Policy formulation begins with problems, possible solutions and political circumstances (Kingdon, 2009).
Identifying problems and agenda setting is the first step in the policy formulation process. The problem in this scenario is that 46 million Americans are without health insurance in the United States (Census Bureau, 2008).
With the number of uninsured American’s, policy formulation is critical; issues need to be straightforward, who is involved in the process, and what needs to be done has to be clearly defined in order for policy to be considered at this stage (Fafard, 2008).
The Institute of Medicine reported that between 2000 and 2006, 137,000 American’s died due to lack of health insurance (Dorn, 2008); this number includes 22,000 alone in 2006. This is evidence enough for health reform to be on a political agenda for policy formulation and for a proposal to be written for debate and approved by federal Congress making it law. During the legislative stage a policy is assigned letters by the clerk; for example, H. R. , and then followed by the legislative number.
Once the number has been assigned, the policy will be referred to as the assigned number (Johnson, 2003).
Understanding the legislative branch is important because each branch of the government has specific duties. The main responsibility of the legislative branch is to confirm and approve laws and regulations. The executive branch is responsible for administrating and executing the laws and regulations approved by the legislative branch. The chief executive on the federal level is the President of the United States, whereas the chief executive on the tate level is the Governor. The judicial branch enforces the laws. Both the state and federal government have separate judicial systems (Children’s Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota, 2009).
The Term Paper on Foreign Policy 4
The old American credo “liberty at home and in abroad” has been imbibed in the minds of American politicians, way back from the time of the first US President George Washington (1732-1799) who was the Commander-In-Chief of the Continental Army in the revolution of the American Colonies against Great Britain in 1775-1783 (US History. Org. , 2008). Some experts on diplomatic relations believe that ...
On the legislative level, if a proposal is not enacted by the end of the Congressional session that it was introduced, it will die and have to be reintroduced into the next Congress. After a bill is introduced to Legislation, it is then sent to the appropriate committee for review. A bill is first reviewed at a subcommittee level at which time it may be accepted, amended or rejected.
Only after the subcommittee decides to move forward with the bill will it be presented to the full committee for additional review. During the hearing process the committee will check the validity of the bill and may invite experts, advocates and opponents to testify (Johnson, 2003).
If the committee votes to approve the bill, then the majority party leadership schedules the bill for consideration. Major hurdles are still in the way at this stage for a bill to be passed. If the bill reaches the floor, a House Rules Committee must propose a special rule in order for the bill to be discussed.
If this committee does not report a rule, then the bill dies, like many others, and will not be considered. The legislative process is very complex. Over the years Legislation has denied many proposals for health reform. The battle for health reform for the uninsured and underserved population dates back to Franklin D. Roosevelt; health reform proposals died at the Congressional level many times under his leadership (Morone & Litman, 2008).
Although Roosevelt set agendas, formed committees, and had health plans, these plans were never fully developed or implemented.
Roosevelt was a risk taker on a multitude of programs, but healthcare was not one of them. Truman became president after Roosevelt in 1945, and after serving two terms and attempting health reform, Congress continued rebuffing the plan. Truman was passionate about healthcare and saw the need for an insurance plan that would enable people to receive medical treatment when needed. When Eisenhower took office in 1953 health reform policy continued to swirl, and in the end the federal government rejected his plan.
The Term Paper on Constitutionality of the new health care reforms
This paper seeks to discuss the constitutionality of the new health care law in the United States of America, the Affordable Healthcare Act. The paper will discuss on the diverse understanding and conception of the new law among the common citizenry in America, business class as well as the health care service providers. Health care to any person is a sensitive topic attracts attention of any ...
When Kennedy took office in 1961, he began truly to set the political agenda in healthcare reform and believed his plan would be one of the first bills. Unfortunately, Kennedy’s agenda on healthcare reform took on special status after his assassination in 1963. Johnson then took over the Presidential office in 1963 and in 1965 Medicare was enacted under his administration offering healthcare coverage to senior citizens and the disabled population. During the same time, Medicaid was also enacted, but with restrictions; still leaving many American’s without health insurance coverage.
Nixon, Carter, Reagan, Bush, and Clinton followed Johnson, each with his own ideas and solutions, none of which were implemented; every proposal presented and each time rejected within the hands of Congress. When a draft is proposed, only members of Congress can introduce proposed legislation (Johnson, 2003).
House Resolution 676, (H. R. 676) United States National Health Insurance Act, was first introduced in 2003 by Congress. After failing every year since 2003, it was reintroduced to the 111th Congress on January 28, 2009 (Conyers, 2009).
The current administration’s goal is to have health reform by the end of 2009.
H. R. 676 proposes a fair and equitable single payer healthcare plan which will expand on the current Medicare program. All Americans will be eligible, and under this plan medication, dental care, nursing home care, primary care, and preventative care will all be offered at prices that everyone can afford, including the uninsured and underinsured population (Conyers, 2009).
If H. R. 676 is approved and signed then the appropriate agency drafts rules and regulations implementing law at which point legislation must approve at the next session. If H. R. 76 is approved and implemented, Legislation will need to state what should be done, how it should be done, and decide other activities that need to be arranged such as organizing, financing, staffing, and control mechanisms (Byat, n. d. ).
The Term Paper on U.S. Health Insurance Industry
I.Brief Overview In the past ten (10) years, health costs in America have soared to record levels while more and more Americans are uninsured and access to quality health care becomes more problematic. Unemployment rates, higher insurance premiums, a rise in chronic illness nationwide and less than effective attempts to fix the problem such as Obama care and changes in Medicaid only exacerbate the ...
The success of a policy also depends on how well it is implemented. The United States healthcare system is flawed; people are dying due to inequality in access to health care. According to Davis (2007), when an uninsured individual presents for medical treatment, he or she will be charged the full amount for service because they do not benefit from insurance provider negotiated benefit discounts.
The uninsured are at a disadvantage and the inequalities in healthcare need to end. Some states in America are not waiting for Washington to take action (Slone, 2007).
Massachusetts, for example, has implemented bold initiatives with health insurance reform requiring residents to buy health insurance or face tax penalties. Some may believe making health insurance mandatory is unfair; the fact is it has helped Massachusetts become a leader in healthcare. This state also shifts more than $600 million from its uncompensated care pool to subsidize premiums for low-income workers over time.
Other states have considered modeling after Massachusetts but have not implemented a program as yet. Massachusetts mandatory health insurance reform is not enough; the United States still faces countless challenges with the number of uninsured Americans. The federal government can learn from the implementation challenges of Massachusetts and begin developing best solutions into a federal universal healthcare initiative (Slone, 2007).
Legislation needs to keep health reform on the agenda; the fact that the uninsured population are dying by the thousands is compelling enough for the United States to take action.
As the American economy worsens and more people lose health insurance coverage, the number of uninsured will escalate, causing a larger problem. H. R. 676 needs to be sent to the appropriate legislative subcommittee for consideration, and then sent to the full committee for complete review. This policy needs to reach the House Rules Committee with a special rule proposed in order to be discussed. H. R. 676 needs to be kept alive in order to bring health reform to the United States of America, not only to help the uninsured and underinsured population, but also to aid all American citizens. References Byat, M. n. d. ).
The Term Paper on Health Care Reform Matrix
With your learning team, complete the Health Care Reform matrix below. Listed in this matrix are some of the topics addressed by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act policy. You are required to describe the issue, in your own words, and list 2-3 points about each topic under each heading in the matrix. Describe the issue: Key concerns regarding the issue: How is this issue addressed in ...
a Guide to Managing Public Policy. Retrieved from http://books. google. com Census Bureau (August 2008).
Income, Poverty and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2007. Retrieved from http://www. census. gov Children’s Hospitals and Clinical of Minnesota. (2009).
Overview of State and Federal Government. Retrieved from http://www. childrensmm. org Conyers, J. (March 4, 2009).
H. R. 676, “The United States National health Care Act. ” Expanded and Improved Medicare for All. Retrieved from http://conyers. house. gov Davis, K. (2007).
Uninsured in America: Problems and Possible Solutions.
Retrieved from http://www. bmj. com Dorn, S. (January 2008).
Uninsured and dying. Make that 22,000 uninsured deaths. Retrieved March 21, 2009 from http://www. pnhp. org/news/2008/january/make_that_22000_uni. php Fafard, P. (May 2008).
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How Our Laws Are Made. Retrieved from http://www. senate. gov Kingdon, J. W. (2009).
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The Changing Federal Role In U. S. Health Care Policy. Retrieved from http://books. google. com
