Refer to the information gathered in Week Three Individual Assignment which is posted below. Use the attached paper for information. Please make sure all URLs are included in citations..... Write
7
August 19, 2019
Peter Reeves
Defining the ProblemThe health care system in Colorado is a composition of medical professionals providing services such as diagnosis, treatment, as well as preventive measures to mental illness and injuries ("Healthcare policy in Colorado - Ballotpedia," 2019). Health care policy involves the establishment and implementation of legislation and other regulations that the states use to manage its health care system effectively. Further, this sector consists of other participants, such as insurance and health information technology. The cost citizens pay for medical care and also the access to quality care influence the overall health care providers in Colorado. Therefore, the need for the creation and implementation of laws that help the state maintain efficiency in the health sector in Colorado.
Problem Statement
The declining standards of medical care within the United States has caused significant concern in the world. Due to these rising concerns, there have been various policies implemented, leading to mixed reactions among the different states. Some of the active policies implemented offer a long-term solution to this problem including Medicaid and Medicare. After acquiring state control, the Republicans dismissed the idea to expand and create medical insurance for Medicaid in Colorado. Sustaining the structure of the health care payroll calls for the deductions from the employees and the employers, which may lead to loss of jobs and increased burden of expenditure (Garcia, 2019).
Identify the Methodology
The main objective of this policy plan is to investigate the role of legislation in the management of the health care sector in the United States. Due to the need for achieving in-depth exploration, this paper uses a combination of both qualitative and quantitative methods of data collection by addressing both practical and theoretical aspects of the research. Based on the answers that the policy requires, choosing survey as the research design. This method involves collecting and analyzing data from a few people who represent the principal group within health care. However, the survey method faces some challenges such as attitudes and perception of the health workers leading to the delimitation of the study. The target population for the study includes the nurses within the health sectors in Colorado. The selection of the participants involved in the use of stratified random sampling.
Identify your Stakeholders
The major stakeholders in the creation and implementation of the policy plan include the legislatures, local government, patients, and other private parties such as the insurance companies. Collectively, these bodies are involved in the making of thousands of decisions, overseeing hospitals, making budgetary appropriations, assisting the health workers to acquire licenses, determination of services that the insurers cover, and the management of personal health information. The engagement by stakeholders involves the identification of areas both agreements and disagreements, leading to better understanding of the critical driving areas. Further, the input of the stakeholders helps in the articulation of values, the community affected by the changes leading to the alignment of the expected recommendations. Again, the roles played by the stakeholders help in the improvement of levels of trustworthiness that lead to the provision of quality care. The process of policymaking also involves the development of several frameworks that help in planning for the implementation of the policy (Who.int, 2019). Most importantly, the parties involved in the policy creation and implementation, engage in dialogue processes calling for the government's support tailored for collaborations. These collaborations enable the various participants in collecting and sharing information that is vital in the implementation of independent health policy.
Determine the Effect of the Problem
Creation and implementation of policy plans within the health care sector lead to the decline of the full health effects (Dave & Dhruv, 2018). Due to continually growing income disparities, there are reported cases of morbidity and mortality based on the income distribution among the citizens of the United States. Through various mechanisms such as behavioral, clinical, environmental, and social, the health and longevity of the individuals can face several challenges. By intersecting many social work risk factors, it is possible to isolate the contributions that income makes towards improving the quality of health care delivery. Again, individuals with poor health have higher chances of facing reduced income leading to a health-poverty trap. In recent decades, there has been a dramatic increase in the levels of income inequalities in the United States. The provision of health care has faced a significant challenge due to poverty leading to deaths and diseases, but recently, the government shifts focus towards establishing the link between income and provision of services at the health care facilities. The health care system in the United States recognizes that some non-clinical factors such as ethnicity, race, unemployment, and geography, may create influence over the health outcomes. Over time, there has been growth in income disparities, leading to economic inequalities that also affect life expectancy in Colorado. Moreover, more reports indicate that there are higher levels of physical limitations among the Americans earning low income compared to those who receive more elevated amounts of income.
Identify the Resources and Benchmarks
The understanding and transformation of the health care system dramatically depend on power. Through power, there is the manifestation of implicit and explicit interactions of the diverse health care system. Based on these interactions, patients and care providers also engage in the negotiations that lead to the creation of health policies. Furthermore, power presents itself at every level of intervention of the health care provision shaping all the outcomes. On the other hand, benchmarking helps the stakeholders to determine the viability of their policy by comparing it to other existing systems. It seeks to confirm whether the policy plan creation and implementation take place effectively. The main idea behind benchmarking is to enable the team to measure and compare their practices to those of external operators. Through benchmarking, the participants can review and make changes to the policies before implementing them.
Conclusion
Health care providers in the United States remain a significant concern among stakeholders. The sector has faced a declining standard in the medical care provision leading to the development and implementation of the public policy plans. Once more, the efforts to introduce the policies have attracted mixed reactions from various participants in this sector, such as government, patients, insurance companies, and health information technology. Through Republicans, the Colorado State rejects the proposals of expanding Medicaid and providing insurance through the patient. Furthermore, the health care system in the United States faces significance levels of income inequalities hindering their ability to acquire quality health care. Additionally, poverty-related issues also affect the access to quality treatment since lower-income earners have a challenge of meeting the medical costs.
References
Dave, A., & Dhruv. K., (2018). Health, income, poverty. Where we Are and What Could
Help. Retrieved from https://www.healthaffairs.org/do/10.1377/hpb20180817.901935/full/
Garcia, N. (2019, 1 3). These 6 issues are going to be front and center at the Colorado General Assembly in 2019. Retrieved from denverpost.com: https://www.denverpost.com/2019/01/03/colorado-general-assembly-
Healthcare policy in Colorado - Ballotpedia. (2019). Retrieved 17 August 2019,
from https://ballotpedia.org/Healthcare_policy_in_Colorado
Who.int. (2019). WHO | Engaging stakeholders. [online]
Retrieved from https://www.who.int/nationalpolicies/processes/stakeholders/en/ [Accessed 17 Aug. 2019].