The conceptual and economic underpinnings of health policy formulation are complex. To ensure you have considered all the aspects, you will apply them to part of the ACA.
Description
Using the ACA again, you will apply both Chapter 2 and 3 concepts to a real-life health policy. We will look at just one provision of the ACA, since the whole ACA is much too multifaceted.
Please fill in the blanks corresponding to the diagram in Exhibit 3.1 on page 86 of the Longest Text, using very brief, but clear explanations. Use the Kaiser Family Foundation Summary of the Affordable Care Act as your reference to the provision. You will need to look up some history of the issue to be able to answer some of the questions.
The provision we will examine is one that could have enormous impact on a health care administrator’s job. Please consider this provision as quoted from the Kaiser Family Foundation Summary document noted above:
“Reduce Medicare payments to certain hospitals for hospital-acquired conditions by 1% (Effective fiscal year 2015).”
Note that you will need to explore this document carefully to find the information you need. Remember that our goal here, again, is to examine the process of policy making, NOT to focus on the actual ACA provision. Learning about ACA is a side benefit of the assignment! We will be looking at each aspect of policy making in more detail in future weeks. This assignment is a preview and overview of what is to come.
Some answers can be single word or bulleted lists if your meaning is clear.
These instructions refer to the diagram in Exhibit 3.1 on page 86 of the Longest text.
Part 1: External Environment (The small box at the top of the cycle diagram)
• Describe one type of interest/input each of the potential stakeholders (government, providers, patients, which are some of Longest’s external factors) might have had during policy formulation. Note for each stakeholder if it is a supplier or demander and what its stakeholder interest would be in the matter.
• Name one consideration that would have been put forward that falls into each of the following categories of input:
o Economic
o Demographic
o Technological
Part 2: Formulation Phase (Rectangular box at right of cycle diagram)
• Describe the problem that precipitated this policy agenda.
• Describe two possible solutions to the problem.
• Describe the political environment regarding the topic listing at least two political issues.
Part 3: Implementation Phase (Rectangular box at right of cycle diagram)
• Describe two ways rulemaking will impact final implementation of this policy (we will look at this phase later in more detail).
Part 4: Modification Phase (Rectangular box at bottom of cycle diagram):
• Describe one example of specific feedback from health administrators, one stakeholder group that could conceivably influence policy modification.
Click the link below to download the assignment template.
Assignment 1.2 Template
TEMPLATE IS IN ATTACHMENT
Three Learning Materials
Textbook Reading
Read the following in your Longest text:
- Chapter 2, The Context of Health Policymaking
- Chapter 3, The Process of Health Policymaking
Chapter 2 discusses the political context within which health policymaking takes place and establishes a sort of philosophical foundation to understand the policy-making process. Longest looks at the context (environment) in which policy develops, including the relationships of federal and state governments. He also describes the “political marketplace” and considers in detail the “economics” of supply and demand in that marketplace. The policymaking process is discussed in Chapter 3. Please pay special attention to the Kingdon Model, to which you will refer throughout the course.
Chapter 3 presents some conceptual frameworks and theories of policymaking which serve as a precursor to the core model of the public health policy process. This core model of the public health policy process is very important in helping to clarify some of the seemingly random or illogical steps that legislators and power groups take as they try to shape policy. The process is not random and everything happens for a reason! Finally, Longest provides a cyclical view of the policy making process, tying all the components together.
Chapter PowerPoints
Review the PowerPoints as an overview of Chapter 2 and Chapter 3 topics. Note that the presentations are slides only; there is no audio. POWERPOINTS IN ATTACHMENTS
Chapter 2 PowerPoint
Chapter 3 PowerPoint
Phases of the Policymaking Process
Alternate Version of the Phases of the Policymaking Process