Select a current or proposed health care policy that is designed to improve a specific population’s access to quality, cost-effective health care. In a Population Health Policy Analysis paper of 1,000-1,250 words, include the following:
Explain the policy and how it is designed to improve cost-effectiveness and health care equity for the population. Is the policy financially sound? Why or why not? How does the policy account for any relevant ethical, legal, and political factors and the nursing perceptive one must consider when implementing it? Population Health Policy Analysis.
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To what state, federal, global health policies or goals is this particular policy related? How well do you think the policy is designed to achieve those goals?
Finally, discuss the advocacy strategies you would employ on behalf of your population to ensure they have access to the benefits of the policy Population Health Policy Analysis. Explain, from a Christian perspective, the professional and moral obligation of advanced registered nurse to advocate for and promote health and prevent disease among diverse populations.
You are required to cite five to 10 sources to complete this assignment. Sources must be published within the last 5 years and appropriate for the assignment criteria and nursing content.
Prepare this assignment according to the guidelines found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center. An abstract is not required. Population Health Policy Analysis.
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Benchmark – Population Health Policy Analysis
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Optimal health is achieved through high-quality health care services which are cost-effective and accessible to the public and also well-coordinated. Health policies present plans, actions and decisions that facilitate the achiev3ment of healthcare goals in the society (Blank, 2019). The World Health Organization notes that health policies define visions for the future, provides the expected roles and priorities roles of the public population and creates consensus as well as informs the public on healthcare issues (Abel-Smith, 2018) Population Health Policy Analysis. As such, this paper examines the publicly funded healthcare policy in the United States and how it is designed to improve a specific population’s access to quality, cost-effective health care.
Publicly funded healthcare policy in the United States is designed to meet all or part of the healthcare needs from public funds. The Medicare and Medicaid programs together with the Veterans Health Administration and Children’s Health Insurance Programs are involved in funding 64% of healthcare costs paid by the government since 2013 (Sommers et al., 2017). The policy is designed to improve cost-effectiveness and health care equity for the population as it meets a larger portion of healthcare bills. Thus, it reduces the economic burden of the population and particularly the marginalized groups who have difficulties in accessing care due to poverty Population Health Policy Analysis. Even though is not a universal healthcare fund, the policy ensures equitable distribution of healthcare services through equal distribution of healthcare funds. It also gives the population a chance to select their insurances depending on their economic capabilities. Consequently, it protects the consumers from exploitation by insurance companies.
The publicly funded healthcare policy in the United States is somehow not financially sound. Healthcare costs in the US are considerably higher and continues to increase even more than the overall economic growth of the country. For instance, in 2016, the cost was reported to be approximately $3.3 trillion dollars in 2016 (Martin, 2016). These high costs are bound to strain the economy of the country in the future considering that the US has the highest healthcare costs compared to other countries. In 2016, the government spent 17.9% of GDP on the costs of healthcare which is substantially higher than Japan, France, Germany and Sweden who spent about 11% and Switzerland which spent only 12% of their gross domestic product (Papanicolas, Woskie & Jha, 2018). Moreover, an individual American citizen spent about $9900 for healthcare in 2016 (Martin, 2016) Population Health Policy Analysis. This increased expenditure could be therefore become unsustainable in the long run because, they tend to increase the national debt. In addition, the quality of life reduces as people spend more on health and insurances, the costs of their products and services increase and people end up being unable to afford healthcare insurance.
The public funded healthcare policy ensures equitable distribution of resources among the public population regardless of their financial or social status. This supports the justice principle of ethics which focuses on fairness. Moreover, it promotes the protection of vulnerable groups such as the minorities and as well as ensures the patient’s choice of treatment is respected as expected by autonomy. It also promotes culturally sensitive care thus enhancing solidarity between communities during outbreaks through prevention strategies and collaboration in eradicating illnesses. The policy is basically set up to benefit the public in improving the access and quality of healthcare and reducing the cost (Wilkinson, & Savulescu, 2018) Population Health Policy Analysis.
On the other hand, the legal foundation of public health in the US is embedded in the rights to life, safety and health of the population. The constitution mandates the government’s protection of its citizens against harm and hence the federal and states governments should provide a functioning public health system (Chen, Vargas-Bustamante, Mortensen & Ortega, 2016). The public health policy was set up through a political decision processes which involve the enactment of The Affordable Care Act (ACA) legislations. Notably, the repealing, removal or amendment of the policy is dependent on the political authorities.
The implementation of the healthcare public funding policy should be patient centered and seek to reduce the cost as well as increase the quality of care. As such, nurses must consider influencing the processes and standards of their practice settings to achieve quality Population Health Policy Analysis. Furthermore, they should promote active participation of other nurses and collaborations to ensure successful implementation and sustainability of the policy. Nurses should also consider being information sources to the community for the much-needed information regarding healthcare insurance coverage and access provided by the policy.
The public health funding policy is related to the Affordable Care Act (ACA) Federal health policy. This Act was enacted in 2010 with the aim of offering affordable health insurance coverage to the public. It also sought to protest the citizens for exploitation by insurance companies (Sommers et al., 2017). In this case, it was designed to lower the cost of healthcare particularly for low-income households. The public funding healthcare policy is well designed to achieve the ACA goals in that it offers healthcare funding programs suitable for all citizens through various insurance programs. This ensures that costs are maintained at a realistic level that increases access as healthcare services become more affordable.
The public health funding policy seeks to improve the quality of healthcare, reduce the cost, increase access and affordability. One of the advocacy strategies I would employ on behalf of my population to ensure they have access to the benefits of the policy is to provide a voice. This means that I provide information to enable them understand the policy and its benefits as well as how to become a beneficiary Population Health Policy Analysis. I will also allow them to ask questions that will facilitate my successful implementation of the policy. Another strategy will involve the protection of the patients’ rights (Assi, Peterson & Hatmaker, 2018). This will entail knowing their wishes and communicating them to the policy makers as well as educating them on how to optimally benefit from the policy as well as improve the quality of their care. I will also connect patients to resources both on the inside and outside the healthcare facility to support their wellbeing and understanding of the policy. This will help them gain financial assistance and enable them meet their needs.
From a Christian perspective, the advanced registered nurses have a professional and moral obligation to advocate for and promote health and prevent disease among diverse populations. This is achieved through upholding of autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence and justice during healthcare delivery (Leffers & McDermott-Levy, 2019). This means that nurses are expected to engage patients in treatment and as well in decision making regarding the implementation of healthcare policies. They should also ensure fair and equitable distribution of healthcare resources and services and attend to patients without discrimination. Nurses should also be culturally sensitive while dealing with patients from different backgrounds (Albougami, Pounds & Alotaibi, 2016). This includes conducting a spiritual needs assessment to resolve ethical dilemmas and as well as practicing according to the legal requirements of the advanced nurse license. They should also uphold holistic and evidence-based practice at all times Population Health Policy Analysis.
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References
Abel-Smith, B. (2018). An introduction to health: policy, planning and financing. Routledge.
Albougami, A. S., Pounds, K. G., & Alotaibi, J. S. (2016). Comparison of four cultural competence models in transcultural nursing: A discussion paper. International Archives of Nursing and Health Care, 2(3), 1-5.
Assi, M. J., Peterson, C., & Hatmaker, D. D. (2018). Workforce Advocacy for a Professional Nursing Practice Environment. Contemporary Nursing E-Book: Issues, Trends, & Management, 232. Population Health Policy Analysis.
Blank, R. H. (2019). Public Policy Context: Funding and Policy Initiatives. In Social & Public Policy of Alzheimer’s Disease in the United States (pp. 27-44). Palgrave Pivot, Singapore.
Chen, J., Vargas-Bustamante, A., Mortensen, K., & Ortega, A. N. (2016). Racial and ethnic disparities in health care access and utilization under the Affordable Care Act. Medical care, 54(2), 140.
Leffers, J., & McDermott-Levy, R. (2019, November). Ethical principles for global health nursing: Promoting equity in practice. In APHA’s 2019 Annual Meeting and Expo (Nov. 2-Nov. 6). American Public Health Association.
Martin, A. B. (2016). Healthcare expenditure increasing in USA. PharmacoEconomics & Outcomes News, 768, 17-17.
Papanicolas, I., Woskie, L. R., & Jha, A. K. (2018). Health care spending in the United States and other high-income countries. Jama, 319(10), 1024-1039.
Sommers, B. D., Maylone, B., Blendon, R. J., Orav, E. J., & Epstein, A. M. (2017). Three-year impacts of the Affordable Care Act: improved medical care and health among low-income adults. Health Affairs, 36(6), 1119-1128.
Wilkinson, D., & Savulescu, J. (2018). Cost-equivalence and Pluralism in Publicly-funded Health-care Systems. Health Care Analysis, 26(4), 287-309 Population Health Policy Analysis.