counter terrorism disregarding the legal and watchdogs that have been put in place to prevent torture. Maras, 2012 argues that, other states and governments have deported suspected persons of engaging in terrorism to their mother countries where they are subjected to excessive torture, over and above, human rights abuse that is directly associated to violation of international legal obligations. Needless to mention, independence of the judiciary had been ignored and undermined by a substantial number of states and governments while the use of special courts to handle suspected persons of terrorism have seriously impacted the normal running of the general court processing. Some of the developing states and government have used resources that are allocated for social programmes and economic development for the security purposes, a situation that has affected the economic, social a nd cultural rights to many. Principally, combating terrorism has been hugely associated with the use of military, human torture, and the abuse of human rights. Apparently, it is essential that states and government should begin using other methods other than military engagement to stop terrorism all over the world. Crenshaw 2010 asserts that some of these methods include; counter terrorism strategy for

Tchaikovsky’s “1812 Overture” Essay Example for Free

Tchaikovsky’s â€Å"1812 Overture† Essay The concert that I chose to review was an online performance of Tchaikovsky’s â€Å"1812 Overture†. This overture is the finale to his Symphony No. 5. The piece that I chose was performed by the Berlin Philharmonic on October 9, 2008 and conducted by Seiji Ozawa. Ozawa has conducted orchestras in Germany, Austria, France and many other countries. He holds the distinction of being, â€Å"the first recipient of Japan’s Inouye Sho†¦recognizing lifetime achievement in the arts† (â€Å"Seiji Ozawa: Conductor). The â€Å"1812 Overture† has movements that have become famous and have been used in movies and on television, but the sections of it that have been used in these places don’t convey the whole feeling of the overture. The â€Å"1812 Overture† as a whole is a moving piece because it combines elements of music to uniquely convey emotion. The overture begins adagio, with the strings playing in a very legato style. The notes are smoothly combined with a slight tremolo to them to evoke emotion. The woodwinds enter next, with the flutes featured legato in accompaniment to the strings. Ozawa conducts with his whole body and his arms seem to move in the same way that he wants to listener to feel the music. The tone of the piece changes when the percussion enters espressivo and joins the wind instruments and the strings. The piece begins to accelerate when the percussion instruments begin to play. An oboe solo contrasts with the percussion’s vibrato. The introduction of the percussion makes the whole orchestra play faster and more allegro. As the brass and percussion instruments increase in speed and volume the entire orchestra plays forte and with force. At about four minutes into the overture as the overture becomes more and more allegro there is a section that echoes the drum section of the overture that has become so famous that will be played later. This opens up a section of grandioso style with all instruments playing forte and allegro, giving the overture an overall lively and quickly moving feeling. There is an interlude that follows this quick movement of the overture. The strings are featured in this movement and the whole movement is played softer, more adagio and with several glissando sections from the stringed and wind instruments to calm the overture down. Here an oboist and flautist each perform a cavatina, a short solo that is part of the larger piece the orchestra is playing. Their solo parts echo the orchestra but also compliment it. From here the overture returns to a vivace tone and all sections play briskly, lively and fast. The timpani accompanies this fast pace with several forte, brisk notes. Ozawa moves the orchestra easily through the overture’s theme and the adagio sections seem to blend easily with the vivace movements and make the overture feel whole and vibrant. There is a wind instrument section shortly after the timpani that leads into the forte, grande finale of the overture that has become so popular. This section features the flutes and clarinets playing a very fast and repetitive section. When I listened to this section I felt that the whole energy of the overture was accelerating. This was accompanied by timpani and percussion making the movement more forceful and forte. The overture continues to build and accelerate in volume and pace as it reaches its finale. As the strings speed up the brass section joins them to make the movement more forceful. The percussion joins in with bells that seem almost dissonant to the other instruments. This feeling of semi-dissonance is because the other sections are all playing fast, repetitive fifth note tremolo progressions while the bells seem to be playing almost at random. The bells didn’t quite seem to fit with the rhythm of the other instruments at this point to me, but as the movement progressed towards the finale I understood how the bells fit in to the whole piece. The bells play in a similar tone as the other instruments, so even though they are playing in a completely different time signature they don’t seem completely out of place. I enjoyed watching the bells being played during this section also because the bells used are so large they were almost the size of the man playing them. This somehow made them seem even more powerful and forceful when they were being played. As the movement progresses it slows down briefly once more, becoming slightly more adagio but the bells don’t stop. The bells continue to play and act as a bridge to bring the othe r sections into the grande finale section. In the final moments of the overture the percussion and brass sections seem to take over. The whole finale is played very grande, with all of the instrumental sections combining to give the overture a very big, encompassing feel. In the performance notes for a performance by the Burgess Hill Symphony Orchestra, Sonia Hill describes the overture as, â€Å"a festive and patriotic piece to immortalize Napoleon’s defeat and celebrate the liberation of the Russians† (Hill) and this final movement illustrates that inspiration. Ozawa’s body language changes during this final movement also, and he begins to move as quickly and forcefully as he wants the orchestra to play. If the other instrumental sections were not playing as forte as they are, the percussion section would probably drown them out. The end is punctuated by many staccato sections from the brass instruments that echo the forte notes by the percussion section. This is then contrasted right afterwards by longer, smoother notes from the woodwind section. The reason the end of the overture is so memorable and powerful is because of that contrast between the forte percussion playing huge, booming notes, the brass playing staccato and vivace, and the wind sections providing tremolo sections that accompany them. The final moments and notes of the finale feature rolling sequences by the timpani. These rolls seem to signal that the overture is ending, but they also contribute to the grande tone that is meant to leave a lasting impression on the listener. The pace of the orchestra slows down from the frantic pace a few seconds ago and here the strings play forte but smoothly, bringing all the sections of the orchestra together and also signalling the end of the overture. The overture ends with each listener remembering the power of that final movement. Works Cited â€Å"Overture 1812†. YouTube. May 29 2010. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=blroZTvCOMQfeature=related â€Å"Repertoire: 1812 Overture†. The Burgess Hill Symphony Orchestra. May 2004. May 28 2010. http://www.bhso.org.uk/repert-173-Tchaikovsky-1812-Overture-Op-49.htm â€Å"Seiji Ozawa: Conductor†. Welcome to the World of the Bach Cantatas. 12 January 2010. May 28 2010. http://www.bach-cantatas.com/Bio/Ozawa-Seiji.htm

Impacts of Rising Healthcare Costs in the US

Impacts of Rising Healthcare Costs in the US Assessment 3: International Policies and Economic Dilemmas INTRODUCTION Health is highly valued by the community, and many would agree that â€Å"Health is indeed Wealth†. In this constantly changing environment what becomes of the counties’ financial wealth when health care costs are expanding beyond national income? In a New York Times interview, Victor Fusch argued that all our fiscal problems will be solved when the solution to healthcare spending is formulated (Koalata, 2012). How are countries able to cope with the increasing cost of healthcare spending while remaining fiscally sustainable? Sustainability of a decent healthcare system is further challenged by the global economic down-turn. High-quality healthcare is not necessarily expensive but does take a huge chunk of the government budget especially for countries with universal healthcare. While developed countries struggle to provide universal coverage, poorer nations find it hard to afford even the most basic health care services. IMPACT OF INCREASING HEALTHCARE COST TO NATIONAL AND INTERNATONAL POLICIES Healthcare is a challenging area for all nations. Cost, access and quality are three main factors that need careful consideration in healthcare policy regulation. The sky rocketing cost of healthcare is a gradually expanding international dilemma and its impact on a national and international level will be discussed in the following section. 2.1 International comparison: How does the U.S fare with other developed countries? The ailing healthcare system of the United States is no news to the world. For decades the healthcare system has placed a substantial amount of pressure on the country’s fiscal sustainability and at most a root cause of its fiscal problems (Koalata, 2012). On 2010, the United States spent about $8,508 USD per person which is 17.7% of its GDP (Gross Domestic Product). That is 2.5 more than most of the developed countries’ healthcare expenditure like Canada (14.7% of GDP, $4,522 per person), New Zealand (9.5% of GDP, $3,925 per person) and United Kingdom (9.4% of GDP, $5,643 per person) where healthcare is universal (The Commonwealth Fund, 2013). Apart from rising administrative costs, another reason for the United States’ grandiose spending lies on its complex billing system- one that is arguably biased. In this system, healthcare providers can hand-pick their patients (Koalata, 2012). A more expensive health insurance mostly increases the likelihood of care, treatment and hospital admission or physician consultation. Therefore in most cases, people with private insurance are more eligible for healthcare services compared to the ones with government subsidised insurance such as Medicare and Medicaid. This leaves the country with a high level of inequity with regards to healthcare services. People who are underinsured, in many cases, might as well be considered uninsured. The United States Healthcare system is currently a mess, it has been for years now. In fact no country is as economically healthy as it is expected to be in lieu with their respective healthcare systems, although countries like Sweden and Canada surpass others in this regard (The Commonwealth Fund, 2013). Globally, the increasing cost for healthcare is due to numerous factors such as; an increasing ageing population, advancing technology, increasing expectations due to increasing income and a widening range of new treatments (The Commonwealth Fund, 2013). 2.2 Addressing increasing costs in healthcare Every country has its respective healthcare issues. It is perfectly understood that no healthcare system is flawless. Every policy has its trade-offs. The measure of a successful policy however, lies on its flexibility and sustainability. 2.2.1 Cost-containment Cost-containment allows countries to put a cap on healthcare spending. In contrast to the United States, France and Japan use a common fee schedule which allows them to pay hospitals, doctors and other healthcare providers a uniform rate for most of the patients that they attend to. In addition, Japan ensures flexibility by lowering fees to certain areas that are growing faster than projected (The Commonwealth Fund, 2013). Similarly, The National Fund for the Insurance of Employed Workers (CNMATS) in France closely monitors spending on all kinds of services (The Commonwealth Fund, 2013). If a particular area grows faster than expected, CNMATS intervenes by lowering the cost of the specific service (The Commonwealth Fund, 2013). Other interventions include monitoring prescription medication. Whenever appropriate, the physicians are encouraged to use cheaper generic drugs by employees in insurance funds sent by the CNMATS (The Commonwealth Fund, 2013). In the United States, cost containment is very inflexible . Because the healthcare system mostly runs on private insurances, business owners have the choice of asking providers to contain their costs or passing on higher costs to patients with higher premiums. 2.2.2 Re-organizing Health care Information and communications technology effectively cuts down healthcare costs. Cutting back on healthcare professionals’ workload can immensely save a couple of dollars per hour. For example, Sweden uses electronic drug prescription where a message is sent directly from the doctor’s office to the pharmacy (The Commonwealth Fund, 2013). This particular intervention cuts back an hour or two of the pharmacists’ work per day. Not only is the intervention efficient, it also increases effectiveness due to a decrease in medical errors. Another intervention would be admitting acute care patients in a community setting rather than a hospital setting (The Commonwealth Fund, 2013). Hospital admissions are far more expensive than clinics privately owned or governmentally operated. A health workforce mix can also be used to cut back on physician costs wherein nurses and pharmacists are allowed to do some of the physicians’ responsibilities (The Commonwealth Fund, 20 13). In a way, heath care mix alleviates the health workforce crisis at some extent. Impact on International Policies The World Health Organisation has made it clear that prevention is better than cure and is less expensive in most cases. As of 2013, WHO has focused on the prevention of communicable and non-communicable disease. Community and Public interventions mandated by WHO include cost-effective policies such as tax and price increase on tobacco products (The Commonwealth Fund, 2013). Developed and developing countries including Bangladesh, Egypt and Pakistan have gained substantial amount of profit and have saved many lives due to the regulation of the said policy (The Commonwealth Fund, 2013). Less smokers lead to lesser cardiovascular and pulmonary disorders (i.e. arteriosclerosis- a major pre-cursor to heart attacks and stroke, asthma and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disorder). In addition taxes on alcoholic beverages have also been regulated which has significantly decreased accidents related to alcohol intoxication and cirrhosis occurrences (The Commonwealth Fund, 2013). Non-communicable diseases such as diabetes and high blood pressure are very costly. Treatment and management of non-communicable diseases such as diabetes and high blood pressure are very costly. Majority of NCD’s can be averted through interventions and policies that reduce major risk factors- such as obesity. Many preventive measures are cost-effective and have quick impact on the burden of disease at the population level. All the said preventative measures decreased the number of unnecessary disability and mortality which significantly cut back on health costs. POLICY INTERVENTION SOLUTION TO RISING HEALTH CARE COST 3.1 Education and Training A healthy population leads to sound development. With education, public awareness and training countries will be able to provide the necessary community healthcare needs –especially in rural areas. In other words, education leads to economic growth and a major tool in the solution of today’s economic crisis. New technology and new development of vaccines and chemotherapeutic agents are incapable of change on their own. They need vectors–healthcare workers who are well-trained and adequately motivated, to make a difference. Education and training provides public protection against environmental hazards and control of communicable diseases such as HIV- an estimated 35.3 (32.2–38.8) million carriers as of 2012 (WHO, 2008). A shortage of 4.3 million trained healthcare workers has been reported on 2006 (WHO, 2008). This shortage coupled with the burden of infectious and non-communicable diseases in developing countries and the ageing population in developed countries are placing increasing demands on health systems worldwide and are resulting in avoidable deaths and unnecessary disabilities. In addition to provision of treatment and care, healthcare workers are necessary in the spread of health awareness. One method that has proven effective in decreasing healthcare cost is the self-management program (The Commonwealth Fund, 2013). The said program reduces the use of healthcare services among people with chronic illnesses. In the U.S about 70% of all healthcare expenditures are related to chronic illnesses. Recent studies have shown that a person can cut back on 2 years’ worth of healthcare expenditures (an average of USD $590) with a brief self-management training (The Commonwealth Fund, 2013). Apart from health improvement and less deterioration, the program also cuts on hospital stays and outpatient visits. 3.2 Tax Benefits and Payments to Caregivers Tax benefits serve as indirect compensation to caregivers wherein governments aim to encourage family members and relatives to assume the informal caregiver role. Through this policy, the cost of healthcare is minimised through reduction or delay of an individual’s institutionalization. Every country’s compensation plan differs from one another. Incentives are provided to suite the community’s need in lieu with the country’s provision capacity. Canada for example, gives out personal credits or what is often called as the â€Å"equivalent to spouse credit†- tax deductible incentives (Canadian Centre of Elder Law, 2013). In addition, Medical expenses credit is also available to further support caregivers with respective medical expenses (Canadian Centre of Elder Law, 2013). Even though Canada has a seemingly good compensation plan, it misses the ‘direct’ compensation aspect of the Caregiving Policy. In contrast, Australia, United Kingdom and France are able to provide direct compensation to informal caregivers wherein actual payments are given to care recipients for their services (Canadian Centre of Elder Law, 2013). U.K provides Care Allowances to support family caregivers via social security programs instead of providing tax incentives. In Australia, the ‘Carer Payment’ provides a bi-weekly benefit to caregivers where caregivers from both low to high-income families are supported (Canadian Centre of Elder Law, 2013). Approximately AUD $1,450 per month plus an annual bonus is provided by the government to support informal caregivers. In some European countries the ‘Family Caregiver Wage’ exists where family caregivers are given wages the same as a paid caregiver (Canadian Centre of Elder Law, 2013). 3.3 Respite Care Certain studies conducted in the United States, showed that the level of disability or care is directly proportional to work absences and inversely proportional to job acceptances (The Commonwealth Fund, 2013). Therefore, respite care is provided to support and provide temporary relief for family caregivers. Respite care can be utilized regularly or irregularly based on the caregivers’ transgression. Similar studies have showed that respite care results in fewer hospital admission and lower emotional health problems for both caregivers and care recipients (The Commonwealth Fund, 2013). Caregiver stress is a common problem for informal caregivers. Respite care prevents caregiver burn-out and relieves care-giver stress. These short breaks allow the caregivers to attend to urgent matters or provide themselves with the vacation that they deserve. The prevention of caregiver health problems through respite care eventually lowers healthcare cost. Business Regulation Combining Work and Caregiving ­ For the past decades, many employers have implemented working policies, programs and incentives for employees’ work-family needs. The work-family agenda that family advocates and professional human resource associations promote recognizes how difficult it is to juggle responsibilities at home with those at work. Employers are encouraged to embrace a work-family agenda not only because it creates a more positive relationship between employers and their employees, but it has positive economic effects as well. Failure to address family issues may cost employers billions annually due to lost productivity (Canadian Centre of Elder Law, 2013). Flexible workplace policies enhance employee’s productivity, reduce absenteeism, reduce costs, and appear to have positive effects on profit. In addition, these policies aid on the efforts of recruitment and retention wherein employers tend to retain a talented and knowledgeable workforce while money that would otherwise be used in the recruitment, selection and training of a new employee would be retained. Family has been referred to as the building block of a community. A healthy family is productive to both state government and business community. Therefore, the government must monitor the needs of the working force to sustain a productive economy. Financial support and provision of pension credits for care giving Reduced participation in paid employment has significant consequences for the family caregiver’s pension security. Lower income earnings undermine the caregiver’s ability to save for retirement and reduce accumulated pension credits (Canadian Centre of Elder Law, 2013). Informal Caregiving remains the least expensive form of care. In a household where people have to cut back on working hours or quit their jobs altogether, comprehensive measures need to be put in place to compensate for the services provided by caregivers. Although this area of provision remains inadequate to sustain most care-giver needs, many countries have paved the way for its innovation. ‘Carer Pension’ in Australia and Norway are provided to care givers who have not sustained employment due to their caregiver roles. Other Pension plans in Germany, France, U.K and Sweden act as contributions for family caregivers. CONCLUSION Healthcare cost inflation has risen yet again after its hibernation during the 1990’s. Billions are spent on healthcare cost annually with the United States at the forefront. Along with rising healthcare cost is rising dissatisfaction on the system. People are struggling to accept the price hike on healthcare indirectly proportional to the quality of the system. People’s dissatisfaction coupled with the impending crisis because of the healthcare price hike, policy makers have started to look on possible reforms to decrease healthcare costs without compromising access and quality. Expensive healthcare is increasingly becoming a burden especially to developing countries where healthcare provisions are of the most basic. Increasing cost of healthcare also increases the inequity gap for all countries. It means more people in poverty are getting lesser care and treatment than people above the poverty line. This goes against internationally established healthcare ethics. Unless a compromise or a solution is set in motion as soon as possible, problems arising from rising healthcare costs will become much more of a burden tomorrow that they are today. Strategies to contain or even reduce healthcare costs have been tried in recent years. Further education and training have been encouraged especially to poorer nations in an attempt to eradicate the shortage of healthcare workers and professionals. Adequate healthcare workers make a huge difference on a micro-economic and macro-economic level. In a bacterial or viral view, more vectors means faster transmission of illnesses and higher rates of mutation thus a swifter eradication of the human race. This theory applied to the healthcare worker shortage mean more workers for economic stability and more people against the spread of illness. Examples of these policies have been mentioned in the previous section. Education and Training is just one step that can make a huge difference when regulated properly and consistently. Caregiver incentives such as tax relief, pension credits and security benefits financially assist informal caregivers. These policies enable a more personal care provided to family members who are disabled, ageing or just incapable of self-maintained care. The international overview of these policies pave the way for a global reform. Although changes will be country specific, developing countries or other developed countries can make use of the template provided by the nations who have undergone reforms with positive outcomes. It is then important to look at evidence-based practice to further every nation’s development. Lastly, business policies on caregivers need to be put in careful consideration due to possible caregiver discrimination. A strong workforce is needed for an economy to remain sustainable. It is mostly through taxes gathered from the working class that a nation is able to operate. Thus employers have to be encouraged to establish a good relationship with its employees with regards to work hours and work incentives. No matter how many policies are put in place and no matter how many times a nation reforms its healthcare system, flexibility and sustainability of all the policies need to be solidified first. Trying times call for desperate measures and I believe that unless solutions are formulated soon, either the economy will fail or nations will give more of the citizens’ healthcare responsibilities at their own cost. To remain fiscally sustainable and capable of high quality healthcare provision, individual countries need to learn from each other’s policies and reforms. There is no ‘magic bullet’ for this healthcare dilemma but history has recorded that international cooperation remains the world’s only hope for any global struggle. References: Canadian Centre of Elder Law. (2013). Family Caregiving. Vancouver. Author. Kolata, G. (2012, March 5). Knotty Challenges in Health Care Costs. The New York Times. D6. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com The Commonwealth Fund. (2013). International Profiles of Health Care Systems, 2013. New York: Author. World Health Organisation [WHO]. (2008). Scaling Up, Saving Lives. London. Author. 1