NUR 506 Module 1 Discussion Nursing & Health-Care-Policy

NUR 506 Module 1 Discussion Nursing & Health-Care-Policy

Nursing & Health-Care-Policy

From 1750 to 2000, the healthcare system in the United States progressed from basic natural cures and traveling physicians to a sophisticated, scientific, technical, and political organization referred to as the “medical-industrial complex” (Gandelman & Moran, 2021). This complex has seen the acknowledgment of germ theory as the primary cause of sickness, the professionalization of doctors, technical progress in disease treatment, the growth of substantial medical training and healing centers, and the establishment of medical insurance. Government regulations, healthcare initiatives, and medical insurance policies significantly changed.

The US healthcare system is a hybrid system with publicly funded government Medicare and Medicaid health coverage and private health insurance policies. In 2019, over half of the population had private insurance from their employment, 6% obtained it via health insurance exchanges, 20% depended on Medicaid, 14% on Medicare, and 1% on other public insurance options (Tønnessen et al., 2020). In the US healthcare system, private funds comprised 48% of healthcare expenditure in 2014, with 28% from families and 20% from private enterprises. The federal government provided 28% of the expenditure, while state and local governments paid for 17%. Despite health insurance, some remain uninsured due to numerous causes (Béland et al., 2023). The Affordable Care Act (ACA) was established to tackle this problem.

ACA’s objective was to narrow that disparity; nevertheless, it failed to achieve this. Before the enactment of the ACA, individuals who lacked health insurance coverage had the option to purchase coverage via the Health Insurance Marketplace. Those unemployed or with a modest income might qualify for financial aid to assist with health insurance premiums. Although the plan would have a reduced monthly payment, it would entail increased deductible and co-payment obligations. Occasionally, individuals would be confronted with health insurance deductibles of $5,000 or higher during the initial utilization of their coverage (Tønnessen et al., 2020). Moreover, this deductible must be satisfied before insurance coverage commences, and this requirement is in addition to their co-payments. Individuals who earned an income and received assistance with their health insurance payments would be required to repay the funds applied towards their premiums when filing their taxes.

Addressing the numerous faults in the United States healthcare system will improve the quality of care delivered. A portion of the extremely high cost of care in the United States can be attributed to the increased utilization of sophisticated medical technology, increased prescription drug consumption, and the correspondingly high prices of healthcare services and medications (Kurnat-Thoma et al., 2021). Numerous procedures in the United States are considerably more expensive than their counterparts in many other nations, and charges for the same procedure can vary considerably even within the same region. So that all individuals can afford high-quality care our healthcare delivery system must implement policies that resolve each of these concerns so that all individuals can afford high-quality care.

To effect change in the realm of nursing policy and politics, it is crucial to promote political engagement, incorporate healthcare policy education into nursing curricula, foster student involvement in political activities, and allocate sufficient time, resources, and opportunities for practicing nurses to influence policy at the local, state, and federal levels (Porat-Dahlerbruch et al., 2022). It is crucial for registered nurses to actively participate in the electoral process to advocate for their rights.

References

Gandelman, E., & Moran, D. (2021). Attitudes of Nursing Students regarding nurses’ involvement in Health care Policy: A new model predicting future involvement. Nursing Education Perspectives, 42(1), E7–E11. https://doi.org/10.1097/01.nep.0000000000000732

Kurnat-Thoma, E., Fu, M. R., Henderson, W. A., Voss, J. G., Hammer, M. J., Williams, J. K., Calzone, K., Conley, Y. P., Starkweather, A., Weaver, M. T., Shiao, S. P. K., & Coleman, B. (2021). Current status and future directions of U.S. genomic nursing health care policy. Nursing Outlook, 69(3), 471–488. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.outlook.2020.12.006

Porat-Dahlerbruch, J., Aiken, L. H., Todd, B., Cunningham, R., Brom, H., Peele, M. E., & McHugh, M. D. (2022). Policy Evaluation of the Affordable Care Act Graduate Nurse Education Demonstration. Health Affairs, 41(1), 86–95. https://doi.org/10.1377/hlthaff.2021.01328

Tønnessen, S., Christiansen, K., Hjaltadóttir, I., Leino‐Kilpi, H., Scott, P. A., Suhonen, R., Öhlén, J., & Halvorsen, K. (2020). Visibility of nursing in policy documents related to health care priorities. Journal of Nursing Management, 28(8), 2081–2090. https://doi.org/10.1111/jonm.12977

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