Reference no: EM131655550

Discussion 3 question to be respond to two peer. With minimun 100 worlds, max 150, apa format.

1) Lisette Duarte

Discussion 3. Week 4. Lisette Duarte

States have been cutting insurance for women to access reproductive health services. This particularly affects low-income families with the overall lack of access to quality reproductive health care. The lack of proper health insurance for women impedes on their reproductive rights as they should be given an opportunity to make their own reproductive choices when it comes to the use of contraceptives and abortions.

This scenario is not different in the state of Florida. As of April 2017, the state only covers abortion under the Affordable Care Act if the woman in question has been raped, is in danger, or if it is an incest case. An abortion may so be performed from week 24 of the woman last menstrual period, but only if the woman's life is endangered (Jones & Jerman, 2017).

Looking at the state's infant and maternal mortality rates, one can make the connection between bad policies and the consequences. 160 resident pregnancy-associated deaths were recorded in the state January 1, 2015, to December 31, 2015 (Jones & Jerman, 2017).

With a pregnancy-related mortality ratio 16.9 per 100,000 live births, it is not hard to associate lack of good reproductive health policies as a major cause attributed to these rates. Of the deaths, approximately 31.6% were non-Hispanic Black women with Hispanic women accounting for 10.5%. It is illustrative of the lack of proper reproductive health insurance.

As an advanced practice nurse and nursing leader, it is the individual's responsibility to advocate for changes in such policies to ensure better health outcomes for women. Essential VII: Interprofessional Collaboration for Improving Patient and Population Health Outcomes adequately prepares nurses to collaborate, communicate, and consult with other interprofessional groups in order to manage and coordinate care (American Association of Colleges of Nursing, 2014).

Women reproductive health is highly important and as a nurse, one is required to play a leading role to ensure better policies are put in place to insure women requiring reproductive health not only in the state of Florida but all over the country.

References

Jones, R. K., & Jerman, J. (2017). Abortion incidence and service availability in the United States, 2014. Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health, 49(1), 17-27.

American Association of Colleges of Nursing. (2014). The essentials of master's education in nursing. March 21, 2011.

2) Dianelys Peguero

Abortion forms an essential part of a woman health care. Approximately 920,000 women perform abortions every year in the United States. These numbers point to the importance of reproductive health care as well as a woman's right to decide whether they want to have children or not. With access to reproductive health care an especially costly affair, states have had to step in to put the required legislative laws to ensure women have access to this important service in terms of health insurance.

In the state of Florida, there are restrictions on abortion which took effect in April 2017. The health insurance in the state under the Affordable Care Act only covers abortion if the woman is in danger, if there is a case of incest, or if it was a rape. Apart from that, the individual can buy an additional rider at an additional cost, which may not be affordable to many. Subsequently, approximately 70% of clinics in Florida counties did not offer abortion services, with 20% of Florida women living in those counties (Vamos et al., 2017).

The statistics for the state's infant and maternal mortality rates do not make for good reading. In 2015, the ratio for pregnancy-related mortality was 16.9 per 100,000 live births (Vamos et al., 2017).

While this is significantly lower than the 26.2 per 100,000 live birth in the previous year, the rates are still relatively high. Almost 50% of those occurred while the mother was still pregnant, miscarriage and almost 10% as stillborns (Vamos et al., 2017). Considering how essential women reproductive health is, there is a need for more to be done in the state if the above rates are to be lowered. The state needs to review its laws to enable women access to insurance either for contraceptives and abortions.

As an advanced nurse, one can use Essential VI: Health Policy and Advocacy which prepares nurses to intervene at the policy level as well as employing advocacy strategies to influence health care and improve healthcare outcomes.

References

Vamos, C. A., Thompson, E. L., Cantor, A., Detman, L., Bronson, E., Phelps, A., ... & Sappenfield, W. (2017). Contextual factors influencing the implementation of the obstetrics hemorrhage initiative in Florida. Journal of Perinatology, 37(2), 150-156