PH 583 Examination

Spring 2016

This test is worth 100 points. There are three parts to this examination. Part I consists of a true/ false answer section. The true/false questions are worth two points each for a total of 20 points. Part II consists of a short/intermediate answer section. The short/intermediate answer questions are worth four points each for a total of 20 points. Please keep answers to each question in this section to 500 words or less. Part III consists of an intermediate answer section. This section is worth 60 points. Please keep answers to each questions in this section to 1,000 words or less. This test is open book/open notes. You can also use the internet if you wish.

Assignment: PH 583 Examination

Assignment: PH 583 Examination

However, this exam is not a group project and must be taken without collaboration from your classmates or peers. Evidence of a group effort will result in failure of this examination. Open book examinations raise the bar in a professor’s expectations. I am looking for intellectual dialogue that does the following: (1) References the course notes and readings. (2) Illustrates common or contrasting views when necessary. (3) Incorporates your own analysis and perception of the topic. Please ensure that the test is professional in its appearance. All answers must be typed; hand written tests will not be accepted. Please include the questions with the answers. Please also include this instruction page with the test submission. You can use bullet points where necessary to summarize important points. However, do not just provide a duplication of the information from lecture or from other sources. Duplication of information will result in a reduction of points. You must persuade me that you know what you are talking about. The test will be due by 11:59 PM on Wednesday, May 11th. Late submissions will result in a significant reduction of points. Please place your initials and 800 number on the top right hand corner of every page. Do not place your full name on the exam. Electronic copies of the exam are to be submitted under the Tests and Quizzes section on blackboard. Points will be subtracted if these rules are not followed. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me……………..GOOD LUCK.

Part II (20 Points): Short/Intermediate Answer Section:

Answers to each question in this section should be kept to 500 words or less.

1: The Preferred Provider Organization (PPO) is now viewed as the predominant form of health insurance. Please identify and explain at least three factors which led to this occurrence? (Please number your factors).

2: Who is Lemeul Shattuck, and what has been his contribution to public health? How original were his ideas?

3: You have been tasked to develop a strategic management plan for a local health department. Please provide a general overview of how you will approach the project from the beginning to end stages. Please explain why each stage was selected.

4: Please define, compare and contrast the difference between zero sum and positive sum competition. Which type of competition most explains the U.S. healthcare system? Why?

5: Please explain the difference between a goal and objective. Include an example of a public health related goal with at least four objectives written in the proper format.

Part III (60 Points): Intermediate Answer Section:

Answers to each question in this section should be kept to 1,000 words or less.

1: Recently there has been an intense debate around the country regarding the minimum wage. Please see the following newspaper reports in the Supplemental Test Materials folder for more information:

· The Minimum Wage Debate: Who’s Right?

· $15 Wage in Fast Food Stirs Debate on Effects

· In Test for Unions and Politicians, a Nationwide Protest on Pay

First, please define compare and contrast the public interest and interest group theories of government. Please also identify how these two theories relate to the recent minimum wage debate.

Third, please identify how Feldstein’s theory can explain both the potential passage and denial of a bill which will increase the minimum wage (The elements of Feldstein’s theory must be used in your explanation).

Fourth, identify the cost/cost savings of the implementation/denial of a federal minimum wage increase. Please reference the evidence used in your determination.

2: Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security, the big three categorical programs, comprise almost fifty percent of the federal budget. These programs are significantly different today than they were when they were initially created.

First, discuss in detail how at least two major federal laws changed the financing and delivery of healthcare.

Second, discuss which external health care environmental factors drove the implementation of each law.

Third, explain the biggest public health challenges facing the environment which was created by these laws.

Lastly, what solutions would you propose to deal with these challenges?

You must proofread your paper. But do not strictly rely on your computer’s spell-checker and grammar-checker; failure to do so indicates a lack of effort on your part and you can expect your grade to suffer accordingly. Papers with numerous misspelled words and grammatical mistakes will be penalized. Read over your paper – in silence and then aloud – before handing it in and make corrections as necessary. Often it is advantageous to have a friend proofread your paper for obvious errors. Handwritten corrections are preferable to uncorrected mistakes.

Use a standard 10 to 12 point (10 to 12 characters per inch) typeface. Smaller or compressed type and papers with small margins or single-spacing are hard to read. It is better to let your essay run over the recommended number of pages than to try to compress it into fewer pages.

Likewise, large type, large margins, large indentations, triple-spacing, increased leading (space between lines), increased kerning (space between letters), and any other such attempts at “padding” to increase the length of a paper are unacceptable, wasteful of trees, and will not fool your professor.

The paper must be neatly formatted, double-spaced with a one-inch margin on the top, bottom, and sides of each page. When submitting hard copy, be sure to use white paper and print out using dark ink. If it is hard to read your essay, it will also be hard to follow your argument.

 

ADDITIONAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE CLASS

Discussion Questions (DQ)

Initial responses to the DQ should address all components of the questions asked, include a minimum of one scholarly source, and be at least 250 words.
Successful responses are substantive (i.e., add something new to the discussion, engage others in the discussion, well-developed idea) and include at least one scholarly source.
One or two sentence responses, simple statements of agreement or “good post,” and responses that are off-topic will not count as substantive. Substantive responses should be at least 150 words.
I encourage you to incorporate the readings from the week (as applicable) into your responses.
Weekly Participation

Your initial responses to the mandatory DQ do not count toward participation and are graded separately.
In addition to the DQ responses, you must post at least one reply to peers (or me) on three separate days, for a total of three replies.
Participation posts do not require a scholarly source/citation (unless you cite someone else’s work).
Part of your weekly participation includes viewing the weekly announcement and attesting to watching it in the comments. These announcements are made to ensure you understand everything that is due during the week.
APA Format and Writing Quality

Familiarize yourself with APA format and practice using it correctly. It is used for most writing assignments for your degree. Visit the Writing Center in the Student Success Center, under the Resources tab in LoudCloud for APA paper templates, citation examples, tips, etc. Points will be deducted for poor use of APA format or absence of APA format (if required).
Cite all sources of information! When in doubt, cite the source. Paraphrasing also requires a citation.
I highly recommend using the APA Publication Manual, 6th edition.
Use of Direct Quotes

I discourage overutilization of direct quotes in DQs and assignments at the Masters’ level and deduct points accordingly.
As Masters’ level students, it is important that you be able to critically analyze and interpret information from journal articles and other resources. Simply restating someone else’s words does not demonstrate an understanding of the content or critical analysis of the content.
It is best to paraphrase content and cite your source.
LopesWrite Policy

For assignments that need to be submitted to LopesWrite, please be sure you have received your report and Similarity Index (SI) percentage BEFORE you do a “final submit” to me.
Once you have received your report, please review it. This report will show you grammatical, punctuation, and spelling errors that can easily be fixed. Take the extra few minutes to review instead of getting counted off for these mistakes.
Review your similarities. Did you forget to cite something? Did you not paraphrase well enough? Is your paper made up of someone else’s thoughts more than your own?
Visit the Writing Center in the Student Success Center, under the Resources tab in LoudCloud for tips on improving your paper and SI score.
Late Policy

The university’s policy on late assignments is 10% penalty PER DAY LATE. This also applies to late DQ replies.
Please communicate with me if you anticipate having to submit an assignment late. I am happy to be flexible, with advance notice. We may be able to work out an extension based on extenuating circumstances.
If you do not communicate with me before submitting an assignment late, the GCU late policy will be in effect.
I do not accept assignments that are two or more weeks late unless we have worked out an extension.
As per policy, no assignments are accepted after the last day of class. Any assignment submitted after midnight on the last day of class will not be accepted for grading.
Communication

Communication is so very important. There are multiple ways to communicate with me:
Questions to Instructor Forum: This is a great place to ask course content or assignment questions. If you have a question, there is a good chance one of your peers does as well. This is a public forum for the class.
Individual Forum: This is a private forum to ask me questions or send me messages. This will be checked at least once every 24 hours.