Reference no: EM132293215

What Health Policy Issue are You Concerned About?

This assignment requires the student to initially do some thinking about what current health care problem, issue or topic is something that you (or someone you know) is interested in or concerned about. Your interest or concern must be about a health-related problem that can be addressed by government. This may be the same problem you submitted for the HOMEWORK #1 assignment.

Use the following format and components in completing the assignment:

Also refer to: Figure 1: Steps to Determining the Health Policy Solution to Your Problem, on the next page.

A. Identify a health care issue and describe why this issue is of concern and/or interest to you. Include evidence that supports the need for this issue to become a public policy (not an action by the healthcare industry). YOUR TOPIC SHOULD BE VERY SPECIFIC AND NARROW IN SCOPE, MAKING IT A MORE FEASIBLE AND EFFECTIVE POLICY.

B. Determine what kind of public policy your healthcare issue needs. From the textbook, and what you learned from my Week 2 lecture, identify whether the policy should be a distributive or regulatory policy, and why.

Length of A and B: 2 pages)

C. Applying what you have learned in the class, produce a strategy for realizing your desire to have government address your health problem or concern. Your strategy will include the following:

1. Whether (and why) the policy solution you desire is one that is best suited to:

a. Be addressed by the federal, state, or local government. If you choose a state or local government, it must be a specific state or local (county or city) government.

b. Originate in the legislative, executive, or judicial branch of government;

c. Be a new or modified action by government

Length of C(1): 2 pages

2. How you plan to accomplish your desire to have government address your problem. This includes:

a. Identification of which individuals or organizations NOT PART OF GOVERNMENT you will work with to get your issue/concern on the political agenda of policy makers in government.

b. Determination of how best to advocate/lobby for your issue to government policymakers, including to whom in government you will be targeting your lobbying efforts, and how you plan to get their attention and support.

Length of C(2): 2-3 pages

3. Draft a Proposed Policy that outlines your problem and what government should do. Which type of public policy you choose (law, regulation, ordinance, etc.) will be based on how you answer C (1). Use the following templates for a:

i. Law (Statute) or Ordinance: Use the "Bill Template"

ii. Regulation:

Length of C(3): 2 pages

The paper should total 9-10 pages double-spaced (not including title page and references) with 1" margins, 11pt font.

Feel free to speak with the instructor if you need help identifying some current health care issue that requires a government solution, and will provide you some guidance as to whether the health policy solution is one involving:

1. federal, state, or local government; 2. the legislative, executive, or judicial branch of government; and 3. a policy that represents a new or modified action by government.