HP609 Health Policy, Politics, and Perspectives

HP609 Health Policy, Politics, and Perspectives

Week 1 Discussion

Key Characteristics of the U.S. Healthcare System

Initial Post

Quality, cost, and access are three pillars of the U.S. health system. Select three other attributes of our system and relate them to these three pillars. You may use the attributes provided by Shi and Singh for your selection options.

For this discussion, you must refer to at least one article from a reputable newspaper (can be online) or other media source that is current (from the last month) and post the resource in APA format.

You must have at least two references in your initial post and the media source can be one of the two.

Summarize your post in 500 to 750 words.

Note: In this forum, you will not be able to see other student posts until 30 minutes after you create your own initial post.

Please refer to the Grading Rubric for details on how this activity will be graded.

Reply Posts

Reply to at least two of your classmates. In your reply, include new information about the attributes in the initial post. Each reply should be 200 to 400 words.

HP609 Health Policy, Politics, and Perspectives

Week 3 Discussion

Politics of Opposition

Initial Post

Watch this week’s videos and read the assignments in preparation for this discussion.

Republicans have been undermining the ACA and oppose various Medicare-for-all proposals. In addition to party politics and differences, sections of the healthcare industry oppose certain changes in the Medicare-for-all options.

Using 500-750 words, write an initial post that describes the political alliances and positions by party and in the industry. In your analysis, include the financial arguments and the political/ideological arguments about the role of government versus the private sector changes that are intended to increase coverage. You must reference the KFF comparison of proposals.

Please refer to the Grading Rubric for details on how this activity will be graded.

Reply Posts

Reply to at least two of your classmates. In your reply, compare and contrast the peer response to yours, introduce new questions, and/or present new information. Each reply should be 200 to 400 words.

HP609 Health Policy, Politics, and Perspectives

Week 4 Discussion

Why Are So Many People Uninsured and Underinsured?

Introduction

Many Americans are still confronting medical bills that are large enough to threaten their family financial health, up to and including personal bankruptcy. While more people have health insurance under the ACA, some people still lack coverage or have significant gaps in coverage for a variety of reasons. Some expenses are related to the high cost of treatments for certain diseases and conditions. Other expenses are related to the “routine” costs associated with insurance premiums and cost sharing for covered benefits.

Initial Post

Using 500 to 750 words, complete the following:

Analyze the major current contributors to insurance coverage gaps (no coverage and gaps in coverage).

Reply Posts

Reply to at least two of your classmates. In your reply posts, include your analysis of the impact on quality of care generated by these generated by these coverage gaps and the non-financial barriers to access described in your readings and in your own research. Each reply should be 200 to 400 words.