Legislation Comparison Grid Template NUR 6050

Assignment: Legislation Grid and Testimony/Advocacy Statement

As a nurse, how often have you thought to yourself, If I had anything to do about it, things would work a little differently? Increasingly, nurses are beginning to realize that they do, in fact, have a role and a voice.

Many nurses encounter daily experiences that motivate them to take on an advocacy role in hopes of impacting policies, laws, or regulations that impact healthcare issues of interest. Of course, doing so means entering the less familiar world of policy and politics. While many nurses do not initially feel prepared to operate in this space effectively, the reward is the opportunity to shape and influence future health policy. Legislation Comparison Grid Template NUR 6050

To Prepare for Legislation Comparison Grid Template NUR 6050

Select a bill that has been proposed (not one that has been enacted) using the congressional websites provided in the Learning Resources.

The Assignment: Legislation Comparison Grid Template NUR 6050

Be sure to add a title page, an introduction, purpose statement, and a conclusion. This is an APA paper.

Part 1: Legislation Grid

Based on the health-related bill (proposed, not enacted) you selected, complete the Legislation Grid Template. Be sure to address the following:

Determine the legislative intent of the bill you have reviewed.
Identify the proponents/opponents of the bill.
Identify the target populations addressed by the bill.
Where in the process is the bill currently? Is it in hearings or committees?

Health-related Bill Name	High health care costs due to poor implementation of the Patient Protection Affordable Care Act
Description
Federal or State?
Legislative Intent
Target Population
Status of the bill (Is it in hearings or committees? Is it receiving press coverage?)
General Notes/Comments

Part 2: Legislation Testimony/Advocacy Statement

Based on the health-related bill you selected, develop a 1-page Legislation Testimony/Advocacy Statement that addresses the following:

Advocate a position for the bill you selected and write testimony in support of your position.
Describe how you would address the opponent to your position. Be specific and provide examples.
At least 2 outside resources and 2-3 course specific resources are used.

Health Issues-

Part 1

Health Care Issue	High health care costs due to poor implementation of the Patient Protection Affordable Care Act
Description	The cost of healthcare coverage in America has denied several families and individuals access to quality health care for several years. In 2010 however the Affordable Care Act was passed and it now gives all Americans the opportunity of getting high quality, affordable and comprehensive coverage of healthcare. However, the insurance and healthcare industry and the citizens of America at the moment are still facing challenges when it comes to health care costs due to the poor implementation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Legislation Comparison Grid Template NUR 6050
Administration (Presidents name)	President Bill Clinton (1993-2001)	President George W Bush ( 2001-2009)	President Barrack Obama (2009-2017)

Administrative agenda focus related to the issue	First Democrat president to be elected after 12 years. He sent the American Health Security Act of 1993 to Congress (Schimmel, 2016). The act proposed the provision of health insurance that is affordable for all American citizens through a concept called managed competition. The proposal however failed due to bitter opposition	9/11 occurred during his tenure as the president. Much of his time was spent dealing with terrorism, and not much was done to reform the health sector. However, the largest expansion of Medicare occurred during this tenure (Schimmel, 2016). This includes the Medicare Drug Improvement and Modernization Act of the year 2003. Legislation Comparison Grid Template NUR 6050	President Obama made reforms in the health sector one of his major priorities. During his campaign, he promised to change the health sector by reduction of healthcare costs and making coverage available for most Americans (Schimmel, 2016)Despite political opposition, bitter partisan divides and public information the Patient Protection Affordable Care Act was passed into law on 23rd March 2010.
Allocation of financial and other resources towards this issue.	Clinton’s proposal was aimed at controlling the rates of increasing insurances premium. 80% of the premium was to be paid by the employer, and the family’s expenditure was not to exceed 3.9% of their income(Koijen, Philipson, &Uhlig, 2016). However, it was funded by savings from Medicaid and Medicare with increased taxes on tobacco. The total running cost was about $150 billion. Legislation Comparison Grid Template NUR 6050	The costs of funding president Bush expansion of Medicaid and Medicare program successfully the government allocated 250 billion dollars in running the program which was insufficient and the government’s debate to the public became 3.5 % in the year 2005 (Koijen, Philipson, &Uhlig, 2016). Legislation Comparison Grid Template NUR 6050	The cost of successfully running the PPACA or Obama care is roughly around $ 300 billion (Koijen, Philipson, &Uhlig, 2016). However, this would have saved the government $ 143 which translates into $ 1.73 trillion if the program is implemented successfully over the next decade.
Note on Administrators approach to the issue	President Clinton during his first days in administration worked on expanding the access to quality and affordable healthcare to all Americans. He passed measures that ensured that the Medicare program is strengthened through the Balanced Budget Act of 1997. Legislation Comparison Grid Template NUR 6050	George W Bush improved the cost of health care by signing the Medicare prescription drug into law. Through this, the cost of healthcare was improved and became affordable to all American citizens. Legislation Comparison Grid Template NUR 6050	President Obama was able to achieve his goal of reducing the cost of health care when the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act was enacted as a law in 2010. This act ensures that those who could not be insured due to their jobs or low income could still have access to quality and affordable health care. Legislation Comparison Grid Template NUR 6050
General notes/comments	Although his proposed bill was not passed by Congress his efforts in improving the costs and reforming the health care sector were evident.	Despite being overwhelmed with the fight against terrorism, President George W Bush ensured that health care services were available and affordable to the American citizens.	Lowering the costs of health care and improvement of the quality of life among Americans was one of his major priorities which he managed to accomplish through the enactment of PPACA in 2010. This remains to be the legacy of his administration.

Legislation Comparison Grid Template NUR 6050

The administrative agency that would ensure that the PPACA act is fully implemented in the health sector is the United States Department of Health and Human Services. Despite the implementation of several aspects of the law other provisions are yet to be implemented such as affordable insurance exchanges and full extension of Medicaid and Medicare covering those with a low income. The way this issue or agenda can get to the Department of Health and Human Services table is through running a campaign. There are several ways of running campaigns today without necessarily taking to the streets with banners or posters. Social media could be an effective tool for running the campaign (Koehler, 2018). This would include all the platforms such as Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and WhatsApp to get their attention that would prompt change. There are several campaigns that have been run successfully through social media. Legislation Comparison Grid Template NUR 6050

The need to reform the health sector begun after the Second World War and the need for affordable healthcare was introduced to Congress by President Truman. Although it was unsuccessful under several presidents due to the opposition and other politically related issues, during President Obama’s term the Affordable Care Act was enacted into being a law. It was faced with a lot of challenges, but despite all that, it managed to be enacted into law. This is one of the most successful legacies that his administration has had. Legislation Comparison Grid Template NUR 6050

Learning Resources for Legislation Comparison Grid Template NUR 6050

Required Readings

Milstead, J. A., & Short, N. M. (2019). Health policy and politics: A nurse’s guide (6th ed.). Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.

Chapter 3, “Government Response: Legislation” (pp. 37–56)
Chapter 10, “Overview: The Economics and Finance of Health Care” (pp. 180–183 only)

Congress.gov. (n.d.). Retrieved September 20, 2018, from https://www.congress.gov/

Taylor, D., Olshansky, E., Fugate-Woods, N., Johnson-Mallard, V., Safriet, B. J., & Hagan, T. (2017). Corrigendum to position statement: Political interference in sexual and reproductive health research and health professional education. Nursing Outlook, 65(2), 346–350. doi:10.1016/j.outlook.2017.05.003.

United States House of Representatives. (n.d.). Retrieved September 20, 2018, from https://www.house.gov/

United States Senate. (n.d.). Retrieved September 20, 2018, from https://www.senate.gov/

United States Senate. (n.d.). Senate organization chart for the 115th Congress. Retrieved September 20, 2018, from https://www.senate.gov/reference/org_chart.htm

Document: Legislation Grid Template (Word document)

Required Media

Laureate Education (Producer). (2018). Working with Legislators [Video file]. Baltimore, MD: Author.

Laureate Education (Producer). (2018). Introduction to Health Policy and Law with Joel Teitelbaum [Video file]. Baltimore, MD: Author.

Credit: Provided courtesy of the Laureate International Network of Universities.

Laureate Education (Producer). (2018). Contemporary Issues in Public Health Policy with Joel Teitelbaum [Video file]. Baltimore, MD: Author.

Laureate Education (Producer). (2018). Peter Beilenson: Population Health [Video file]. Baltimore, MD: Author.