Reserach The Supreme Courts Influences Health Policy (Coursework Sample)

Health Policies
Name
Institution
Health Policies
1. The Supreme Court’s influences health policy
The Supreme Court performs anessentialfunction in policy making in regards to health policy. The influence of the court manifests through reviews of rulings concerning health insurers, revision of Medicaid rates for nursing homes and hospitals, as well as policies affecting hospital mergers. It is also involved in formulating and appealing policies regarding charitable missions and tax-exempt organizations. A case in point is the ruling on Affordable Care Act in 2012 affecting insurance policies (Wihbey, 2013).
2. Functions of lobby groups and advocacy groups
Advocacy groups influence decisions that affect political, economic, and social outcomes by utilizing public education and public actions. On the other hand, lobbying groups focus on the government and its leaders by applying pressure to influence policies. An example of an advocacy group is the American Academy of Nursing that focuses on civic education regarding nursing knowledge to improve profession through policy change. The American Medical Association based in Chicago promotes better healthcare policies to improve public health through lobbying.
3. The three possible roles or activities for a not for profit organization
Nonprofit organizations have several functions in the health sector. Firstly, the groups facilitate health resources and provide significant services to communities through financing. Secondly, non-profit organizations represent the community on healthcare issues through advocacy and lobbying. Thirdly, they also provide the important avenue between the community and government and other financiers in the health sector.
4. Intended vs. unintended consequences of policy
Intended policy consequences are the desired outcomes of a policy. Unintended policy consequences describe the byproducts or negative secondary issues arising from any policy. An intended consequence example of the Obama care act is the increase in coverage of U.S. residents as anticipated. However, the policy has resulted in increased premium rates, an eventuality that was unforeseen.
5. Influence of “federalism” on the implementation of a health policy.
The federal government is involved in the management of healthcare funds through Medicaid, Medicare, and employee benefits arrangements. As a result, implementation of health policies in regards to care transformation, payment reforms, integration of health resources into the community, and assessing the quality may be affected by federal actions. A case example is hindrances experienced in the connection of Medicaid to non-medical services where the federal government recommendations do not agree with state policies (Stanek, 2014).
6. Agenda setting
Agenda setting describes the notion that the media influences public perceptions. An example of agenda-setting is the emergence of declining numbers of residents going for immunizations or taking their children for vaccinations due to infertility and cancer fears.
7. The role of Congress, the Houses of Representatives and its committees, the Senate and its committees in setting and implementing policies.
The Congress is responsible for the process of making laws and policies. The process includes debating and polishing the bills to ensure they serve their purpose. The house of representatives introduces bills and regulations to the Congress for debate. Besides, the committees are involved in offering amendments and reviewing laws. The Senate committees monitor government operations, recommend legislative reviews, collect and assess information, and advise the Senate on the course of action concerning a bill or report. The Senate scrutinizes proposals to ensure less populous states receive fair representation (Stanek, 2014).
8. Evidence-based research and how can it be used to formulate health policies.
Evidence-based research describes the use of clinical expertise, patient values, and research evidence in determining the most effective treatments for the community. Evidence-based research is crucial in understanding the approaches employed and promoting policy adoption. Also, the process singles out the most probable effective elements of a policy and estimates the potential impact of a policy to the community (Brownson, Chriqui, and Stamatakis, 2009).
9. a). Monitoring is the process of tracking the effect of set goals or expected outcomes of a policy.
b). Formative research and evaluation assess policies or programs during the development stages or implementation stage, while summative evaluation assesses the policies or projects after completion.
C). Structure defines the or...