Question

Politics and the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act Regardless of political affiliation, individuals often grow concerned when considering perceived competing interests of government and their impact on topics of interest to them. The realm of healthcare is no different. Some people feel that local, state, and federal policies and legislation can be either helped or hindered by interests other than the benefit to society. Consider for example that the number one job of a legislator is to be reelected. Cost can be measured in votes as well as dollars. Thus, it is important to consider the legislator’s perspective on either promoting or not promoting a certain initiative in the political landscape. To Prepare: Review the Resources and reflect on efforts to repeal/replace the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Consider who benefits the most when policy is developed and in the context of policy implementation. By Day 3 of Week 3 Post an explanation for how you think the cost-benefit analysis in terms of legislators being reelected affected efforts to repeal/replace the ACA. Then, explain how analyses of the votes views may affect decisions by legislative leaders in recommending or positioning national policies (e.g., Congress’ decisions impacting Medicare or Medicaid). Remember, the number one job of a legislator is to be re-elected. Please check your discussion grading rubric to ensure your responses meet the criteria. By Day 6 of Week 3 Respond to at least two of your colleagues* on two different days by expanding on their explanation and providing an example that supports their explanation or respectfully challenging their explanation and providing an example. Click on the Reply button below to reveal the textbox for entering your message. Then click on the Submit button to post your message. *Note: Throughout this program, your fellow students are referred to as colleagues. Main Posting 45 (45%) – 50 (50%) Answers all parts of the discussion question(s) expectations with reflective critical analysis and synthesis of knowledge gained from the course readings for the module and current credible sources. Supported by at least three current, credible sources. Written clearly and concisely with no grammatical or spelling errors and fully adheres to current APA manual writing rules and style.

Answer

Politics and the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act

Introduced by President Obama in 2010, the Affordable Cares Act has sprouted to be most coveted health coverage in the United states. The Act was introduced to provide the citizens with health care services without out-of-pocket payments and expand the Medicare and Medicaid programs (Short, 2017). The care Act has been faced by various set-backs in the past, with divergence in the views of the republicans and the democrats about its efficiency. Efforts to repeal the act has been set by aspirants and legislators as they seek to satisfy self-political interests at the expense of the entire population.

The legislator’s assumptions during enactment of certain legislations do not portray the actual cost-benefits of the society. Efforts to repeal the act are affected by loyalties in political parties, and mainly the Republicans, who through President Trump felt that the Act should be repealed, and introduce the American Health Care Act. The efforts to replace the act did not sail through, because of insufficient number of votes (Donley and Kiraly, 2018). The democrats feel the introduced act was for the favor of the overall population, but the Republicans are opposed to the idea. The interests of the legislators and the political loyalty affect their decision making, since they are expected to vote based on the actual voice of the citizens rather than their re-election ambitions.

The influence of political parties and interests play a big role in the introduction and replacement of policies in the country, hence affect decisions made by legislators in recommending national policies. This is because the need for independent decision making on behalf of the society is affected by the need of reelection through political and legislative positions. Due to this, the replacement of policies is made to settle political scores, rather than the intended purpose of serving the society. Replacement of the ACA will lead to a crippled health coverage and increase in out-of-pocket funding for medical bills. The efforts of the presidents to manipulate the congress on multiple occasions affects the independence of the congress on policy formulation (Congress.gov, n.d.).

References

Congress.gov. (n.d.). Retrieved September 20, 2018, from

Donley, R., & Kiraly, C. (2018). The Impact of the Political and Policy Cultures of Washington, DC, on the Affordable Care Act. Annual review of nursing research, 37(1), 187-207

Short, N. M. (Ed.). (2017). Health Policy and Politics. Jones & Bartlett Learning.