Posted: December 8th, 2022

Discussion: Politics and the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act

Discussion: Politics and the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act

Cost-benefit analysis is the process the analyze the cost of a project before starting it. CBA ascertains how many expenses a project could incur and how far the chances are to succeed. The legislature’s scenario relates to law-making and analyzing the impacts of this law upon society and how far a newly made law is beneficial for them (Buettgens et al. 2016).

In 2010, President Barack Obama signed the Affordable Care Act (ACA). This act allowed people to gain insurance coverage even with pre-existing health conditions. Obamacare was created to make affordable health care insurance, expand the Medicaid program, and support innovative medical care delivery methods designed to lower general healthcare costs (Healthcare.gov, n.d.) Discussion: Politics and the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

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However, The legislature has made several efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act. Both houses passed a bill to annul ACA but were a veto by the president because both houses suggested no alternative for this bill. US department of health and human survey issued a report that revealed that around 20 million people have recovered because of ACA (Buettgens et al. 2016). The report discussed two CBA’s that were about ACA. The first step was to repeal the act, and the second was to continue ACA. The impact of repealing ACA means 24 million people will be uninsured. A lesser number of people would get a medical checkup for free, and 700k people will have less insurance for their job Discussion: Politics and the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

The decision of a voter matters more than anything for a legislature in his re-election process. National policies are made for the smooth running of the state’s affairs and mainly for the people’s welfare. As discussed above, the impact of repealing the ACA will have terrible implications for voters, resulting in fewer healthcare facilities for people, uninsured jobs, and lives. (Buettgens et al. 2008). A legislator whose goal is to get re-elected would be wise to go with the popular vote. People’s votes matter a lot for the legislature, which is why the president vetoes the decision to repeal ACA.

According to National Council for the Social Studies (2020), legislators consider the Triangle Test when deciding how to vote. They think, do my constituents care about this issue? Is this a good policy for the Nation, and does this make sense? Is this press-worthy? Hence, when thinking like a politician, one looks beyond the issue itself and considers other forces and factors that affect success. For re-election to occur, the legislature should understand its core power, which is voters’ power. Therefore, every policy of the legislature should be according to the desire and benefit of voters Discussion: Politics and the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

References

Buettgens, M., Blumberg, L. J., Holahan, J., & Ndwandwe, S. (2016). The Cost of the ACA Repeal. Urban Institute.

Healthcare.gov. (n.d.). Affordable Care Act (ACA) – HealthCare.gov Glossary. Retrieved September 17, 2020, from https://www.healthcare.gov/glossary/affordable-care-act/

National Council for the Social Studies. (n.d.). How Legislators Make Decisions. Retrieved September 17, 2020, from https://www.socialstudies.org/advocacy/how-legislators-makedecisions

response

I wanted to add that it is a shame that we are no longer a country run by the people as our founding father intended (“Celebrating the Constitution, 2006). It appears we are run more by special interest groups and whomever can offer the most money towards a politician’s re-election efforts (Milstead & Short, 2019). Our forefathers must be turning in their graves due to this. We as citizens always hope we are voting for individuals to represent us that hold our best interests in mind and this issue occurs on both sides of the aisle Discussion: Politics and the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

References

Celebrating the Constitution. (cover story). (2006). Scholastic News –Edition 4, 69(2), 4.

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

response 2

I agree that nurses and patients are most affected during policy creation and implementation in healthcare. However, when it comes to political participation from nurses, the numbers are scarce. One Midwest study showed that most registered nurses only participated in low cost political activities, such as voting or simply discussing politics, but few nurses actually participated in demonstrations (Vandenhouten et al., 2016) Nurses always complain about policy changes and how many don’t make sense because the nurses involved in the decision-making aren’t active floor nurses, yet most active floor nurses don’t involve themselves in politics. I believe many nurses want to have a political voice and be apart of effective changes in healthcare, but many just don’t have the time. Reference Vandenhouten, C. L., Malakar, C. L., Kubsch, S., Block, D. E., & Gallagher-Lepak, S. (2016). Political Participation of Registered Nurses. Policy, Politics, & Nursing Practice, 12(3), 159–167. https://doi.org/10.1177/1527154411425189 Discussion: Politics and the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act

Discussion: Politics and the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act

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.

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 Discussion: Politics and the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

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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.

While in office, President Obama assessed the needs of the American people and found a substantial gap in healthcare affordability and accessibility. To combat this pressing issue the Affordable Care Act (ACA) was developed in 2010, voted on, and ultimately put into action. This was the first time that our healthcare system came close to the idea that it is a basic human right to have access to healthcare, not a privilege. Since its inception, Republicans have made it known they do not support this new law and used the repeal and replace policy agenda as their primary campaign agenda to try to appeal to the masses. Once in office, President Trump realized that unless a formidable replacement for ACA was created, it was not possible to get rid of it. The repeal and replace proposal, unfortunately, promoted the belief that healthcare was indeed a privilege and not a right (Grogan, 2017). Grogan (2017) stated that “they want to place the blame for lack of coverage back onto the individual, and remove any sense of public or communal obligation to make sure that everyone has access to health care coverage.”

Policymakers are not focused on how the American people will be affected by the changes to ACA, but how the changes will affect their chances of re-election. Putting changes into play would have run up against the next election cycle in 2018 and implementation problems might have affected the majority party’s hold on both houses of congress. According to Joel Teitelbaum (Laureate, 2018a), the way to change policy is through law and through the executive and legislative officials we elect (Laureate, 2018b). These lawmakers utilize their power and influence to obtain large amounts of money from special-interest groups that support their re-election (Milstead & Short, 2019). Winning an election or re-election can be costly, so the return on the investment must be beneficial, and unfortunately the greatest benefit with the fewest costs might mean the best solution may not be the path ultimately chosen (Milstead & Short, 2019).

It is important to educate the public on the significance of voting, not just during presidential elections, but at state and local as well. These executive and legislative officials that we elect are the ones that go on to create and vote on health policies and laws that directly affect us Discussion: Politics and the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

 

References

Grogan, C. M. (2017, October). How the ACA addressed health equity and what repeal would mean. Journal of Health Politics, Policy and Law42(5), 985–993. https://doi.org/10.1215/03616878-3940508

Laureate Education (Producer). (2018a). Contemporary issues in public health policy with Joel Teitelbaum [Video file]. Baltimore, MD: Author.

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

Milstead, J. A., & Short, N. M. (2019). Health policy and politics: A nurse’s guide (6th ed.). Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning Discussion: Politics and the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

response post

I agree with your statement of stressing the importance of voting to the public. I have heard many people conclude that the presidential election is the only time they believe they should vote. Legislation voting is indeed important because of the strong input they have in law-making. Legislators use different tactics when it comes to electing them and winning votes. “A legislator’s duty is to vote on legislation, yet legislators routinely miss votes. Existing studies of absenteeism have focused on the US Congress, producing useful but partial explanations” (Brown & Goodliffe , 2017).  When it comes to laws and legislators wanting to win votes, they do tend to overlook what will be good for the people. As you stated, they do certain things to be sure they lock in their re-election and overlook how it may affect the American people. With that being said, things of this nature should show why it is so important to vote in every election to be sure there are people elected who care what affects Americans. According to Akirav, we argue that the skills required for selection and re-election are different from those required for enacting legislation. Thus, we distinguish between two types of legislators – those who are electable and those who are successful in the legislature” (2015). This statement goes to show that just because a legislator is elected , it does not mean that they are the right person for the job Discussion: Politics and the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

References 

Brown, A. R., & Goodliffe, J. (2017). Why do legislators skip votes? Position taking versus policy influence. Political Behavior, 39(2), 425–455. https://doi-org.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/10.1007/s11109-016-9362-8

Akirav, O. (2015). Re-election: Different Skills for Different Roles. Government & Opposition, 50(1), 90–118. https://doi-org.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/10.1017/gov.2013.39 Discussion: Politics and the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act

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