Politics and the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

Healthcare is has been of concern and interest to individuals regardless of their political affiliation. Some individuals have perceived that some federal and state policies/ legislation can be supported or hindered by competing interests other than the anticipated benefits to the society.Politics and the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

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 When politicians’ interests on healthcare are in conflict with interests of majority of the electorate, it results in negative reviews and loss of political support. There have been efforts to repeal Affordable Care Act of 2010 (ACA) which has been regarded as a revolutionary policy. The ACA attempted to address issues of social justice and equality in the US healthcare. However, the policy received political undertones from its first initiation with lawmakers from Republican being antagonistic to the legislation. When Trump ascended to power, repeal and replacement of ACA became a priority. However, the government lacked support when the electorates realized that the repeal of ACA would hurt them (Cox et al., 2017). The Republican legislators realized if they continued to support the repeal, their chances of re-election would be minimal. This essay addresses the political viewpoint to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.Politics and the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

Repealing and Replacing the ACA

The first attempt to repeal the ACA was in 2017 with the passing of American Health Care Act (AHCA). The Trump administration was to use ACHA to repeal and replace ACA. However, it was realized that over 20 million people would lose health insurance coverage. The ACHA would increase healthcare costs since it had proposed a tax credit based on income(Ku et al., 2017). The ACHA had proposed a Patient and State Stability Fund to reduce premiums by 20% after 2026. This would increase the cost of healthcare for people already having pre-existing medical conditions (Nadash et al., 2018). ACHA was to give power to states to suspend various rules in ACA under definite circumstances which would make people living with chronic diseases to pay higher premiums for health insurance coverage. (Ku et al., 2017).Politics and the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

How Re-election Prospects Affected Efforts to Repeal and Replace the ACA

A cost benefit analysis by legislators revealed that they risked not being re-elected dueto the negative effects that would emanate from repealing and replacing the ACA (Karaca-Mandic et al., 2017). The new policy would deprive many people access to affordable healthcare which had been addressed by ACA. The proposals in the ACHA had been opposed by some stakeholders such as the American Academy of Family Physicians since they would raise health uncertainties, increase costs, and deny patients access to health cover based on age, health condition, or economic status. The Congress Budget Office (CBO) found out some defects on AHCA while some politicians found it hard to get votes with AHCA as it was (Ku et al., 2017). To protect their interest of being re-elected, senators came up with a proposal to overhaul AHCA which was referred to as Better Care Reconciliation Ac.t of 2017

How Voters’ Views Affect the Policy Positions of Legislators

The House of Representatives and Senate legislators are in elective posts and have to campaign and appeal to the voters to be elected. The decisions made by legislators on policy and legislative issues such as ACA and AHCA are influenced by the thoughts of the electorate because their overriding interest is re-election.

Regardless of political affiliation, individuals often grow concerned when considering perceived competing interests of government and their impact on topics of interest to them. The realm of healthcare is no different. Some people feel that local, state, and federal policies and legislation can be either helped or hindered by interests other than the benefit to society.

Consider for example that the number one job of a legislator is to be reelected. Cost can be measured in votes as well as dollars. Thus, it is important to consider the legislator’s perspective on either promoting or not promoting a certain initiative in the political landscape.Politics and the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

To Prepare:

• Review the Resources and reflect on efforts to repeal/replace the Affordable Care Act (ACA).
• Consider who benefits the most when policy is developed and in the context of policy implementation.

By Day 3 of Week 3

Post an explanation for how you think the cost-benefit analysis in terms of legislators being reelected affected efforts to repeal/replace the ACA. Then, explain how analyses of the voters views may affect decisions by legislative leaders in recommending or positioning national policies (e.g., Congress’ decisions impacting Medicare or Medicaid). Remember, the number one job of a legislator is to be re-elected. Please check your discussion grading rubric to ensure your responses meet the criteria.Politics and the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

By Day 6 of Week 3

Respond to at least two of your colleagues* on two different days by expanding on their explanation and providing an example that supports their explanation or respectfully challenging their explanation and providing an example.

*Note: Throughout this program, your fellow students are referred to as colleagues.

RUBRIC BELOW (just parameters so you can see what professor is looking for)

Politics and the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.