Policy Assignment Paper

The purpose of this assignment is to examine the influence of health care policy on the delivery of care by practicing lobbying for a health care issue with your legislator. Part 1: Written correspondence-Email should be 3 paragraphs Prepare to lobby your legislator/aide by initiating written correspondence.Choose the Affordable Care Act as a health care policy and formulate an email to your identified legislator by taking a position on the issue (for or against) with the purpose of scheduling a meeting.Policy Assignment Paper.  This email should be 3 paragraphs in length. Information can be found at https://www.thoughtco.com/write-effective-letters-to-congress-3322301 Sample letters from google search https://www.rsfh.com/upload/docs/for%20the%20media/metemplatesupportcommunications.pdfhttps://www.usccb.org/resources/letter-senate-affordable-care-act-july-20-2017-0 First paragraph Why you are writing and who you are. (I am a nursing student) List your \”credentials\” and state that you are a constituent. Include your name and address, so you can receive a response. Second paragraph Provide factual details. Provide specific information about how the Affordable Care Act affects you and others. Third paragraph Close by requesting the action you want to be taken, be specific. Request a meeting. Part 2: Video presentation script 1-2 mins (Basically a summary of email correspondence) The script should include: 1. Introduction to yourself and topic you wish to discuss. 2. Thank the legislator for taking the time to see you and hear your presentation 3. Your position 4. Counterpoints 5. Action you would like legislator to take 6. Offer to provide further information if requested. Part 3 Page two-cited talking points and counterpoints of your position in paper format.

I am a nurse practitioner practicing as a registered nurse currently enrolled in a master of science in nursing degree program. I am writing to urge you to urge you to oppose the ongoing efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA). As a nurse practitioner with the professional responsibility of providing nursing care, which includes providing care and advocating for patients, I am well positioned to provide an objective opinion on the efforts to repeal ACA. In addition, I am your constituent and believe that I have a civic duty to offer opinions that would influence your legislative efforts. Policy Assignment Paper.

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ACA is intended to provide health insurance coverage for Americans by presenting programs that make it difficult for private health insurers to restrict care and drive up health care costs. Millions of Americans have benefitted from ACA as they received public health insurance. More than 16 million Americans benefited in the first five years of ACA being implemented. Disadvantaged populations make up the majority of the beneficiaries. Many of the program beneficiaries had low paying jobs, were unemployed, disabled, or had preexisting medical conditions that precluded them from getting decent health insurance. Health insurance has become more affordable since ACA was implemented as health insurance companies now spend at least 80% of the premiums paid on medical improvements and care. In fact, insurers have found it more difficult to make unreasonable increases in the insurance rates thereby benefiting the American public (Rawal, 2016). Although health insurance is not free under ACA, but more Americans now have a wider range of health insurance coverage options. A significant gain made under ACA that would be lost should it be repealed is the coverage available to persons with preexisting health conditions. Preexisting conditions such as cancer previously made it difficult for many Americans to get health insurance, with the insurers arguing that the preexisting condition occurred before being covered by their plans. No American can be denied coverage because of a preexisting health problem under ACA. Another gain made under ACA is that there are no time limits for care. It was not unusual for insurance companies to set limits on time amounts or money spent on an individual with chronic health problems. Insurance companies can no longer do that under ACA since there are provisions that they can no longer maintain a preset time or dollar amount limit on the coverage provided to individual consumers. Yet another gain is that more preventive services and screenings are covered through low deductibles and copays as ACA is based on the premise that proactive health care helps to delay and avoid major health problems (Kuramoto & Yuen, 2017). While ACA has been beneficial, it also has some significant shortcomings. Firstly, it has disadvantaged some populations through fines for being uninsured. Policy Assignment Paper.  ACA is intended to ensure that all Americans and yet it is unable to cover the costs thus resulting in only a proportion of Americans being insured. As a result, persons who are not covered by ACA but are unable to pay for health insurance must contend with the burden from the fines. Secondly, it has increased taxes as the beneficiaries of the government insurance program increases. Many new taxes have been passed to enable the government pay for ACA (Vogel, 2019).

Although there is a need to reform America’s health insurance industry to address the shortcomings inherent in ACA, it would be imprudent to repeal when there are no suitable viable alternatives for improving insurance coverage for Americans. The gains brought about by ACA should not be overlooked, while the problems can be fixed. The Senate can make the necessary revisions to improve ACA by addressing its shortcomings.

Sincerely,

Name

Address

References

Kuramoto, F., & Yuen, F. (2017). The Affordable Care Act and Integrated Behavioural Health Care: Meeting the Health and Behavioral Health Needs of a Diverse Society. Taylor & Francis.

Rawal P. (2016). The Affordable Care Act: Examining the Facts: Examining the Facts. ABC-CLIO.

Vogel, D. (2019). Health Care Consolidation Under the Affordable Care Act. Nova Science Publishers, Inc. Policy Assignment Paper.