Why Do People Die From Eating Disorders

Why Do People Die From Eating Disorders Eating Disorders Awareness and Prevention Print Why Intervention Is Necessary to Prevent Eating Disorder Deaths By Lauren Muhlheim, PsyD, CEDS facebook twitter linkedin Lauren Muhlheim, PsyD, is a certified eating disorders expert and clinical psychologist who provides cognitive behavioral psychotherapy. Learn about our editorial policy Lauren Muhlheim, PsyD, CEDS Medically reviewed by Medically reviewed by Steven Gans, MD on January 21, 2016 Steven Gans, MD is board-certified in psychiatry and is an active supervisor, teacher, and mentor at Massachusetts General Hospital. Learn about our Medical Review Board Steven Gans, MD Updated on July 27, 2019 More in Eating Disorders Awareness and Prevention Symptoms Treatment Diagnosis We often hear about the dangers of obesity, but we hear less commonly about the risks of eating disorders. Eating disorders may seem benign, but this is  a myth. Every 62 minutes someone dies as a direct result of an eating disorder. Early intervention markedly improves treatment outcome, which is one reason to ensure individuals with eating disorders receive a prompt diagnosis and access to treatment, preferably evidenced-based wherever possible. Mortality Rates in People With Eating Disorders Studies report varying death rates from eating disorders, but there are common findings. Collectively, eating disorders have the highest death rates among all mental illnesses. In most studies,  anorexia nervosa  has the highest mortality rate of the various eating disorders. In  a study by Fichter and colleagues, individuals with anorexia nervosa experienced a standardized mortality rate of 5.0 â€" that is, they were five times more likely to have died over the study period than age-matched peers in the general population. Individuals with  bulimia nervosa  and  binge eating disorder  had a standardized mortality rate of 1.5 (were 1.5 times more likely to die than peers without eating disorders). A meta-analysis by Arcelus and colleagues found similar standardized mortality rates to Fichter’s study: 5.86 for anorexia nervosa, 1.93 for bulimia nervosa, and 1.92 for eating disorder not otherwise specified (EDNOS). Research has demonstrated higher death rates for bulimia nervosa and EDNOS than these figures. According to one study, the mortality rate for anorexia nervosa patients aged 25 to 44 followed after hospital discharge was 14 times that of age-matched non-eating disordered peers.  (That’s 14 times!) Identifying Eating Disorders Causes of Eating Disorder Deaths Eating disorders cause a number of medical problems. No system of the body is immune to the effects of malnutrition. As for causes of death, suicide and cardiovascular complications top the list. Fichter and colleagues found that three-quarters of the deaths for patients with an anorexia nervosa diagnosis were due to  cardiovascular complications  related to low body weight. A study by Huas and colleagues found that there are two main predictors of death for individuals with bulimia nervosa: a history of prior suicide attempts and a lower minimum BMI. Across a number of studies, suicide is a common cause of death, and an elevated suicide rate is found amongst all eating disorder diagnoses. Studies have shown that approximately 20% of the individuals with anorexia who had died had committed suicide, and 23% of the bulimia nervosa deaths were from suicide.   Patterns and Predictors of Death Patients with anorexia nervosa seem to tend to die at an earlier age than those with bulimia nervosa or binge eating disorder, primarily in early adulthood. Predictors of shorter time to death include a higher number of lifetime eating disorder hospitalizations, premature discharge from the hospital, alcohol abuse, older age of eating disorder onset, poorer social adjustment, and lower body mass index at the time of hospitalization. The Importance of Taking Eating Disorders Seriously Often, people with eating disorders won’t know they have a problem or an eating disorder. It is common for patients with eating disorders to believe that their problem is not serious. If you are a loved one of a person with an eating disorder, please encourage your loved one to get help. If you are suffering from an eating disorder and are not in treatment, please reach out to a treatment professional. With treatment, most people with eating disorders do recover! An Overview of Eating Disorder Treatments

The Healthcare Debate On Healthcare - 1312 Words

The Healthcare Debate Healthcare has been a hotly debated topic in both of the last two presidential elections. As the cost of healthcare in America continues to rise, more Americans struggle to pay doctor and hospital expenses. Health insurance is suppose to provide money to pay for medical expenses, but as costs rise so do the insurance rates. Many Americans find private insurance is too expensive. As a result, many middle class Americans and low income households decide to go uninsured forcing taxpayers to cover their medical expenses along with there own. While every American politician can agree, Healthcare is a huge problem in America, the Democratic and Republican parties have very different approaches to solving the issue. Upon considering the facts of both proposals, Obamacare should be abolished in favor of the Healthcare reforms proposed by the Republican party. The cost of healthcare in America is out of control. As the medical costs continue to rise, many Americans, esp ecially those considered low income, have decided to just live uninsured. Low income families are considered individuals, who make less than $15,521 a year and families of 4 members, who make $31,721 or less in a year (Leonard). As of 2013, 10.8 million were listened as low income households in America, which is a 18.6% rise from the previous survey (Leonard). Basically, these families cannot afford to pay for private medical insurance. As a matter of fact, there are 70 million people coveredShow MoreRelatedThe Debate over Healthcare in America886 Words   |  4 PagesHealthcare sits at the center of a major debate in America today. There are a number of questions that surround this debate. Some argue that healthcare should be a right that people are entitled to, while others argue for a system where healthcare is more of a luxury. Overall, the political environment surrounding healthcare in America has been shifting and also the topic of much consternation over the last three to f our years. In order to understand this particular situation, one must approach itRead MoreThe Inexorable Healthcare Debate On America2020 Words   |  9 PagesLena Zhu Mr. Platt AP United States History 30 November 2014 A Solution to the Inexorable Healthcare Debate in America Every person has the right to receive healthcare of the highest standards. The human right to health, supported by Article 25 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, states that everyone has the right to the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health, which includes access to all medical services, sanitation, adequate food, decent housing, healthy working conditionsRead MoreGovernment Healthcare Debate Essay1821 Words   |  8 PagesShould the government provide health care? In most developed economies health care is one of the two largest government expenditures. However, there has been a huge debate over the decision to provide health care to who cannot afford to provide it for themselves. Even though many believe that the government should not be responsible for providing health care, there are many sick uninsured people who would disagree. People without health care should not be discriminated against for getting sick itRead MoreThe Debate over Socialized H ealthcare1894 Words   |  8 PagesThe Debate over Socialized Healthcare The topic of socialized healthcare has been a hot topic for awhile, with both sides having great arguments it’s hard to make a decision. Both sides should strive to meet in the middle, so less people will suffer the consequences of not having healthcare. No matter what side people take it is obvious that a change needs to happen. Our current health care system is a mess, and no one is benefiting from the system, expect for the greedy drug and insurances companiesRead MoreSocialized Medicine and the Current Healthcare Debate934 Words   |  4 PagesSocialized medicine and the current healthcare debate One of the most demonized terms in American political discourse is socialism. When various healthcare reform proposals are being discussed, it is common to condemn them as socialized medicine if they call for greater government intervention to enable universal coverage of all Americans. However, socialized medicine refers to a very specific system of providing healthcare and virtually no American politician has dared to propose what wouldRead MoreTransgender Inclusive Healthcare : A Hot Debate Topic Over The Last Couple Of Years Essay1968 Words   |  8 Pagesinclusive healthcare has been a hot debate topic over the last couple of years throughout the world. Transgender inclusive healthcare is healthcare that provides covering for counseling, hormone replacement therapy, and gender confirmation surgeries. There are different ways for individuals, as well as groups, to move this discussion forward and make real change happen. This piece will look at three different feminist groups a nd how they would approach making transgender inclusive healthcare availableRead MoreThe Attributes Of Public Opinion And Its Effect On Health1040 Words   |  5 Pageshow they played-out in the context of health reforms. In the recent past, healthcare matters like the introduction of Medicare were primarily discussed between branches of the governmental only. However, that did not stop people from voicing their opinion back then and it only grew influentially since. The diverse public input in polls plays a crucial role in the ultimate decision of the federal health care reform debate. That variation in public opinion can negatively impact health care reformRead MoreComparing Public Vs Private Health Care System Essay1692 Words   |  7 PagesHealthcare is one of the most controversial political priorities of our time.   It affects the young and the old; males and females; the rich and the poor; healthy and unhealthy.   It can be about something as mundane as a checkup to a matter of life or death. What makes provision of  healthcare so complex is the correlation of delivery and expenses. This expensive  commodity often depends upon a political outlook about society and the people living in the community. Each country has developed a delivery  systemRead MoreThe Affordable Care Act ( Aca )956 Words   |  4 Pageslegislation that has had massive effect on healthcare in the United States. Its systemic effects on healthcare in this country are numberous, from insurance to ambulatory care, from healthcare related taxes to healthcare resources, and beyond. That said, the following research paper attempts to summarize how this massive piece of legislation has effected healthcare in the United States, to date; with a particular eye towards the effects on the average healthcare consumer. Lastly, it concludes with reasonsRead MoreThe Ethics Of Socialized Healthcare1443 Words   |  6 Pages My group had the ethical topic of socialized healthcare. As I am on the opposing side, my beliefs are that healthcare should not be mandated by the government. It should not be the taxpayers responsibility for paying for the healthcare of those Americans that can’t afford to purchase a healthcare plan. Instead, it should be the Churches responsibility to take care of those that are sick and in need. I believe that having the government force the rich to pay in not an ethical solution. Socialized

The New Angle On Essay Samples for Law School Just Released

The New Angle On Essay Samples for Law School Just Released The Hidden Truth About Essay Samples for Law School If you're going over the essay several times attempting to correct the errors, odds are that you're still leaving similar mistakes. Therefore, if you're thinking of a gap year, do it! A gap year is the perfect chance to get full-time work experience, to travel or to finish a fellowship. It is the perfect time to unwind from the four years of pressure you just experienced, before entering another three years of even more intense pressure. So it isn't very simple to acquire a high mark. You should have your reasons, and our primary concern is that you find yourself getting a great grade. What's important is the school total ranking. One of the easy schools would be constructed on the west side of town. There are lots of service businesses, which deliver writing help. Second, real-world experience is frequently the make-or-break element for job applicants. Apparently, nobody can predict the upcoming job industry. You can receive the very best writing help if you're prepared to shell out time to decide on the ideal service provider. You must work really difficult to survive in the law school. Skills for Attorney Resumes As a lawyer, you must interact with quite a few individuals. Unless you are able to tell yourself that you really need to be an attorney and know it to be true, I don't think law school is a superb idea. Law isn't an easy subject. Years of experience A lawyer is often valued by the range of years of experience they have in a given region of law. When writing he resume, you need to incorporate the major job specific skills in your application to make a positive impact on the prospective employer. To begin with, be absolutely sure that you know what being an attorney is like. Turning into a lawyer means you've got to develop into good at a really specialized type of writing. The Essay Samples for Law School Trap Various schools have different requirements and preferences, so it is necessary to understand what the law school of your choice is searching for. A high number of lower-ranked schools particularly have had major difficulty attracting the type of students they used to have. Always go for accredited schools and it's far better to earn a list of law schools where you wish to acquire admission. Distinct schools will provide different choices for practicum courses. As you make an application for admission, your objective isn't just to present a well-written essay except to select the chance to share info about yourself, which aren't reflected through your grades and LSAT score. It has observed several times that the very first step towards essay becomes a massive job for those beginners. If you are worried about school or college essay submission, see some on-line websites and see for the best yet very affordable providers and receive the best essays written on any topics and score best. With it's the chance to our essay contest. When you want help with the essay, there are available writing services which you always have the option to hire so that you can receive a well-written paper. Customized law essay best part is the simple fact that they'll be delighted to-use comprehension and custom law essay expertise to make certain your educational. Law essay writing service organizations are rampant on the web. You can purchase an essay and right away you will receive your work done, carefully and accurately. Getting into college in the present age won't just require you to file your transcripts and certificates. Any author ought to be well ready to answer these questions. Want to Know More About Essay Samples for Law School? The primary purpose of technical writing is to present the hardcore technical info to the non technical folks in a manner that it isn't hard to understand and follow. The issue is that it is tough to find evidence for the presence of mind-independent ethical obligations. The very first portion of making this kind of argument is usually establishing that we have a tendency to care about and sympathize with different humans. To put it differently, an ethical argument tries to demonstrate that a particular issue is either morally right or wrong.

Rights and Freedoms of Aboriginals Free Essays

The rights and freedoms of Aboriginals have improved drastically since 1945 with many changes to government policy, cultural views and legal rules to bring about a change from oppression to equality. Unfortunately on the other hand, some rights and freedoms have not improved at all or have even worsened. Firstly the change in legal and constitutional rights have been a great creator of rights for the Aboriginal people. We will write a custom essay sample on Rights and Freedoms of Aboriginals or any similar topic only for you Order Now Up until 1967 the Aboriginals did not have the right to be counted in the census. This was basically a way of saying that the Aboriginals were not Australians, almost not even people. Fortunately the 1967 referendum gave Aboriginals citizenship. It did however not end any discrimination against the Aboriginal people and merely allowed them to legally join society but not socially join society. Another change to Aboriginal rights and freedoms was the constitutional change also by the 1967 referendum which allowed the federal government to pass laws over the Aboriginal people. This was to change section 51 of the constitution which stated â€Å"The Parliament shall, subject to this Constitution, have power to make laws for the peace, order, and good government of the Commonwealth with respect to: †¦.. The people of any race, other than the aboriginal people in any State, for whom it is deemed necessary to make special laws. † This was great news as it stopped the states making unfair laws on Aboriginals and stopping them from travelling from state to state. On the other side however it was completely disrespectful as it stated the commonwealth must show respect to everyone except the Aboriginals. Another large milestone in the improving rights of the Aboriginals was the fight and subsequent win over land rights. The quest for land rights began in 1963 with the Bark Petition. The bark petition was a petition that was sent from the Yolngu people to the federal parliament that was written on a piece of bark. Unfortunately for the Aboriginals, this petition was rejected and instead the land rights were given to a local mining company. This ruling was justified under the concept of Terra Nullius, saying that the land was not settled. Another challenge to land ownership was the Tent Embassy on the parliament house lawns. This constant public pressure caused the government to express interest in giving land rights to Aboriginals. This was completed with Justice Woodward’s report in 1974 that recommended that Aboriginal reserves are to be returned to Aboriginal ownership, that Aboriginals had claim to vacant land if they could prove ties with the land, that Aboriginal sacred sites were protected. This was great as it gave power to the Aboriginals. It did however also mean that if they had sacred land that was already owned if not even used would not be returned to them. This was passed in 1976 when the Aboriginal Land Rights Act was passed. Later in 1981 the Northern Territory government opposes land rights and attempts to amend the land rights act to stop claims of owned stations and property. The attitudes of the white Australians also had a huge impact on change of rights and freedoms as it pressured the government into giving Aboriginals rights and freedoms. The 1967 was testament to this when a huge 90. 77% of Australians agreed that Aboriginals had the right to be counted in the census. There has never been any real public objections to giving aboriginals rights, merely quiet harbored prejudices in the persons’ mind. On the other side of the case the Aboriginal rights in general have not improved with many Aboriginals being mistreated and discriminated against. The statistics do not speak honestly about public opinion. The rights and freedoms of Aboriginals have been fuelled by an ever increasing wave of Aboriginal activism and increased self-esteem. Aboriginal activism began with the Bark Petition in 1963 and has caused almost all of the government change. The freedom rides of 1964, the Wave Hill protest in 1966, Even the abolishment of the policy of assimilation was caused by the Aboriginals constant protest and pain of the stolen generation. The most dominant display of Aboriginal activism however was the creation of the Tent Embassy on the lawns of Parliament House. How to cite Rights and Freedoms of Aboriginals, Papers

Yersinia Pestis free essay sample

Yersinia pestis is a gram negative, rod-shaped, facultative anaerobic bacterium, known for causing the plague. The reason why Y. pestis is so successful is because of their elusiveness to the hosts immune system and their ability to suppress it. Traces of the plague go as far back as to ancient times and specifically 5th century BC Athens and Sparta. Pathophysiology mi. pestis produces two anti-phagocytic antigens, Fl antigen and antigen. These antigens are both required for virulence and are only produced when the rganism grows at 37 degrees C temperatures, which explains why fleas, whose body temperatures are lower than that, can act as a vector. Y. pestis can also resist phagocytosis by injecting macrophages and immune cells with YOPS (Yersinia Outer Proteins). The YOPS are able to create pours in the cell, allowing more YOPS to get into the cytoplasm and limit phagocytosis. (Dramcourt, M. , 2013) miersinia Pestis is primarily a rodent pathogen, with humans being an accidental host when bitten by an infected rat flea. We will write a custom essay sample on Yersinia Pestis or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page (Schoenstadt, A. , 2013) miersinia pestis infections occur more frequently during spring and summer onths, especially in males and people under the age of 20. There are two cycles to the plague: Sylvatic Cycle and Urban Cycle. The Sylvatic Cycle is pre-human infection. Y. pestis, during this cycle, starts out in wild rodents which are then bit by fleas. The fleas will transfer the plague between the wild rodents until that population is dead. This cycle continues on in this fashion until either all the rodents are dead, or the fleas find a new food source, usually domestic rats. Once a domestic rat gets bitten, or another domestic animal, the Urban Cycle starts. The tart of this cycle is similar to the Sylvatic cycle, where the fleas will bite one domestic animal and then spread it to the next. During this cycle is when humans get infected. (Dramcourt, M. , 2013) If a flea that carries Y. pestis happens to bite a human then that human is infected. While in the human, there are two different ways the plague can manitest itselt: the Bubonic Plague or Pneumonic Plague. (Schoenstadt, A. 2013) Manifestation The Bubonic Plague after about 2 to 7 days will cause a painful bubo, a swelling of the lymph nodes usually in the groin. A fever and gangrene in the extremities typically accompany the bubo. The appearance of gangrene is what gave the plague the nickname The Black Death. While in the nodes, Y. pestis avoids the immune system, and replicates, causing the lymph nodes to swell. The nodes will get hot, tender, and then they will start to bleed excessively. As the plague develops, the bacteria move into the blood stream. Without treatment, death by endotoxic shock will occur in about 50 to 75% of all patients. If the bacteria move into the lungs, Pneumonic Plague develops. (Houhamdi L , 2013) Unlike Bubonic Plague, Pneumonic Plague; however, does not require a vector, but can instead be transmitted from human to human. Pneumonic Plague has an incubation time of about 2 to 3 days, and starts with a fever, a general feeling of not being well, and tightness of the chest. If left untreated, the patient will develop a cough, produce high levels of sputum, their skin will turn blue, and then 99% of patients will die. (Schoenstadt, A. 2013) Medical Management The common treatment of the plague is Streptomycin which lowers the mortality ate to 10 to 20%, the first treatment needs to be initiated within 24 hours of the first signs of symptoms. The most common oral medications used for curing and preventing the disease are tetracycline, doxycycline, and a fluoroquinolone. For injection or intravenous use, str eptomycin or gentamycin antibodies are Raoult D. , 2013)

anne rice essays

anne rice essays Anne Rice: A Fascinating Story Because of her fascination with the supernatural, her life in New Orleans, and her daughter's death, Anne Rice exhibits powerful and dark Anne Rice's family life was not always a happy one. Her family was one of the lower middle class, struggling to make it. Katherine, her mother, became stressed over keeping a household and took to drinking. Anne's mom continued this habit throughout her life. I feel that this drinking had a major effect on Anne's writing style. Anne's books are full of vivid detail. They are written as if they were seen through the eyes of a drunk. Anne's mother continued drinking until the day of her death in 1956. Katherine's death hit her daughter very hard. Since her mother had died, Anne had to become a mother to her two younger sisters, Tamara and Karen. Anne hated to assume this role and looked for a way out. Her father gave this to her in the form of St. Joseph Academy, a boarding school. This was not a very good solution considering how much Anne hated the school. She cried every night for about a year, and would later write about her experiences an a novel, The Witching Hour. When Anne became sixteen her father remarried. Howard(Anne's father) and his new wife, Dorothy, decided to move to Texas to follow Howard's' work. This decision shocked Anne and she was very opposed; the move still took place. At her new school, Anne met a boy named Stan Rice. Stan was very involved with poetry and he and Anne instantly hit it off. Stan had an influence on Anne like no other person had. He was the first boy she kissed which was an experience she wrote about in her second novel, The Feast of All Saints- here is the excerpt. Richard had kissed Marie and she had never felt a sensation akin to what she'd experienced when he was holding her lightly, gently, as if he might break her, in his arms. His hands had spread out firmly ...

Causes and Effects of Government Shutdowns

Causes and Effects of Government Shutdowns Why would much of the U.S. federal government shut down and what happens when it does?   The Cause of Government Shutdowns The U.S. Constitution requires that all expenditures of federal funds be authorized by Congress with the approval of the President of the United States. The U.S. federal government and the federal budget process operate on a fiscal year cycle running from October 1 to midnight September 30. If Congress fails to pass all of the spending bills comprising the annual federal budget or continuing resolutions extending spending beyond the end of the fiscal year; or if the president fails to sign or vetoes any of the individual spending bills, certain non-essential functions of the government may be forced to cease due to a lack of congressionally-authorized funding. The result is a government shutdown. The Current Border Wall Shutdown of 2019 The most recent government shutdown, and the third of the Donald Trump presidency began on December 22, 2018, when Congress and the White House failed to agree on the inclusion in an annual spending bill of $5.7 billion requested by President Trump for the construction of an additional 234 miles of fencing to be added to the existing security barrier along the U.S. border with Mexico. On January 8, with no end to the impasse in sight, President Trump threatened to declare a national emergency empowering him to bypass to fund the border fencing. However, by January 12, what had become the longest lasting government shutdown in U.S. history had shuttered nine of the 15 federal executive branch agencies, and left over 800,000 federal workers- including Border Patrol officers, TSA agents, and air traffic controllers- either working without pay or sitting at home on furlough. Trash began piling up and visitor safety became an issue at national parks as park rangers had been sent home. Although Congress had passed a bill on January 11 providing eventual full back pay for the employees, the strain of missed paychecks became obvious.   In a televised address on January 19, President Trump offered a proposal he hoped would bring Democrats back to the bargaining table to negotiate on an immigration reform for border security deal that would end the then 29-day-long government shutdown. The president offered to back immigration policies Democrats and had long requested, including a three-year revival of the DACA- Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals- program in return for approval of a permanent $7 billion border security package, including $5.7 billion for the border wall. DACA is a currently expired immigration policy enacted by President Obama allowing eligible individuals who were brought to the United States illegally as children to receive a renewable two-year period of deferred action from deportation and become eligible for a work permit in the U.S. Less than an hour after the president’s address, Democrats rejected the bargain because it failed to offer permanent protection for the DACA immigrants and because it still included money for the border wall. Democrats again demanded that President Trump end the shutdown before negotiations continued. On January 24, Government Executive magazine reported that based on salary data from the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM), the then 34-day-long partial government was costing U.S. taxpayers more than $86 million a day in back pay promised to more than 800,000 furloughed workers. A Temporary Agreement Reached On January 25, President Trump announced that an agreement had been reached between his office and Democratic leaders in Congress that would temporarily reopen the government until February 15 without the inclusion of any funding for construction of additional border fencing. The agreement also provided that all federal employees affected by the shutdown would receive full back pay. According to the President, the delay would allow for further negotiations on funding of the border wall, which he said remained a necessity to national security. Finally, the President stated that if funding for the border wall was not agreed to by February 15, he would either reinstate the government shutdown or declare a national emergency allowing him to reallocate existing fund for the purpose. However, on February 15, the president signed a compromise spending bill averting another shutdown. The same day, he issued a National Emergency Proclamation redirecting $3.5 billion from the Defense Department’s military construction budget to the construction of new border wall. Under the terms of the Antideficiency Act, the shutdown may not have been legal in the first place. Since the government had the $5.7 billion needed to build the border wall, the shutdown had been based on an issue of political ideology rather than an issue of economic necessity, as required by the law. The Ghosts of Shutdowns Past Between 1981 and 2019, there were five government shutdowns. While the first four went largely unnoticed by anybody but the federal employees affected, the American people shared the pain during the last one.   1981: President Reagan vetoed a continuing resolution, and 400,000 federal employees were sent home at lunch and told not to come back. A few hours later, President Reagan signed a new version of the continuing resolution and the workers were back at work the next morning. 1984: With no approved budget, 500,000 federal workers were sent home. An emergency spending bill had them all back at work the next day. 1990: With no budget or continuing resolution, the government shuts down during the entire three-day Columbus Day weekend. Most workers were off anyway and an emergency spending bill signed by President Bush over the weekend had them back at work Tuesday morning. 1995-1996: Two government shutdowns beginning on November 14, 1995, idled different functions of the federal government for various lengths of time until April of 1996. The most serious government shutdowns in the nations history resulted from a budget impasse between Democratic President Clinton and the Republican-controlled Congress over funding for Medicare, education, the environment, and public health. 2013: For 17 tedious days, from October 1 through October 16, the perennial disagreement between Republicans and Democrats in Congress over spending forced a partial shutdown that saw more than 800,000 federal employees furloughed, U.S veterans locked out of their own war memorials, and millions of visitors forced to leave national parks. Unable to pass a conventional annual budget, Congress considered a continuing resolution (CR) that would have maintained funding at current levels for six months. In the House, Tea Party Republicans attached amendments to the CR that would have delayed implementation of President Obama’s healthcare reform law–Obamacare–for one year. This amended CR had no chance of passing in the Democrat-controlled Senate. The Senate sent the House a â€Å"clean† CR with no amendments, but Speaker of the House John Boehner refused to allow the clean CR to come to a vote of the House. As a result of the impasse over Obamacare, no funding CR was passed by October 1- the end of the government’s 2013 fiscal year- and the shutdown began. As the shutdown drug on, public opinion of Republicans, Democrats and President Obama began to plummet and, to make matters worse, the U.S. was set to reach its debt limit on October 17. Failing to pass legislation raising the debt limit by the deadline could have forced the government to default on its debt for the first time in history, placing the payment of federal benefits in danger of being delayed. On October 16, faced with the debt limit crisis and increasing public disgust with Congress, Republicans and Democrats finally agreed on and passed a bill temporarily reopening the government and increasing the debt limit. Ironically, the bill- driven by the government’s need to reduce spending- also spent billions of dollars, including a tax-free gift of $174,000 to the widow of a deceased senator. The Costs of Government Shutdowns The first of the two government shutdowns in 1995-1996 lasted only six days, from November 14 to November 20. Following the six-day shutdown, the Clinton administration released an estimate of what the six days of an idled federal government had cost. Lost Dollars: The six-day shutdown cost taxpayers about $800 million, including $400 million to furloughed federal employees who were paid, but did not report to work and another $400 million in lost revenue in the four days that the IRS enforcement divisions were closed.Medicare: Some 400,000 newly eligible Medicare recipients were delayed in applying for the program.Social Security: Claims from 112,000 new Social Security applicants were not processed. 212,000 new or replacement Social Security cards were not issued. 360,000 office visits were denied. 800,000 toll-free calls for information were not answered.Healthcare: New patients were not accepted into clinical research at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) clinical center. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ceased disease surveillance and hotline calls to NIH concerning diseases were not answered.Environment: Toxic waste clean-up work at 609 sites stopped as 2,400 Superfund workers were sent home.Law Enforcemen t and Public Safety: Delays occurred in the processing of alcohol, tobacco, firearms, and explosives applications by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms; work on more than 3,500 bankruptcy cases reportedly was suspended; cancellation of the recruitment and testing of federal law enforcement officials reportedly occurred, including the hiring of 400 border patrol agents; and delinquent child-support cases were delayed. US Veterans: Multiple veterans services were curtailed, ranging from health and welfare to finance and travel.Travel: 80,000 passport applications were delayed. 80,000 visas were delayed. The resulting postponement or cancellation of travel cost U.S. tourist industries and airlines millions of dollars.National Parks: 2 million visitors were turned away from the nations national parks resulting in the loss of millions in revenue.Government-Backed Loans: FHA mortgage loans worth more than $800 million to more than 10,000 low-and-moderate-income working families were delayed. How a Government Shutdown Might Affect You As directed by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), the federal agencies now maintain contingency plans for dealing with government shutdowns. The emphasis of those plans is to determine which functions should continue. Most notably, the Department of Homeland Security and its Transportation Security Administration (TSA) did not exist in 1995 when the last long-term government shutdown took place. Due to the critical nature of their function, it is highly likely that the TSA would continue to function normally during a government shutdown.Based on history, here is how a long-term government shutdown might impact some government-provided public services. Social Security: Benefit checks would probably keep coming, but no new applications would be accepted or processed.Income Tax: The IRS will probably stop processing paper tax returns and refunds.Border Patrol: Customs and Border Patrol functions will probably continue.Welfare: Again, the checks would probably continue, but new applications for food stamps might not be processed.Mail: The U.S. Postal Service supports itself, so mail deliveries would continue as usual.National Defense: All active duty members of all branches of all armed services would continue duty as usual, but might not get paid on time. More than half of the Defense Departments 860,000 civilian employees would also work, the others sent home.Justice System: Federal courts should remain open. Criminals will still be chased, caught, prosecuted and thrown in federal prisons, which would still be operating.Farms/USDA: Food safety inspections will probably continue, but rural development, and farm credit and loan progra ms will probably close down. Transportation: Air traffic control, TSA security personnel, and the Coast Guard will remain on the job. Applications for passports and visas may not be processed.National Parks/Tourism: Parks and forests will probably close and visitors told to leave. Visitor and interpretive centers will be closed. Non-volunteer rescue and fire control services might be shut down. National monuments and most historic sites will probably be closed. Parks police will probably continue their patrols.