Last Updated on March 10, 2023 by Admin
Imagine that you are going to make a visit to your representative in Congress. Develop a one-page document that supports your position on the AHCA that you would leave with your
First Steps on Becoming a Grassroots Lobbyist/Advocate for Health Care Policy
This assignment has two parts, numbered below. Write each question as a new topic area, then follow with a paragraph or two to answer the question. You may find it necessary to search for answers to the questions outside of the assigned reading. Be sure to use APA guidelines for writing style, spelling and grammar, and citation of sources.
Tasks:
- Imagine that you are going to make a visit to your representative in Congress. Develop a one-page document that supports your position on the AHCA that you would leave with your representative or his or her aide when you make your visit. This one-pager, also called a “leave behind,” should state your position clearly in bullet points and give your reasons why your position is preferred. This “leave behind” should have 1 inch margins and utilize 14-point font throughout. If you were making this visit in person, you would present your “leave behind” to the person with whom you speak during your visit. Include a second page that describes your rationale for the position in your “leave behind” page supported by at least two journal articles.
2. Write a two-page brief to describe the scenario surrounding your legislative visit. Understanding the political affiliation of your representative, include answers to the following:
-
- Was your member in support or in opposition to the AHCA?
- State three points that you would cover in support or opposition to your representative’s position.
- How does your nursing experience influence the advocacy position that you take on the AHCA?
Submission Details:
- Submit your response in a 4-page Microsoft Word document.
- Name your document SU_NSG4068_W3_Project_LastName_FirstInitial.doc.
- Submit your document to the Submissions Area by the due date assigned.
- Cite sources in the APA format on a separate page.
Expert Answer and Explanation
Steps on Becoming a Grassroots Lobbyist/Advocate for Health Care Policy
The Leave Behind Document
Affordable health care act (AHCA) is a healthcare law reform that was enacted in March 2010 during the Obama administration. The bill is sometimes referred to as Obamacare or ACA. A lot of debates have been conducted about the act (Mason et al., 2015). Some people in the house of representatives support the law while others are against it. As an advocate for health care policy, I support the AHCA report due to the reasons highlighted below.
- AHCA is an excellent healthcare reform because it has made health insurance coverage available to all Americans regardless of their social status, religion, and race.
- The policy has expanded the Medicaid program to all the adults with low income as far as below 138% of the policy level set by the federal government.
- The act has supported health care delivery innovations developed to reduce the cost of medical services and improve the time of healthcare service delivery.
The rationale for the position in the “leave behind document”
Before the AHCA was enacted, many Americans could not afford health services because of their social and economic status. As a result, many people died not because their medical problems were worse, but due to the lack of funds to pay for their medical bills. Medicaid program was also out of reach to older people below 138% federal poverty level, and thus their health deteriorated (Miller, 2019). They had no funds that could enable them to enjoy the Medicaid program.
In addition, the American healthcare system had not adopted the technological innovations that could improve service delivery and reduce the cost of healthcare. This reform has improved healthcare by supporting innovations and availing health insurance and Medicaid program to all people (Scheuer & Smetters, 2018). Therefore, it should be implemented by all states.
The scenario surrounding the legislative visit
Since President Donald Trump took over the American government, several debates have risen to support or oppose the AHCA enacted during the reign of president Barrack Obama. Many people from different states have staged demonstrations to protest Trump’s move to shut some of the recommendations in the act. When President Trump was campaigning, he promised his voters that he would change the AHCA and develop a new policy that will better the American health system (White, 2018).
Since then, several debates have emerged about the act. Also, the house of representatives committee in charge of healthcare has regularly summoned people, including advocates, medical professionals, and economists, to come and give their view about the act. In the committee, people were divided. The republicans were against the law while the democrats were supporting the legislation. My representative was a democrat, and thus he supported the act.
I would support the position of my representative due to the following three points. First, the act has slowed the pace at which the healthcare cost was increasing in the US. The law has done this by making preventive insurance care free for Americans and providing health coverage for millions of people in the country. In other words, before a person goes to the emergency room, the act allows him or her to receive proper medical attention.
Dinan (2018) mentions that healthcare in the US increased by 4% in 2004, and by 2016, it had reduced by 1.2% as a result of the AHCA. Second, the law mandates insurance providers to produce an insurance plan that covers ten health benefits that are essential to Americans. The benefits include the treatment of mental conditions, chronic diseases, and addiction. Many people may find themselves in emergency rooms if these benefits are covered.
The cost of the ten essential health benefits is paid for by the taxpayers because they are passed on to the Medicaid program. Lastly, the law has allowed children to benefit from their parents’ insurance cover until the age of 26. As a result, more than 3 million people registered for health insurance, thus the insurance companies received more revenue. Gostin (2019) mentions that the income is from premiums paid by healthy people.
My experience in nursing has helped be efficiently advocate for the AHCA. As a nurse, I have seen many people suffer chronic medical conditions and die because they have no funds to pay for their medical bills. Thus, when AHCA was initiated, the situation at the American hospitals changed in that many people can receive proper medical attention due to the affordable insurance covers.
Also, nurses understand that there is a need for the development of technologies that can improve healthcare delivery by improving efficiency and lowering costs. This understanding developed my urge to support and advocate for the act because it provides innovators with the opportunity to create affordable technologies that improve healthcare service delivery. In other words, nursing experience has made me understand the need for affordable healthcare, and this has helped me effectively advocate for AHCA.
In conclusion, AHCA should be implemented due to three points. First, it has reduced the cost of healthcare service delivery. Second, it has availed health covers to all Americans regardless of their status and position in society. Lastly, it has supported innovations that have improved healthcare service delivery.
References
Dinan, J. (2018). The Supreme Court and the Affordable Care Act: The consequences of the NFIB v. Sebelius decision for health care policy. In Controversies in American Federalism and Public Policy (pp. 75-92). Routledge.
Gostin, L. O. (2019). Texas v United States: The Affordable Care Act Is Constitutional and Will Remain So. Jama, 321(4), 332-333.
Mason, D. J., Gardner, D. B., Outlaw, F. H., & O’Grady, E. T. (2015). Policy & Politics in Nursing and Health Care – E-Book.
Miller, J. H. (2019). Collaborative Leadership in Senate Democrats’ Opposition to Affordable Care Act Repeal Efforts. Journal of Contemporary Rhetoric, 9.
Scheuer, F., & Smetters, K. (2018). How Initial Conditions Can Have Permanent Effects: The Case of the Affordable Care Act. American Economic Journal: Economic Policy, 10(4), 302-43.
White, J. (2018). Hypotheses and Hope: policy analysis and cost controls (or not) in the affordable care act. Journal of Health Politics, Policy and Law, 43(3), 455-482.
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