Discussion: Politics and the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act NURS 6050

Discussion: Politics and the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act NURS 6050

Discussion: Politics and the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act NURS 6050

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) was enacted in 2010, and it considerably changed the U.S. health care landscape. The goals of the ACA were to make insurance coverage more affordable, reduce the number of uninsured, and expand access to care. To attain these goals, the ACA expanded eligibility for Medicaid and established new marketplaces where Americans without employer coverage could purchase policies directly from insurers (Oberlander, 2017). The ACA faced strong opposition from Republicans, who described it as unrealistic because it required every American to have medical insurance (Oberlander, 2017). When the Trump administration took power in 2017, the president and Congress members of the Republican Party vowed to replace the ACA. However, one year after taking office, Republicans could not agree on whether to repeal the ACA immediately, repeal right away and replace it later, or repeal it later after establishing a replacement strategy (Oberlander, 2017).  Although the Republicans repealed parts of the ACA, including the budgetary and fiscal provisions, they did not replace it.

The Senate Republicans’ failure to honor their promise of passing a bill to replace ACA, can be attributed to the unpopularity of this bill to the public. The legislators had to assess the political impact of repealing the ACA with no replacement on their chances of being reelected (McCarthy, 2017). They had to perform a cost-benefit analysis on the cost of repealing the ACA on the future chance of being reelected and the benefits of repealing it. For instance, if the Senate replaced the ACA right away, with no replacement, the number of uninsured Americans would increase drastically, which would be opposed by their voters (McCarthy, 2017). This would negatively affect the public view of the lawmakers on their constituents, and lower their odds of being reelected if they did not have a better plan to replace the ACA.  Besides, the cost-benefit analysis can explain why the Republicans had two canceled votes in March 2017 and had to introduce a new amendment to the American Health Care Act to unite the party behind the bill (McCarthy, 2017). The failure to replace the ACA as promised shows that lawmakers can be unwilling to support bills that are a potential threat to their election results in upcoming elections.

Legislative leaders’ decisions regarding recommending or positioning national policies are often influenced by their voters’ views. Voters are known to influence legislators’ policy choices and are at times forced to compromise their choices including partisan politicians (Pacheco & Maltby, 2017). Lawmakers have to consider their voters’ views before making a policy decision that affects their constituents to maintain a positive public image (Pacheco & Maltby, 2017). In the case the voters’ views contradict a legislator’s decision regarding a policy, the lawmaker is forced to compromise their position on the policy and move to the center.

Failing to take the voters’ views can have negative consequences on the law maker’s future elections. Furthermore, to continue supporting and voting for a legislator in future elections constituents must remain convinced that their lawmaker is listening to them and consider their views (Pacheco & Maltby, 2017). For instance, members of congress had to assess the voters’ view on repealing the ACA provisions that would cut funding for Medicaid or change Medicaid to a block grant program. Since many Americans benefited from the expansion of Medicaid, it affected Congress’ decision to pass bills that would hinder their voters’ access to the program and ultimately affect their public image.

Discussion: Politics and the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act NURS 6050 References

McCarthy, M. (2017). U.S Republican attempt to repeal and replace Affordable Care Act collapses. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.j3508

Oberlander, J. (2017). Repeal, replace, repair, retreat—Republicans’ health care quagmire. New England Journal of Medicine, 377(11), 1001-1003.

Pacheco, J., & Maltby, E. (2017). The role of public opinion—does it influence the diffusion of ACA decisions?. Journal of Health Politics, Policy and Law, 42(2), 309-340. https://doi.org/10.1215/03616878-3766737

The U.S. Federal Government is made up of three branches: legislative, executive, and judicial. To ensure the government is effective and citizen’s rights are protected, each branch has its powers and responsibilities, including working with the other branches. The legislative branch is made up of the House and Senate, known collectively as the Congress. Among other powers, the legislative branch makes all laws, declares war, regulates interstate and foreign commerce, and controls taxing and spending policies. (United States House of Representatives, n.d.).

The members of the house are elected every two years. In general, the elected officials usually have much passion and want to make good policy during their terms. Many come to their respective legislative bodies because they want to make a difference and be part of good government (National Council for the Social Studies, n.d.).

One of the most essential policies enacted by the legislators is the ACA (Affordable Care Act), famously known as Obamacare, a comprehensive care reform law enacted in March 2010. The three main goals of the ACA (Affordable Care Act) are: to make affordable health insurance available to more people, enhance Medicaid programs, and support innovative medical care delivery methods designed to lower the costs of health care (Health Care, n.d.). However, some conservatives objected to the policy. It is because of the increase and high insurance premiums that we need to pay for Obamacare. They also think that it may have adverse effects on the quality of care. According to Laureate (2018), the ACA (Affordable Care Act) passed without Republicans’ signatures. After it was passed and implemented, half of the states, led by either Republican governors or legislatures, are actively challenging or ignoring the law. So it is clear that obviously, politics is playing a significant role in both the design at the outset and now the implementation of the ACA (Affordable Care Act). During Trump’s administration, the republicans tried to replace the ACA (Affordable Care Act) with AHCA (American Health Care Act). The AHCA (American Health Care Act) ensures more affordable health by not requiring everyone to buy the insurance and not paying penalties if they decide to buy later. However, the AHCA (American Health Care Act) has not to get the majority of the vote and has not become a law. According to a national poll done by Quinnipiac University, 56% of American voters disapproved of the AHCA, and 46% of voters said they would be less likely to vote for their representative if they supported the AHCA. If doing the right thing wasn’t enough to get Republican representatives to oppose the bill, knowing that they could lose their seats in the next election sure was (Iyamah J., 2017).

Click here to ORDER NOW FOR AN ORIGINAL PAPER ASSIGNMENT: Discussion: Politics and the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act NURS 6050

The primary responsibility of a legislator is to be re-elected. Legislators want to stay or leave office on their own terms. Legislators must be aware of not only the political climate, but also how specific votes will affect their ability to remain in office if they are to be re-elected on a regular basis. They must consider the wishes of their constituents, the needs of their state, and the wishes of their party (National Council for the Social Studies, n.d.). Legislators are expected to make sound decisions about who they support and what causes they champion once elected. Policy and legislative decisions should be subjected to a rigorous cost-benefit analysis. Their arguments must persuade other legislators. There should be enough data and research to support a bill’s passage through debate and into the Senate. The bill must receive a majority of votes in order to become law. If a legislator is not re-elected, the policy that he or she enacted or amended may be repealed. To become a policy, a bill must be supported by officials. The policy should take into account the general well-being of the population. Re-election of a legislator means either continuing the policy they started or repealing a current policy.

Discussion: Politics and the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act NURS 6050 References

Health Care.gov (n.d.). Affordable Care Act (ACA). Retrieved from https://healthcare.gov/glossary/affordable-care-act/

Imayah, J. (2017). Why did the American Health Care Act Fail?. Friends Committee on National Legislation. Retrieved from https://fcnl.org/updates/2017-04/why-did-american-health-care-act-fail

Laureate Education (Producer). (2018). Introduction to Health Policy and Law with Joel Teitelbaum (Video file). Baltimore, MD: Author.

National Council for the Social Studies. (n.d.). How Legislators Make Decisions. Retrieved from https://socialstudies.org/advocacy/how-legislators-make-decisions

The White House. (n.d.). The Legislative Branch. Retrieved from https://whitehouse.gov/about-the-white-house/our-government/thr-legislative-branch/

United States House of Representative. (n.d.). Retrieved September 20, 2018, from https://www.house.gov/

Unites States Senate. (n.d.). Senate organization chart for the 115^th Congress. Retrieved September 20, 2018, from https://www.senate.gov/reference/org_chart.htm

Discussion: Politics and the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act

A cost-benefit analysis (CBA) is a process that is used to estimate the costs and benefits of decisions to find the most cost-effective alternative. A CBA is a versatile method that is often used for a business, project, and public policy decisions. The Affordable Care Act is one policy that has been subjected to cost-benefit analysis and risk assessment by the legislatures.  The ACA contains an array of controversial policies that contravene policy principles and political priorities held by the contemporary Republican Party (Béland et al., 2019). It also imposes costs on stakeholder groups whose opposition, in many cases, to measures that altered the status quo has never ceased. In this manner, there have been numerous failed attempts to repeal and replace the law by Legislatures (mostly republicans). Firstly, the Republicans have been unable to prove the ineffectiveness of ACA or provide a better option to the public.  In essence, the ACA benefits often have been obscured due to its complex structure and incoherent programmatic identity (Jacob & Mettler, 2017). Its primary objective of making healthcare affordable has yielded mixed results.

ACA confers benefits on populations that command less political sympathy than those previously favored with public coverage. For both sides of the political divide, replacing the law must be balanced with the voters’ support. For a legislator, the cost of repealing the law without a better replacement would likely be the loss of their elected office especially if a large population from his political base is affected.  Nearly 90 million Americans rely on health care benefits through Medicare, Medicaid, and the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) (Grogan & Park, 2017). This population constitutes a significant portion of eligible voters. In this manner, the legislators’ policy decisions and efforts have always been channeled to enhance these organizations as healthcare affordable is one of the key determinants of the presidential and senatorial election outcomes.

Discussion: Politics and the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act NURS 6050 References

Béland, D., Rocco, P., & Waddan, A. (2019). Policy feedback and the politics of the Affordable Care Act. Policy Studies Journal, 47(2), 395-422. https://doi.org/10.1111/psj.12286

Jacobs, L. R., & Mettler, S. (2018). When and how new policy creates new politics: Examining the feedback effects of the Affordable Care Act on public opinion. Perspectives on Politics, 16(2), 345-363. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1537592717004182

Grogan, C. M., & Park, S. (2017). The politics of Medicaid: most Americans are connected to the program, support its expansion, and do not view it as stigmatizing. The Milbank Quarterly, 95(4), 749-782. https://doi.org/10.1111/1468-0009.12298

Individuals, regardless of political affiliation, are frequently concerned when they consider perceived competing government interests and their impact on topics of interest to them. The healthcare industry is no exception. Some people believe that local, state, and federal policies and legislation can be aided or hampered by interests other than societal benefit as stated in Discussion: Politics and the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act NURS 6050.

Consider that the most important job of a legislator is to be re-elected. Cost can be expressed in both votes and dollars. As a result, it is critical to consider the legislator’s perspective on whether or not to promote a particular initiative in the political landscape as discussed in Discussion: Politics and the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act NURS 6050.

Click here to ORDER NOW FOR AN ORIGINAL PAPER ASSIGNMENT: Discussion: Politics and the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act NURS 6050

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and Politics

Any political leader’s primary goal in the political system is to be re-elected. Since 2016, the Trump administration and legislators aligned with the ruling have attempted and failed three times to repeal the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA). What Americans may require in terms of universal healthcare entails minor changes to the ACA rather than repealing it (Milstead & Shortm, 2019). As a result, in order to win reelection, legislators may conduct a cost-benefit analysis in order to repeal the ACA.

Because Americans have made it clear that they do not support repealing the ACA, exercising patience may be critical in ensuring that legislators are re-elected. However, legislators may incur costs if they insist on repealing the policy. According to Milstead and Shortm (2019), legislators who take the position of making policy changes could reap significant benefits that could help them win re-election because it is clear that this is what American voters want.

As a result, analyzing voter opinions could have a significant impact on legislators’ decisions regarding the recommendation of such national policies as impacting changes to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, which has been a source of contention for years (Taylor et al., 2017). Despite the fact that the ACA failed to deliver Americans to the promised land of universal health care, voters favor making specific changes to ensure that the policy ensures universal health coverage. As a result, in their bid for reelection, legislators may decide to make policy recommendations that align with the views of voters (United States House of Representatives, n.d).

Discussion: Politics and the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act NURS 6050 References

Milstead, J.A., & Shortm, N.M. (2019). Health Policy and Politics: A nurse’s guide (6^thEd.) Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett learning.

Taylor, D., Olshansky, E., Fugate-Woods, N., Johnson-Mallard, VC.,Safriet, B. J., & Hagan, T. (2017). Corrigedum to position statement: Political interference in sexual and reproductive health research and health professional education. Nursing Outlook, 65(2), 346-350. DOI: 10.1016/j.outlook.2017.05.003

United States House of Representatives. (n.d). Retrieved from https://www