1. However, many argue today that it is the wrong approach. One position is that it should be provided by the government in a single payer tax-funded system and the other that individuals should purchase it in the private market where it is subject to market conditions, similar to the way we buy car insurance. I'm interested in your thoughts regarding whether the current system, one of the alternatives above, or something else altogether different is the right approach. And we've discussed this topic in this course when there was no Affordable Care Act, when it was passed and now, where it is really still in the process of implementation, so I'm interested in any thoughts or experiences you have about that. (50 words) 2. They are health savings accounts. http://www.hsacenter.com/index.html Basically the idea is, you (or your employer, or the government, or even all three for that matter) contribute money into a tax free health savings account, from which you can spend money on healthcare costs. It is done in conjunction with a very high deductible insurance policy, so that for smaller expenses, i.e. office visits, prescriptions and so on; you pay for them from your HSA. For high costs, your insurance kicks in and pays for it. Think of it being like homeowners or car insurance policies, where you pay for the small stuff and have an insurance policy that protects you from catastrophic events. What do you think? What are the benefits? The costs? Could these be the answer to our healthcare problem? (50 words) 3. Do you think that companies, organizations, etc., have the right to decide what benefits they offer to certain employees, based off of sexual orientation, etc.? What kind of issues do you think this would cause? Have you ever had a personal instance or know someone who ran into some kind of discrimination in the workplace, which denied them of benefits they should receive? (20 words) 4. Do you believe that Grand Canyon University is correct in stating that they will offer benefits to same-sex marriage couples, but still instill the teachings that, "marriage is the unity of a man and a woman?" Is there some sort of middle area that can back up their reasoning for previously withholding benefits? (20 words) 5. If you were put into a position, where you had to decide on what benefits you were going to receive, what three benefits that are listed in Chapter 13 that are most important to you and why? (Even though I know three might not be enough) (benefits: social security retirement benefits, healthcare, employee wellness programs, flexible spending accounts, general regulatory issues, workers' compensation) (20 words) 6. Which benefit among employee benefits do you consider most valuable and why? (20 words) 7. Should employees be concerned only about their salary or benefits too? Why do you think so? (20 words) 8. Why do you think that benefits are important during a post-recession period? (20 words) 9. The article comes from Labor Relations Today and discusses the recent case where the Regional Director of the NLRB Region 2 dismissed the petition for Student Teaching and Research Assistants to Unionize. The Director dismissed the Petition based on the Board's ruling in Brown University, 342 NLRB 483 (2003). Do you think that Teaching Assistants and Research Assistants should be able to unionize? If so why or why not? What effect would it have on university's if TA's and Research Assistants were allowed to unionize? http://www.laborrelationstoday.com/2015/11/articles/bushboard-reversal/nlrb-regional-director-dismisses-petitionby-union-seeking-to-represent-university-studentteaching-and-research-assistants/ (50 words) 10. Unemployment insurance was one of the social insurance benefits identified in the chapter. It states it has four objectives: A. Offset lost income. B. Help unemployed find work. C. Provide incentive for employers to provide stable employment. D. Preserve investments in worker skills by providing income so they can return to their employer rather than start over with another employer. So it was intended to be a short term fix to help the unemployed get by until they find another job. Congress often passes bills to extend benefits beyond the typical 26 weeks, in some instances recently extending it our for as much as 99 weeks. In your opinion, is unemployment, as presently situated, meeting these four objectives? If not, why not? (50 words)