1
Health Policy Analysis Paper
By
November 11, 2021
HEALTH POLICY ANALYSIS 2
Overview of healthcare policies
Health policy refers to society's decisions, strategies, and activities to achieve a specified
healthcare goal(s). It is worth noting that an explicit health strategy can accomplish several
things, including setting a future vision that will be utilized to assist in establishing short- and
medium-term aims and benchmarks. To ensure that those strategic policy frameworks exist and
are matched with effective oversight, coalition building, regulation, attention to system design,
accountability, leadership, and effective governance (Hosek, 2019). In the United States, there
are three basic types of stakeholders who collaborate to design the health system and its
governance. The state, healthcare providers and communities are among the stakeholders. Most
healthcare regulations are necessary because they provide standardization in day-to-day
operations. These policies and procedures clarify those in the healthcare industry who deal with
essential health and safety issues, legal responsibilities, and regulatory requirements (Jost,52021).
The entire healthcare landscape, including both patients and providers, is shaped by health
policy. Nurses and nurse practitioners are directly involved in developing, implementing, and
evaluating health policies in their communities. This necessitates a diverse range of abilities and
a solid understanding of population health, health funding, and other topics (Almgren,52017).
Policy alternatives always have strategic interventions, according to other options. When it
comes to studying and evaluating health policy, people frequently consider the types of
methodologies they could use. Regarding health option analysis, policy linkage to contextual
elements is critical, and some choices must be dismissed before any assessment can be made
(Hosek, 2019). Because public health is the most essential government investment, health policy
analysis at the municipal, state, and federal levels have become a top priority in the United
States. Clinical, epidemiological, and health-financial aspects of interventions must all be
HEALTH POLICY ANALYSIS 3
considered in most cases if health policy is to be implemented. The health policy solutions must
also reflect the ethnicity, experience, and uniqueness of the United States (Hosek, 2019). There
must be scientific justification based on the American health board's foreign expertise. This
paper will examine and analyze the Affordable Care Act, discuss its proponents and the
challenges the law has faced since inception in 2010.
Overview of the bill and Stakeholders
President Barack Obama signed the Affordable Care Act into law in 2010. The law's goal was to
provide all Americans with health insurance coverage while reducing healthcare spending and
expenses. The reforms primarily affect the insurance business and have been phased in since the
law's adoption in 2010, commencing in 2010. Proponents of the reforms claim that they would
reduce costs and enhance access to healthcare, while opponents argue that they will raise
expenses and reduce the quality of care provided. The law has been challenged in court several
times. According to a Kaiser Family Foundation study from July 2015, 78 percent of Americans
expect it will be challenged in the future. The impact of the law's reforms is unpredictable. It will
be extensively monitored over the next several years due to the complexity and magnitude of the
healthcare business, which accounts for one-sixth of all spending in the country and the political
issues surrounding it (Jost,52021).
Promises/Expected Outcomes
Most Americans must have qualifying health insurance under the Affordable Care Act (ACA).
The Affordable Care Act (ACA) established the Healthcare.gov Marketplace to assist consumers
in comparing different health plans and determining what savings they may be eligible. The
Affordable Care Act (ACA) also provides financial support to consumers with low and middle
incomes in the form of tax credits that reduce monthly premiums and out-of-pocket expenses
HEALTH POLICY ANALYSIS 4
(Almgren,52017). Access to America's healthcare resolutions has increased as health insurance
has become more affordable. This has established a new market in which previously uninsured
Americans can obtain direct coverage from insurers. The ACA attempted to implement three
objectives in terms of healthcare policy evaluation. The reduction of cost to healthcare services,
the improvement of the quality of healthcare services provided to Americans, and the increase in
the number of people insured by lowering the number of uninsured Americans. Despite the
acceptance of these goals, there have been unforeseen turns and twists since the ACA's adoption,
causing disputed delays in the supply of health care services (Hosek, 2019).
Problems
Despite these improvements, many Americans continue to reject the Affordable Care Act, even
if they support most of its provisions. When the Affordable Care Act (ACA) was passed in 2010,
one of the first polls revealed that 45 percent of Americans were against it. In 2011, Americans
were perplexed; many were unsure how it would affect them and their families. In one poll, 60%
of citizens said cable TV provided them with most of their information regarding the Affordable
Care Act. They detest the individual mandate, which requires all Americans to obtain health
insurance and the government's role in health care (Nadash et al., 2018). Despite this, Medicare,
a required insurance program for seniors run by the federal government since 1965, is
enormously popular in the United States. The opposition to government involvement in health
care stems from the reality that the vast majority of our population has little faith in their
government. Republicans have a lower level of trust in the federal government and are less
supportive of government involvement in health care than Democrats (Dalen et al., 2015). Those
who oppose the Affordable Care Act cite both ideology (concerns about government
HEALTH POLICY ANALYSIS 5
involvement in healthcare and the insurance mandate) and self-interest as reasons for their
opposition (ACA costs and impact on their health care).
Recommendations
I strongly recommend the implementation and success of ACA. Considering low-income
individuals in America enables them to obtain health insurance in the long run despite their low
income. On the other hand, the federal government must be modest in its commitment to health
policy through the achievement of its goals. Conversely, raising awareness on the importance of
ACA is essential. The Affordable Care Act has increased the total number of insured Americans,
primarily due to the expansion of Medicaid (Hosek, 2019).
.
HEALTH POLICY ANALYSIS 6
References
Almgren,5G. (2017). A principled critique of the ACA and the ACA in an evolutionary
perspective.5Health Care as a Right of Citizenship,531(3), 104-
130.5https://doi.org/10.7312/columbia/9780231170130.003.0004
Dalen, J. E., Waterbrook, K., & Alpert, J. S. (2015). Why do so many Americans oppose the
Affordable Care Act?.5The American journal of medicine,5128(8), 807–810.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amjmed.2015.01.032
Hosek A. (2019). Ensuring the Future of the Affordable Care Act on the Health Insurance
Marketplaces.5Journal of health politics, policy and law,544(4), 589–630.
https://doi.org/10.1215/03616878-7530813
Jost,5T.5S. (2021). A political history of the ACA.5Health Affairs,540(6), 1111-
1112.5https://doi.org/10.1377/hlthaff.2021.00685
Nadash, P., Miller, E. A., Jones, D. K., Gusmano, M. K., & Rosenbaum, S. (2018). A series of
unfortunate events: implications of Republican efforts to repeal and replace the
Affordable Care Act For older adults.5Journal of aging & social policy,530(4),
259–281. https://doi.org/10.1080/08959420.2018.1462683
