Policy and Advocacy for Improving Population Health, Exams of Nursing

Download Policy and Advocacy for Improving Population Health and more Exams Nursing in PDF only on Docsity! NURS 6050 FINAL EXAM PREP (Policy and Advocacy for Improving Population Health) ANSWERED 2023/2024 . 1. What is policy and why is it important for population health? (2 marks) Policy is a set of principles, rules, or guidelines that direct or influence the actions and decisions of individuals, groups, or organizations. Policy is important for population health because it can shape the social, economic, and environmental determinants of health, create opportunities and incentives for health promotion and disease prevention, and allocate resources and responsibilities for health care and public health services. (Source: https://www.cdc.gov/publichealth101/policy.html) 2. What are the main types of policy instruments and how do they differ in their effectiveness and feasibility? (3 marks) The main types of policy instruments are regulation, taxation/subsidy, information/education, and persuasion/negotiation. They differ in their effectiveness and feasibility depending on the nature of the problem, the target population, the political context, and the ethical implications. For example, regulation may be more effective and feasible for addressing environmental hazards or infectious diseases than for changing individual behaviors or social norms. Taxation/subsidy may be more effective and feasible for influencing market outcomes or redistributing income than for ensuring quality or equity of health care services. Information/education may be more effective and feasible for raising awareness or enhancing skills than for overcoming barriers or motivating action. Persuasion/negotiation may be more effective and feasible for building consensus or resolving conflicts than for enforcing compliance or imposing sanctions. (Source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK228991/) 3. What are the main steps of the policy cycle and what are the key tasks and challenges involved in each step? (5 marks) The main steps of the policy cycle are agenda setting, policy formulation, policy adoption, policy implementation, and policy evaluation. The key tasks and challenges involved in each step are: Select an issue related to healthcare that was addressed by each of the last three U.S. presidential administrations. One of the most debated and controversial issues in the U.S. politics is healthcare. Each of the last three U.S. presidential administrations has addressed this issue in different ways, reflecting their ideological and political views. The Obama administration (2009-2017) passed the Affordable Care Act (ACA) in 2010, which aimed to expand health insurance coverage, reduce costs, and improve quality and efficiency of the healthcare system. The ACA introduced several reforms, such as prohibiting insurers from denying coverage or charging more based on pre-existing conditions, creating health insurance marketplaces, expanding Medicaid eligibility, and mandating individuals to have health insurance or pay a penalty. The Trump administration (2017-2021) opposed the ACA and sought to repeal and replace it with a more market-based approach. However, it failed to pass a comprehensive alternative plan in Congress, and instead relied on executive actions and judicial challenges to undermine the ACA. Some of these actions included reducing funding for outreach and enrollment, allowing states to impose work requirements for Medicaid beneficiaries, expanding the availability of short-term and association health plans that do not comply with the ACA standards, and supporting a lawsuit that challenged the constitutionality of the ACA's individual mandate. The Biden administration (2021-present) supports the ACA and has taken steps to strengthen and expand it. Some of these steps include creating a special enrollment period for the health insurance marketplaces, reversing the previous administration's policies that limited access to Medicaid and reproductive health services, proposing to increase subsidies for health insurance premiums, and endorsing a public option that would compete with private insurers.  Consider how you would communicate the importance of a healthcare issue to a legislator/policymaker or a member of their staff for inclusion on an agenda. One possible way to communicate the importance of a healthcare issue to a legislator/policymaker or a member of their staff for inclusion on an agenda is to use the following steps: - Identify the specific problem or gap in the current healthcare system that your issue addresses and provide evidence from credible sources to support your claim. - Explain the benefits and impacts of your proposed solution or policy change on the health outcomes, quality of life, and costs for the target population and the society as a whole. - Anticipate and address any potential challenges, barriers, or objections that may arise from different stakeholders or opposing views and provide counterarguments or compromises to overcome them. - Provide a clear and feasible action plan that outlines the steps, timeline, resources, and responsibilities for implementing your solution or policy change and how you will measure its effectiveness and outcomes. - End with a strong and persuasive conclusion that summarizes your main points, reiterates your request for inclusion on the agenda, and expresses your appreciation for their time and attention.