Health Policy Issues

Currently the United States has the most expensive health care system in the world and some 45 million Americans are uninsured under the current health system, these numbers continues to grow. Using the theory of an Utilitarianism perspective and developing a single-payer system such as universal health care all Americans could enjoy equal access to quality health care. The single-payer system will provide tools to manage health spending more effectively and ensure health care for everyone. If the United States would follow the blueprint of other developed nations who have successfully implemented universal health care coverage it would protect citizens from high medical premiums, co-payments and give everyone access to equal health care. In the United States people go without health coverage, it is a problem that needs to be resolved, yet we remain one of the last developed countries to implement universal health care coverage. Despite efforts to enact polices for

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) has been a topic of dispute since its introduction and continues to be discussed by politicians in the U.S. and throughout the world even after its passage. The Act has many opponents and is the cause of much controversy nationwide, primarily because it introduces higher healthcare costs for the richest citizens. Nevertheless, the ACA is an important stage in the American healthcare development process as it not only allows more people to receive healthcare services, but will also reduce the deficit. However, not everyone agrees. The policy is controversial in terms of cost vs. benefits, but the benefits ultimately outweigh the costs.

Simultaneously, health and healthcare policy plays a tremendous role in the quality of life of every American. Likewise, by the government constantly interceding, health and healthcare is significantly influenced by the political climate and undertakings of administration; therefore creating a conflictual split between republicans and democrats. Health care is regarded as a product rather than a human right shaped by policymaking. Policies establish healthcare service stipulations, which are rooted in local, state, and federal statutes combined with landmark court decisions. Not only does policy focus on healthcare services; but, it also places a substantial emphasis on cost-efficiency and equality.

The ANA saw the efforts of many registered nurses come to fruition, culminating in President Obama’s signing of H.R. 4872, “The Health Care and Education Affordability Reconciliation Act of 2010” (McNamara, 2010). This reform allows for greater protection against losing and denial of health care coverage, and it also allows for better access to primary care, wellness and prevention programs which will keep the patient healthier. This reform serves as a significant victory for the patient that the nursing profession serves. The ANA continues to be an advocate for building an affordable health care system that meets the needs of everyone (McNamara, 2010). In world where nurses are under pressure to deliver production-line care, it expresses the value of the “soft” aspect of caring that affect wellbeing (Wright, 2009). This attribute proves that the nursing profession is a profession that serves the patient and the larger social system.

Health Care Reform, Policy and Advocacy. (2017). The American Nurses Association (ANA). Retrieved August 20, 2017.

Abstract: The Affordable Care Act (ACA) is the most comprehensive reform of the U.S. medical system since Medicare. President Obama’s signature legislation vividly changes the landscape of the group insurance market in the United States. The ACA, which was signed into law on March 23rd, 2010, carries mandates that require Americans to have health insurance (2014 in 214 words, 2013). The ACA increases entitlement insurance and subsidizes private insurance, but reduces reimbursements under Medicare. The ACA is set to raise taxes in various ways, but projecting the financial stability and the health of this fundamental reform has been very difficult to conclusively determine. Projections of the impact of this act was required as part of the legislative process, but the forecasts and projections that were first submitted to the Congressional Budget Office have been rescinded with a current statement from the CBO essentially saying that “the financial impact of the ACA cannot be ascertained” (Conover, 2013).

The face of healthcare has been changing over the last decade. The role of nurse practitioners has become ever more important. This paper conducts a policy analysis as a systematic investigation of alternative policy options, for the emerging nationalized healthcare plan and the increased use of nurse practitioners. It looks at the goals of nationalized healthcare 's use of nurse practitioners and discusses to what extent this policy meets these goals. This paper begins with a detailing of the problem addressed by the policy and the goals and objectives of nationalized healthcare 's increased use of nurse practitioners. Next, alternatives to meeting the increased needs of the health industry,

In 2010, the Affordable Care Act invoked a $75 millon dollar demonstration project known as the Medicad Emergency Psychiatric Demonstration that was amended in section 2707 of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The change seemed to be just what the nation needed, however, there was fine print added to the amendment that changed the interpretation. The fine print stated, patients who are on Medicaid from the ages of 21-65 seeking inpatient mental health care can receive treatment under the law. However, the inpatient facility will receive no

To my fellow nurses. You are welcome to our professional nurse evolution summit. The United health care system is changing with the nursing profession. Health care cost has doubled, if not tripled in the recent years. The American population is ageing and diseases are becoming more complex. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) is one thing that will lead to change worldwide. With signing the PPACA into law, approximately 30 million Americans will benefit from affordable and accessible health care. (Institute of Medicine, {IOM}, 2011). My, discussion will focus on Accountable Care Organizations (ACO’s), Medical Homes, Nurse-managed health care clinics, and Continuum of care.

Every country vision is to have a universal health care system. A system that is not necessary “free” but a system where everyone has equal opportunity to get the best health care being offered without any partiality. Canada successfully implemented the universal health care to its citizens, but it is not perfect in any sense. Individuals’ citizens are provided with preventive care and medical treatment from primary care physicians as well as access to hospitals. There are still many services that are not covered or partially covered (Canadian Health Care, 2014-2017). Prescription medication, physiotherapy, ambulance services, prescription eyeglasses as well as dental care are some of the services that are not covered under the health care system (Canada’s universal health-care system, 2015)). Some Provinces may provide partial coverage for mental health patients, children living in poverty as well as old people. With the implementation of the Affordable Care Act in 2012, we can now say that the U.S. is on the road to hopefully having a universal health care system or a system that covered most residents. The Affordable care act can be considered to be the most significant overhaul of the health care industry in decades since the defeat of the Clinton Health Security Act of 1993(Sultz and Young, 2013). According to Sultz and Young, the ACA highlights 4 major goals. These are providing new consumer protections, improving quality and lowering costs, increasing access to

I have learned a plethora of critical and important information regarding healthcare and health care policies in the United States and in the world while I took UC 105 and 106 as part of the Health Sciences Scholars Program. One of the topics that stuck out to me the most during the lecture was the topic of constrained choice. For me, this topic really resonated with me since I understood some of the constrained choices and decisions that many Americans have to go through on a daily basis. I also saw the inequalities and disparities that caused the constrained choices which is based on a person’s socioeconomic status, availability of resources, the environment of where a person lives, and the social health policies and laws created by the

In President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s 1944 State of the Union address, a list of proposed economic rights to which the president believed all Americans were entitled was enumerated in what is now popularly referred to as the “Economic Bill of Rights” (Roosevelt). Among the rights listed was “The right to adequate medical care and the opportunity to achieve and enjoy good health,” (Ibid). Seventy-one years on, this proposed right is rather poorly guaranteed, if at all. Even after the implementation of the Affordable Care Act, the Census Bureau reported that 10.4% of the US population, approximately 33 million people, was uninsured throughout 2014, severely limiting their access to healthcare (Radnofsky). The United States ought to guarantee universal access to healthcare through a single-payer system because it is ethical and practical while alternative plans fail to provide sufficient benefit.

In 2009, President Obama signed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ObamaCare) and former ANA President Rebecca M. Patton, MSN, RN, CNOR witnessed this historical moment. American nurses celebrate with satisfaction, because their hard work paid off, enacting historical health care reform legislation that benefits not only nurses but their patient as well. Despite that the health care reform is now a reality, is important to keep working in order to make sure that the reform is implemented effectively (Routson, 2010).The ANA has been in favor of a health care reform that would provide high quality medical services for all. ANA believe that with Patient Protection and the Affordable Care Act, millions of American will be

The Affordable Healthcare Act (AHA) in the US, which is similar to other countries’ Universal Healthcare Systems (UHS), has been in the news again recently. From the beginning the AHA has been passionately contested and debated from its introduction on the Senate floor to the challenge in the Supreme Court that it was unconstitutional. The reforms that the AHA started in 2010, such as Health Insurance Companies can not deny someone with a preexisting condition, or the recent troubles of the Health Insurance Marketplace website, AHA is something of a hot button issues that has US citizens deeply divided on. At the heart of this divisive issue is Universal Healthcare something that should be provided by government for its citizens or is it

According to World Health Organization (WHO, 2015), “Health policy refers to decisions, plans, and actions that are undertaken to achieve specific health care goals within a society” (p.1). Nursing can make a change in the health policy. This writer believes nursing is the most trusted professions and also upholds the uppermost values of morality and ethical principle. One of the journalists Deepak Chopra said, “Enlightened leadership is spiritual if we understand spirituality not as some kind of religious dogma or ideology, but as the domain of awareness where we experience values like truth, goodness, beauty, love and compassion, and also intuition, creativity, insight and focused attention” (Chopra, D., and n.d.).