week 8

Post # 1 this week: Based on what you learned in the course, list at least two  policy changes and/or new policies you would create to improve the healthcare system, and explain why you chose these. (No need to reference an article as these are your own thoughts) . Initial post plus three responses to classmates.

Two Policicies are : ACA and ACO ( needs to be two paragraphs)

Respond to these three post:

· Post By Raiza Cruz posted Dec 9, 2015 12:10 PM - PAID PARENTAL LEAVE. I became aware that there is no such policy in the U.S. regarding PAID parental leave. I learned about this while I was doing my research for our very first discussion in this class, where I discussed about the new policy for mothers in the U.S. Navy where they are afforded 18 weeks of paid maternal leave, although the same does not apply to fathers, at least not yet. Although some companies offer this to employees, I believe that a policy should be created in regards to this, both for men and women, instead of it just being a company perk. Not only will this help retain valuable employees, but improve their health and well-being as well.

IMPROVED MEDICATION PACKAGE INSERTS. The current drug package inserts are often very lengthy, with letters you can barely read because they are too small. To be honest, I've never looked at the package inserts whenever I get my medications. Every time I need to know something about a certain drug, I ask the doc, or I turn to google. It's easier than scanning through numerous pages, and not knowing exactly where to find the answer. But since it is mandated to have them there, I suggest at least improving them, or have all package inserts available online. It's very easy to hit Control + F to look for a certain word or phrase than to read through everything to know the essentials.

Raiza

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· Post By: Based on what I learned in this course, two policy changes I would make to improve the health care system is to impose a penalty on people who refuse to choose no insurance within a specific period of time .  I think when they are allowed to get insurance they should be penalized or loose their guaranteed coverage for pre-existing conditions for a period of time.

Secondly there should be another independent safety data system besides the FDA to approve drugs made by pharmaceutical companies. The drug companies themselves should not be responsible for testing their own products. Many of these drugs needs more time in their experimental stage before going on the market. This would result in a reduction in the number of deaths from some drugs. Naomi :)

· Post by Steven Puziss :Two policies I would like to implement: 

a) In assignment two, I researched policy for juvenile diabetic students regarding diabetes management in schools at the K-12 level. I discovered that certain states, including Maryland, do not allow school staff members besides health care professionals to administer insulin to students except in rare cases when sufficient training occurs. Other states, such as Arkansas, set up a training program in a bill passed by the state legislature due to school nurse shortages, so teachers could administer insulin to students to ensure compliance with ADA regulations. I would propose a federal policy similar to the bill passed in Arkansas to ensure students all over the country could attend their local school with no fears of not having a school nurse, forcing a parent to come to their school, etc. Additionally, in this legislation, I would also set up a training program so staff members at all schools were trained on how to administer glucagon injections, which are a potentially life-saving antidote to dangerously low blood sugar, as there are state laws across the country that only allow school nurses to do this.

b) I would ensure that Good Samaritan laws are in place at a federal level to ensure that opiate users cannot face legal repercussions if they call 911 in the event of an overdose. This was something I read about in a discussion post earlier in the course and it made me realize that the lack of federal regulation here adds fuel to the fire of the opiate epidemic that is occurring across the country. In this regulation, I'd also ensure the over-the-counter legality and widespread accessibility of naloxone, which can reverse fatal overdoses if administered swiftly.