health policy issue

1. A) Identify a health policy issue, find a stateor US federal bill related to it, trace its progress and provide a summary. You will want to use the websites required for this week: govtrack.us and Library of Congress Thomas for federal bills; ILGA.gov site for state bills. YOU MAY NOT WRITE ABOUT immunizations, Specialized Mental Health Rexhabilitation Act of 2013, H.R. 2094: School Access to Emergency Epinephrine Act, Women’s Reproductive Health Policy, or Childhood Obesity.

B) Add to your peers’ critical evaluation of their issue by posing an intelligent question to the following post OR add information that contributes to a more complete picture of the policy issue or the state of the legislation. The peer’s critical evaluation is as follows (you may use the peers’ evaluation as an example to how to write part A):

The health policy issue I have selected focuses on women’s health and ensuring women have access to reproductive health care. The Senate Resolution 60 is entitled: A resolution supporting women’s reproductive health. The bill was introduced on February 27, 2013 and has been referred to committee.

This resolution was presented by Senator Barbara Boxer with 12 cosponsors. The main goals of this resolution are to complete the following:
(1) ensure that women have access to contraception, other preventive services, and medically accurate information necessary to make health care decisions;
(2) ensure that women who rely on the family planning and related preventive health grant programs of the Public Health Service Act, title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act, and non-profit providers like Planned Parenthood continue to get cancer screenings, birth control, and other essential health care services;
(3) ensure that women have access to affordable insurance coverage for all pregnancy-related health care needs; and
(4) reduce health disparities between men and women and among women of different races, ethnicities, and sexual orientations.

According to govtracks.us, the resolution has a 78% chance of being agreed to after it is reported by committee. This issue directly relates to our course topics of culture, ethics, and policy analysis. Our country is often ethically divided when it comes to the topic of women’s reproductive health. Cultural variations create different beliefs regarding women’s reproductive rights; however, the government is responsible for setting national policies. Recent news stories indicate that further teaching is needed to ensure the population is aware of women’s heath issues and the health care that is needed. In my interpretation of policy, national policies should work to create equality between genders, races, ethnicities, and sexual orientations as desired by this resolution.
S.Res. 60–113th Congress: A resolution supporting women’s reproductive health.. (2013). In www.GovTrack.us. Retrieved August 13, 2013, from http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/113/sres60
2. A) It has been suggested that political involvement among nurses is not strong or consistent within the profession, though this may be slowly changing. Read the article (Warner) below, and identify at least one potential challenge or barrier to political involvement for the generalist nurse and outline one workable solution to address the challenge or barrier.

Refer to "The Spectrum of Political Competencies" (figure 3.3 in Mason) that you used in this week’s self-assessment for a good list of activities related to political involvement. You can also reflect on your self-assessment to generate material for this discussion.

Challenges/barriers and solutions must be well thought-out and supported by literature, research or your own experience.

Warner, J.R. (2003). A Phenomenological Approach to Political Competence: Stories of Nurse Activists. Policy Politics Nursing Practice, 4: 135-143.

Mason, D., Leavitt, J., and Chaffee, M. (2012). Policy & Politics in Nursing and Health Care-6th edition. St. Louis: Elsevier-Saunders. ISBN: 978-A-4377-1416-6

B) Supply an additional strategy to the posted solution below or provide a supportive critique of one proposed solution, including a strategy that would make it more effective (You may use this post as an example to how to write part A):

Networking is extremely important to advancing the career of nursing and cultivating policies to better the field for nurses and consumers. Networking in itself can be difficult to do but it also time consuming and overwhelming. It can be complicated to know which opportunities to peruse. In my past position individuals in the field took the time to acclimate “newbies” to the world of networking. If there hadn’t been those opportunities for me, I’m not sure I would have been as active. Once a year we had a state conference that was paid for us to go and learn but we were also expected to network as many state legislators were in attendance. I agree with the article that sometimes “the ability to ask for help is sometimes perceived as a weakness rather than strength”. If it weren’t asked of us, it would have been tough to know to do that. For that I am grateful.

The other tough part is that not everyone is going to have the same view as you. You can, and will, make enemies by believing in something and speaking up is that relationships can become strained. “Friends come and go, but enemies accumulate”. Even though you believe in what you’re fighting for, it can take a toll emotionally.

Warner, J. (2003). A phenomenological approach to political competence: stories of nurse activists. Policy, Politics & Nursing Practice, 4(2), 135-143.
3. A) Investigate the efforts of ANA and its constituents towards workplace or professional practice advocacy and compare these efforts to those of the National Nurses United, or other nursing union(s). Begin an online debate (based on your views and the readings) of advocacy.

B) Contribute a thoughtful addition to the student’s post as seen below (This can be used as an example to write Part A):

The Illinois Nursing Association bases it’s advocacy support on feedback from the nurses who are members. The INA believes that nurses know which health policies enhance patient care and the nursing profession, and meet the needs of both patients and staff. From reviewing the INA website, it seems that the INA focuses on healthcare reform and workplace safety as their main issues. The INA clearly states it’s legislative platform to identify it’s position on issues involving nurses and working to improve the profession.

The National Nurses United was founded to counter the “national assault by the healthcare industry on patient care conditions and stands for nurses.” According to the organization website, the current campaigns focus on safe RN- to –Patient Staffing Ratios, Medicare, protecting social security, and implementing what is known as the “Robin Hood Tax.”

It seems to me that the INA is focused more on social issues, whereas the NNU is focused on monetary issues. I think it is important to be aware of all of the issues brought up by both websites. Without adequate funding, healthcare reform cannot occur. Altering patient-to-staff ratios affects workplace safety for nurses. Since all of these issues are connected, I am surprised there is not more overlap between the two organizations. Overall, both organizations are focused on advocating for both the nurse and the patient. I think that the INA and NNU both work to improve conditions for nurses and ensure that they are able to provide optimal care for their patients.

Burger, D., RN., care, N. C., care, a. i., know, g. t., RN., et al. (n.d.). National Nurses United. National
Nurses United. Retrieved August 11, 2013, from http://www.nationalnursesunited.org/

INA. (n.d.). INA. Retrieved August 11, 2013, from http://www.illinoisnurses.com/
4. A) Compare and contrast 2 myths and 2 realities of either the UK, or CZ Health care system with myths and realities in recent health care law in the US (Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010; Public Law 111-148; H.R. 3590).

B) Further a comparison or contrast your classmate’s post as seen below (Part A should be written like this as well):

Myth #1: Those who are uninsured are those who are unemployed. Two-thirds of adults (non-elderly) without health insurance have jobs. Those who are more than 200% below the poverty account for 1/3 of the increase of uninsured adults, half the growth being individuals who are 19-34.

Myth #2: A free market is the best way to get the highest quality health insurance for the lowest cost. Private insurance companies average 16% above budget for administrative costs; however Medicare admin costs run less than 3%. Administrative costs are fast growing.

Truth #1: The US spends more on health care than Japan, Germany, France, China, the U.K., Italy, Canada, Brazil, Spain and Australia….. COMBINED!

Truth #2: About 60% of all bankruptcies in the US are related to medical bills.

Health care facts: Why we need health care reform. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://obamacarefacts.com/healthcare-facts.php

Perry, S. (June, 16 2009). Debunking myths about the U.S. health-care system. Retrieved from http://www.minnpost.com/second-opinion/2009/06/debunking-myths-about-us-health-care-system
5. A) Review United Nations docs (charters, relevant treaties, articles, conventions) about the right to health. Research how this articulates with US or CZ domestic policy and then discuss.

B) Provide a thoughtful addition to the following post (You may use the student’s response as an example to write part A):

The United Nations defines the right to health as "The right to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health." (www.ohchr.org). It has also been said that the right of health is "a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity." (World Health Organization). It also says that "the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health is one of the fundamental rights of every human being without distinction of race, religion, political belief, economic or social condition." The right of health, according to the UK, is NOT the same as the right to be healthy.

The WHO gathered in the past and made a universal definition for the right to health. Then each nation, individually was able to further define and set gaols. The United Nations breaks down their specific rights to health and how they apply to specific groups. They can be seen here: http://www.ohchr.org/Documents/Publications/Factsheet31.pdf . The United Nations goes above and beyond the basics that the WHO defines.

I decided to compare this to the right to health as defined by the Czech Republic. It was much more difficult to locate a published definition by the Czech Republic. It seems they just agree with the WHO’s definition. There are mentions of the WHO’s definition of right to health throughout several documents I came across, but never a separate definition. It seems they agree with the WHO. In one document called "Health Systems in Transition- Czech Republic Health System Review" they say "the right of health as defined by WHO….". So it does appear the Czech Republic does conform with the definition by the WHO. Without doing much research, I imagine the United States does further document the right of health and applies it to specific groups, just like the UN.

Czech republic health system in review. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.euro.who.int/__data/assets/pdf_file/0010/97633/E92968.pdf

Office of united nations high commissioner for human rights fact sheet. (2013, June 13). Retrieved from http://www.ohchr.org/Documents/Publications/Factsheet31.pdf

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Part I: Submit your preliminary proposal for the health policy issue that you will focus on for your course study. Include a description of the policy problem and who the problem impacts. Why is this issue a health policy problem? Identify current programs/ systems that already exist to address this problem and what gaps or limitations they may have to address the identified problem. Then submit an initial list of some web resources that you have identified to help you in your preliminary evidence gathering.A review of Appendix 4 from the Longest text may offer you some ideas for your selection of a health policy issue for study.

PART II: Self-assess your “policy competence” , as defined by Longest on page 297 of the text. After reviewing Bardach’s “Eightfold Path” outlined on page xvi of the Introduction of A Practical Guide for Policy Analysis, and briefly examining the remaining highlights of his how-to primer, identify the ways in which these guidelines will help you to strengthen this competence.

PART III: Examine the 2 on-line articles that are part of this module’s readings. These include Enemies of the People: The Moral Dimension to Public Healthopens in a new window (PDF, 29 pages, 1997), and American Values and Health Care Reformopens in a new window.

What points from Morone’s theories do you believe apply to your selected policy issue? Why? If you had to select 1-2 values outlined in Murray’s article as ones that prominently underscore the issues associated with your selected policy issue, what would they be? Be sure to substantiate your selection of these values. Do they reflect components of “Individualism” or “Community”? How?

Please Note: If you are interested in selecting the current Health Care Reform legislation (The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010) as your area for course study, you must limit your focus to one or two issues within this vast policy arena. Review Appendix 1 from the Longest text for some ideas on the multiple components of this legislation. Some ideas for individual issues include but are not limited to: Insurance Reforms, Medicare or Medicaid Changes, Quality Improvement, Long Term Care, Individual/ Employer Requirements or Prevention/Wellness.

NOTE: Your Written Submission should be a total of 5-6 pages in length and should contain a Bibliography citing resources using the APA Citation styleopens in a new window. Be sure to check all spelling and grammar as these are considered for evaluation purposes. Your response should reflect sound critical thinking related to the questions posed by the assignment. SUBMIT ALL WRITTEN ASSIGNMENTS AS ATTACHMENTS (as I post evaluation comments on the body of your written work).

Part I: Submit your preliminary proposal for the health policy issue that you will focus on for your course study. Include a description of the policy problem and who the problem impacts. Why is this issue a health policy problem? Identify current programs/ systems that already exist to address this problem and what gaps or limitations they may have to address the identified problem. Then submit an initial list of some web resources that you have identified to help you in your preliminary evidence gathering.A review of Appendix 4 from the Longest text may offer you some ideas for your selection of a health policy issue for study.

PART II: Self-assess your “policy competence” , as defined by Longest on page 297 of the text. After reviewing Bardach’s “Eightfold Path” outlined on page xvi of the Introduction of A Practical Guide for Policy Analysis, and briefly examining the remaining highlights of his how-to primer, identify the ways in which these guidelines will help you to strengthen this competence.

PART III: Examine the 2 on-line articles that are part of this module’s readings. These include Enemies of the People: The Moral Dimension to Public Healthopens in a new window (PDF, 29 pages, 1997), and American Values and Health Care Reformopens in a new window.

What points from Morone’s theories do you believe apply to your selected policy issue? Why? If you had to select 1-2 values outlined in Murray’s article as ones that prominently underscore the issues associated with your selected policy issue, what would they be? Be sure to substantiate your selection of these values. Do they reflect components of “Individualism” or “Community”? How?

Please Note: If you are interested in selecting the current Health Care Reform legislation (The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010) as your area for course study, you must limit your focus to one or two issues within this vast policy arena. Review Appendix 1 from the Longest text for some ideas on the multiple components of this legislation. Some ideas for individual issues include but are not limited to: Insurance Reforms, Medicare or Medicaid Changes, Quality Improvement, Long Term Care, Individual/ Employer Requirements or Prevention/Wellness.

NOTE: Your Written Submission should be a total of 5-6 pages in length and should contain a Bibliography citing resources using the APA Citation styleopens in a new window. Be sure to check all spelling and grammar as these are considered for evaluation purposes. Your response should reflect sound critical thinking related to the questions posed by the assignment. SUBMIT ALL WRITTEN ASSIGNMENTS AS ATTACHMENTS (as I post evaluation comments on the body of your written work).