Project Proposal

The Constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act (ACA)

Rochelle Parocha

Legal Studies Academy

Rochelle Anne Parocha

Mrs. Van Schenck

Senior Project

September 16th, 2016

A. ABSTRACT
My project will be centered around health

insurance, specifically, the constitutionality of the Affordable

Care Act. In 2010, President Obama enacted the Affordable Care Act (ACA), more

commonly known as Obamacare. The overall goal of the plan was to increase

availability of affordable health insurance to all Americans, and deal with the ongoing

healthcare crisis. While the law created benefits intended to help citizens, there are many

cons and repercussions to it. Many also argue over the acts Constitutionality. I have

heard mixed opinions on the subject, but never fully grasped what the issue was. This

will be an opportunity for me to further research the subject and form a valid opinion on

it. The title of my paper will be Obamacares, But Is It Helping?. I will have driving

questions to help with my research. These questions will include:

Is this truly a beneficial addition to the United States Health Insurance Policy?

Is the US better off now than before?

Why are so many Americans unhappy with the newly passed law?

Is there a certain demographic of Americans unhappy?

Is the act only benefitting a certain population?

 For the project portion of my Senior Project, I will host a seminar in a conference room

at the Virginia Beach Resort Hotel. The entire seminar will be centered around paper

cranes. In addition to having a powerpoint slide which reviews my research and findings

in Obamacare, I will have a guest speaker of Japanese decent, who will discuss the

meaning of paper cranes and the story behind it. According to Japanese culture, 1,000

paper cranes will grant you one wish. The activity will be, to have the participants at the

seminar to help in creating these paper cranes. We will gift these cranes to a patient in

need of hope. Health insurance, is a universal right. The point of Health Insurance is

meant to help aid in unexpected high costs; it was not created to make a profit, it was

created to help everyone pay for their health requirements and live a healthy life. My

research in to ObamaCare is meant to see if this piece of legislation truly helped to

achieve this primary goal of providing everyone with healthcare. Everyone deserves an

equal shot at being healthy; everyone deserves to have hope. And in creating the paper

cranes, we are attempting to gift that piece of hope for a patient to live a healthy life.

This is much similar to what the overarching purpose of ObamaCare was: attemptime to

provide affordable universal healthcare. The title of the project will be Paper Hope.

My consultant will be Ms.Lingua-Wheeless.

B. LEARNING SKILLS

There will be plenty of opportunities for me to learn new skills with the

progression of my project, while improving on ones I already know. The project portion

will allow me to learn how to make a paper cranes, and more about Origami, and the

symbolic meanings behind paper folding. One of my many skills that I will improve on
 include time management. This is a skill heavily used, especially as a Legal Studies

Academy Student. I have had 3 years of practicing and honing this skill, and with my

senior project, time management will be especially important. When booking venues and

meeting with the guest speaker, I will be practicing speaking and social skills. I will have

to negotiate and make plans with adults, which will in turn, enhance my public-relations

skills. When writing my research paper, I will be practicing a skill that, again, I have

been practicing since Freshman Year. Each year, I have had the task of writing a

research/argumentative paper. This year, I will be writing my research paper which will

enhance my essay writing skills and put into work the things I have learned over the past

three years. When giving my seminar, defending my paper, and presenting my project, I

will be enhancing my public speaking and quick-thinking skills.

C. MARKETING PLAN/FACILITIES/AUDIENCE

My targeted audience will be high school seniors and adult Americans. The affordable

care act affects everyone in the country, which is why Ive included the entire American

demographic. I included high school seniors as well since they are close to the time in

which they will take on adult responsibilities such as worrying about health insurance.

The benefit is knowledge. In general, high school students go into college, not knowing

how to do their taxes, how to deal with mortgages, and, paying for insurances. They

dont fully grasp and understand the implications hidden in the fine prints of the

mortgages and contracts they will soon sign. The Affordable Care Act relates to everyone

in the country, and I feel like this will help better educate some on a prominent health

insurance bill that is effective in our country. I will invite high school seniors from all 12
 Virginia Beach High Schools. I will also be inviting those who are at least 18 and able to

vote. I will send out reminders through text and e-mail. I will be holding the project at a

conference room at the Virginia Beach Resort Hotel because the space is adequate

enough for my project and activity, and the location is convenient for my targeted

audience.

D. PROJECT STEPS

Contact hospital, find sick

(Preparation) Patient Contact patient willing to take part in 2 hours
project to receive cranes
Contact and book Venue
(Preparation) Venue Contact Set Date of Project 2 hours
Contact Guest Speaker
Purchase needed materials:
(Preparation) Gather Materials Scissors 1 hour
Paper
Create
powerpoint/slideshow/video
to display at seminar
(Preparation) Create Visual including: 4 hours
patient information
paper folding activity
purpose of activity
Practice speech and
(Preparation) Rehearse powerpoint
2 hours
Presentation Check with Guest Speaker
Check with venue
Ask friends, family to attend
Advertisement Send E-mail/Text out 1 hour
notifying date and place
send out reminder to guest
speaker
Remind 1 hour
send reminders out to
participants

arrive early
Project! 1 hour
set up venue
 Complete and host the
Project! 2 hours
seminar!

Clean and tidy venue

(Clean Up) Venue Cleaning Pick up any paper scraps, 1 hour
leftover materials
Send out Thank You Notes:
Venue
Guest Speaker
(Clean Up) Send out Thank-
Hospital 3 hours
You notes and Cranes
Hospital Patient
Drive to hospital and deliver
paper cranes to patient

Total 20 hours

E. PROJECT DOCUMENTATION

I will be including a number of mediums to both document my project progress, and aid

in my presentation. Photographs and pictures will be used to show all of the preparation,

materials bought, and event presentation. I will also be able to provide

screenshots/copies of my e-mails between the venue and guest speaker, as well as the

drafts of my research paper, and any other typed notes. A movie/slideshow will also be

created to show the entirety of my project from start to finish.

F. PROJECT JUSTIFICATION

Initially I was interested in having my project focused on the fashion industry and

sweatshops, since fashion has always been an interest of mine. I instead chose the idea of

health insurance, in conjunction with my project portion. Obamacare came up during my

research into laws surrounding health insurance. It is a piece of legislation, I am not too
 familiar with. I feel as though this is an issue that not many Americans are aware about.

When researching a bit more, I uncovered the many opposing viewpoints about the

subject; I realized that this was a bigger issue than I originally thought. Unless you have

strong feeling about this subject, you wont really know what the legislation entails. This

will be challenging for me, as this is not a subject I am very familiar with. I do not know

anything about health insurance, much less, insurance. I hope that with this project I will

not only gain more knowledge about Obamacare and universal health care, but learn

from my experiences when booking the event and defending my paper in front of a panel

of judges.

G. PROJECT-PAPER CONNECTION

My paper will be centered around the Health Insurance System and Obamacare and what

that legislation means to all Americans. My project-portion will be a seminar centered

around an activity that participants will take part in. The seminar will include a guest

speaker who is of Japanese origin and able to explain the significance of the Paper

Crane Legend. One of my biggest concerns with my project was figuring out a project

portion that wouldnt be boring or generic. I wanted it to have emotion and a real

meaning, something more than just teaching a class. Everyone deserves insurance;

Everyone deserves a sense of hope. The paper cranes are a symbolic representation of

this hope that everyone deserves. Universal Health Insurance is something that everyone

deserves, and the law should reflect this as well. In my research paper I will be looking

into Obamacare and how exactly it affects the entire American population. Supporters

argue that it truly lives up to its intended purpose in providing universal health law, but
 other Americans argue that in order to fund this bill, they end up paying more, and rates

go up. Instead of the law solving inequality, it displaces it into a different demographic.

Everyone deserves health insurance, but not at the cost of others. Of course, I will

research more into Obamacare and form a more educated opinion, but the whole point of

the paper is Universal Health Insurance. And the whole point of the paper crane is the

symbolic representation of universal hope.

H. ACADEMIC HONESTY

Academic honesty is answering what is required of you with no outside help, using

yourself as your only resource. Plagiarism is taking any other piece of work that is not

yours and copying it. I understand that this project entails a lot of work and challenging

obstacles, and it is expected of me to complete these to the best of my abilities,

wholeheartedly. I understand that when I present my work, it should be my own original

idea. And that any work that is not original, must be acknowledged.

I understand that any academic dishonesty by me on any part of the project will result in

failure of the Senior Project and forfeiture of the Legal Studies Seal on my High School

diploma.