NR 451 Week 7: Healthcare Policy: What You Need to Know About the Affordable Care Act

Sample Answer for NR 451 Week 7: Healthcare Policy: What You Need to Know About the Affordable Care Act Included After Question

Please go to http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2016/03/23/look-six-years-affordable-care-
act (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. to read the latest about the
Affordable Care Act from the White House.
Respond to the questions below.

 What are some benefits of the healthcare reform
that has been prompted by the Affordable Care Act
(ACA)?
 Why is it important to be aware of changes in
healthcare policy?
 Why do you believe we spend more on healthcare
than any other country but have the worst
outcomes?

A Sample Answer For the Assignment: NR 451 Week 7: Healthcare Policy: What You Need to Know About the Affordable Care Act

Title: NR 451 Week 7: Healthcare Policy: What You Need to Know About the Affordable Care Act

The healthcare reform has benefited millions of
people in the United States. The Affordable Care
Act has allowed many people especially those of
low -income to have access to affordable health
insurance, as it regulates insurance company by
setting rules that put a ban these company that
denies coverage to those people with pre-existing
medical conditions. Not only does it allow people
from getting preventive care and immunization for
children at no cost but small business owners can
purchase health coverage for their employees
and get a break on tax credit in doing so.
Dependent teens and young adult up to 26 years
of age are covered under their parent’s insurance.
The government set rules and regulation that
healthcare providers must follow which focuses
on preventive care and improving health.
“By understanding how government works,
how bills become laws, and how legislators make
decisions, nurses can influence policy decisions
through individual efforts such as electronic letter
writing, social networking, participation in political
campaigns, and selection of candidates who
support policies conducive to improving the health
and welfare of all citizens.” (McEwen, pg.184)
It is very important for nurses to be aware of
changes in healthcare policy to have the
knowledge basic, and insight on government
rules and regulations that will help in making
decisions and educating our patients, families and
the community. Not only do changes in
healthcare policy affect we way we deliver care,
but it also directs the care we deliver. Nurses play
a great role in being active in lobbying and do
have a word in the development of some health
care policies that are written by the government.
We are in the forefront of this delivery system and
do have a voice on issues that affect patient care
this allows us to advocate on our patient's behalf

on certain practices that are recommended and
regulated by the government.
In 2015, the healthcare cost in the U.S far
exceed cost as compared to countries like
Switzerland, Australia, and Canada, yet their life
expectancy rate is lower. Data from the
Organization for Economic Cooperation and
Development (OECD) shows that there is a
higher percentage of people who do not have
healthcare insurance comparison to 12 other
countries and ranks the highest when it comes to
the number of death from preventive diseases
and complications.
In my opinion, There is an uneven distribution
of spending that causes health care to be so
costly. Some providers, insurances companies,
and the drug companies want to make great profit
at the cost of the sick and helpless. The drug
companies are one of the reasons the cost of
healthcare is so high, they charge what they want
for medication to make a huge profit, not to
mention some providers, they create fraud to get
more money from the insurances companies, and
some insurance companies want to get as much
from the public as they can. It is just a dog-eat-
dog system.

References:

New York. (2014). Is the Affordable Care Act
Working? Retrieved
from https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2014/10
/27/us/is-the-affordable-care-act-
working.html#/ (Links to an external site.)
McEwen. (2015). Community/Public Health
Nursing: Promoting the Health of
Populations (6 th ed.). St. Louis, Mo. Retrieved
from https://online.vitalsource.com/#/books/97803
23188197/cfi/8/4!/4/2/38/10@0:16.1 (Links to an
external site.)
Los Angeles Times. (2017). The U.S spends
more in Healthcare than any other country- But
not with better Health Outcomes Retrieved from

http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-healthcare-
comparison-20170715-htmlstory.html (Links to an
external site.)

A Sample Answer 2 For the Assignment: NR 451 Week 7: Healthcare Policy: What You Need to Know About the Affordable Care Act

Title: NR 451 Week 7: Healthcare Policy: What You Need to Know About the Affordable Care Act

I enjoyed reading your post. Great post! I actually
like the "dog-eat-dog" expression you used to
describe the healthcare cost system. Personally, I
think the government should intervene and
regulate the cost of health care especially in the
area of insurance premium and prescription drug
cost. One thing that baffles in the healthcare
business is the uneven charges based on
patient’s insurance policy. I don’t understand why
some patient must pay a higher cost for a similar
condition that would cost lower charge. I
remember visiting the Emergency Room (ER)
without any insurance and it only cost
approximately $1000 for treatment. However,
another visit to the ER with Blue Cross Blue
Shield insurance card with a similar issue
attracted over $12,000.
According to Kane (2012), the United States
health care is more costly than countries like
France, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. I think
that America government should strengthen the
system already in place to protect patients from
exploitation. I understand that the healthcare
professionals are working hard to provide the best
care, however, the sick and helpless as you
mentioned should not be taken advantage of for

self-benefit. I also believe that nurses have roles
as advocates by creating awareness and
protecting the patients. Thanks for sharing.
Reference:
Kane, J., (2012). Health Costs: How the U.S.
Compares With Other Countries. Retrieved from
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/health-
costs-how-the-us-compares-with-other-countries/

Best regards,
O. Osayimwen

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A Sample Answer 3 For the Assignment: NR 451 Week 7: Healthcare Policy: What You Need to Know About the Affordable Care Act

Title: NR 451 Week 7: Healthcare Policy: What You Need to Know About the Affordable Care Act

What are some benefits of the healthcare reform that has been prompted by the Affordable Care Act (ACA)?

“The main purpose of the Affordable Care Act was to lower healthcare costs over time. Congress realized that the cost of Medicare, Medicaid, and employee health benefits is eating up the federal budget.”
After Affordable Care Act was signed, approximately more than 90% of Americans had health care coverage and 14.3 million jobs had been created (Skinner & Smith, 2016). While this shows great looking statistics on paper, I believe this has also contributed to the revolving door shortage of healthcare professionals, nurses and doctors. According to our text; “The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts the RN workforce will need to increase 19% by 2022” (ANA, 2015, p46). When looking at a 19% increase of nurses needed that really doesn’t sound like an alarming number but when I look at it as 1.05 million RN job openings.

Why is it important to be aware of changes in health care policy?

“The ACA is working toward a system that keeps one electronic record. That will allow all your doctors to share their diagnoses and treatments as well as your clerical and payment information. Once implemented, electronic records will further lower health care costs.”

“Healthcare consumer needs and the care environment are more complex in the 21st century” (ANA, 2015, p47). With this being said the role of the nurse has changed and is continuing to change. Continuing education as always been a thing for nurses and required in order to be marketable and competitive to achieve higher education levels, such as LPN’s bridge to RN’s, RN’s to be BSN’s and so on.

I have seen in my career that most facilities are stating on their job postings; “BSN preferred but not required” and we have also seen the phase out of LPN’s in the hospital settings. Many facilities are requiring this to become a magnet hospital.

Why do you believe we spend more on healthcare than any other country but have the worst outcomes?

“The U.S. spent more per person on health care than 12 other high-income nations in 2013, while seeing the lowest life expectancy and some of the worst health outcomes among this group, according to a Commonwealth Fund report out today. The analysis shows that in the U.S., which spent an average of $9,086 per person annually, life expectancy was 78.8 years. Switzerland, the second-highest-spending country, spent $6,325 per person and had a life expectancy of 82.9 years. Mortality rates for cancer were among the lowest in the U.S., but rates of chronic conditions, obesity, and infant mortality were higher than those abroad.”
According to our text; Baby Boomers, “expenses for this this population who are the costliest of all patients” (ANA, 2015, p48). Something else that contributes to our expense is the cost of medication.
In the article The past and future of the Affordable Care Act By Skinner & Amitabh (2016) paragraph 12 reiterates this point; “An example is President Obama’s proposal to negotiate drug prices. This idea is shared by many politicians regardless of their party affiliation, but is difficult to accomplish. Medicaid is allowed to negotiate percentage discounts, but this encourages drug companies to increase the product price for all patients and offer rebates off the higher price. For United States to pay prices for branded drugs commensurate with the lower prices paid for those drugs in Europe will require a willingness to relinquish the use of high cost ineffective drugs.”

Reference:

American Nurses Association. (2015). Nursing: Scope and standards of practice (3rd ed.). Silver Spring, MD: Author.
https://www.thebalance.com/benefits-of-obamacare-advantages-of-the-aca-3306066
http://www.commonwealthfund.org/publications/press-releases/2015/oct/us-spends-more-on-health-care-than-other-nations
Mann, K., Gordon, J., & MacLeod, A. (2009). Reflection and reflective practice in health professions education: a systematic review. Advances In Health Sciences Education: Theory And Practice, 14(4), 595-621

Skinner, J., & Amitabh, C. (2016). The past and future of the Affordable Care Act. JAMA, 316(5), 497-499. doi:10.1001/jama.2016.10158.
Whitehouse.gov. (2016). A look at six years of the Affordable Care Act. Retrieved from www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2016/03/23/look-six-years-affordable-care-act

Grading Rubric

Performance Category	100% or highest level of performance 100% 16 points	Very good or high level of performance 88% 14 points	Acceptable level of performance 81% 13 points	Inadequate demonstration of expectations 68% 11 points	Deficient level of performance 56% 9 points	Failing level of performance 55% or less 0 points
Total Points Possible= 50	16 Points	14 Points	13 Points	11 Points	9 Points	0 Points
Scholarliness Demonstrates achievement of scholarly inquiry for professional and academic topics.	Presentation of information was exceptional and included all of the following elements: Provides evidence of scholarly inquiry relevant to required TD topic(s). Presents specific information from scholarly sources to develop a comprehensive presentation of facts. Uses at least one outside scholarly reference that is relevant, less than 5 years old (use of older references requires instructor permission) and reliable for the required topic.* Uses in-text citation and full reference at end of posting when presenting another person’s thoughts as quotes or paraphrase of information.	Presentation of information was good, but was superficial in places and included all of the following elements: Provides evidence of scholarly inquiry relevant to required TD topic(s). Presents specific information from scholarly sources to develop a comprehensive presentation of facts. Uses at least one outside scholarly reference that is relevant, less than 5 years old (use of older references requires instructor permission) and reliable for the required topic.* Uses in-text citation and full reference at end of posting when presenting another person’s thoughts as quotes or paraphrase of information.	Presentation of information was minimally demonstrated in all of the following elements: Provides evidence of scholarly inquiry relevant to required TD topic(s). Presents specific information from scholarly sources to develop a comprehensive presentation of facts. Uses at least one outside scholarly reference that is relevant, less than 5 years old (use of older references requires instructor permission) and reliable for the required topic.* Uses in-text citation and full reference at end of posting when presenting another person’s thoughts as quotes or paraphrase of information.	Presentation of information is unsatisfactory in one of the following elements: Provides evidence of scholarly inquiry relevant to required TD topic(s). Presents specific information from scholarly sources to develop a comprehensive presentation of facts. Uses at least one outside scholarly reference that is relevant, less than 5 years old (use of older references requires instructor permission) and reliable for the required topic.* Uses in-text citation and full reference at end of posting when presenting another person’s thoughts as quotes or paraphrase of information.	Presentation of information is unsatisfactory in two of the following elements: Provides evidence of scholarly inquiry relevant to required TD topic(s). Presents specific information from scholarly sources to develop a comprehensive presentation of facts. Uses at least one outside scholarly reference that is relevant, less than 5 years old (use of older references requires instructor permission) and reliable for the required topic.* Uses in-text citation and full reference at end of posting when presenting another person’s thoughts as quotes or paraphrase of information.	Presentation of information is unsatisfactory in three or more of the following elements Provides evidence of scholarly inquiry relevant to required TD topic(s). Presents specific information from scholarly sources to develop a comprehensive presentation of facts. Uses at least one outside scholarly reference that is relevant, less than 5 years old (use of older references requires instructor permission) and reliable for the required topic.* Uses in-text citation and full reference at end of posting when presenting another person’s thoughts as quotes or paraphrase of information
	16 Points	14 Points	13 Points	11 Points	9 Points	0 Points
Application of Course Knowledge Demonstrate the ability to analyze and apply principles, knowledge and information learned in the outside readings and relate them to real-life professional situations	Presentation of information was exceptional and included all of the following elements: Applies principles, knowledge and information from scholarly resources to the required topic. Applies facts, principles or concepts learned from scholarly resources to a professional experience. Application of information is comprehensive and specific to the required topic.	Presentation of information was good, but was superficial in places and included all of the following elements: Applies principles, knowledge and information from scholarly resources to the required topic. Applies facts, principles or concepts learned from scholarly resources to a professional experience. Application of information is comprehensive and specific to the required topic.	Presentation of information was minimally demonstrated in the all of the following elements: Applies principles, knowledge and information from scholarly resources to the required topic. Applies facts, principles or concepts learned from scholarly resources to a professional experience. Application of information is comprehensive and specific to the required topic.	Presentation of information is unsatisfactory in one of the following elements: Applies principles, knowledge and information from scholarly resources to the required topic. Applies facts, principles or concepts learned from and scholarly resources to a professional experience. Application of information is comprehensive and specific to the required topic.	Presentation of information is unsatisfactory in two of the following elements: Applies principles, knowledge and information from scholarly resources to the required topic. Applies facts, principles or concepts learned from scholarly resources to a professional experience. Application of information is comprehensive and specific to the required topic.	Presentation of information is unsatisfactory in three of the following elements Applies principles, knowledge and information and scholarly resources to the required topic. Applies facts, principles or concepts learned scholarly resources to a professional experience. Application of information is comprehensive and specific to the required topic.
	10 Points	9 Points			6 Points	0 Points
Interactive Dialogue Initial post should be a minimum of 300 words (references do not count toward word count) The peer and instructor responses must be a minimum of 150 words each (references do not count toward word count) Responses are substantive and relate to the topic.	Demonstrated all of the following: Initial post must be a minimum of 300 words. The peer and instructor responses must be a minimum of 150 words each. Responses are substantive Responses are related to the topic of discussion.	Demonstrated 3 of the following: Initial post must be a minimum of 300 words. The peer and instructor responses must be a minimum of 150 words each. Responses are substantive Responses are related to the topic of discussion.			Demonstrated 2 of the following: Initial post must be a minimum of 300 words. The peer and instructor responses must be a minimum of 150 words each. Responses are substantive Responses are related to the topic of discussion.	Demonstrated 1 or less of the following: Initial post must be a minimum of 300 words. The peer and instructor responses must be a minimum of 150 words each. Responses are substantive Responses are related to the topic of discussion.
	8 Points	7 Points	6 Points	5 Points	4 Points	0 Points
Grammar, Syntax, APA Points deducted for improper grammar, syntax and APA style of writing. The source of information is the APA Manual 6th Edition Error is defined to be a unique APA error. Same type of error is only counted as one error.	The following was present: 0-3 errors in APA format AND Responses have 0-3 grammatical, spelling or punctuation errors AND Writing style is generally clear, focused on topic,and facilitates communication.	The following was present: 4-6 errors in APA format. AND/OR Responses have 4-5 grammatical, spelling or punctuation errors AND/OR Writing style is somewhat focused on topic.	The following was present: 7-9 errors in APA format. AND/OR Responses have 6-7 grammatical, spelling or punctuation errors AND/OR Writing style is slightly focused on topic making discussion difficult to understand.	The following was present: 10- 12 errors in APA format AND/OR Responses have 8-9 grammatical, spelling and punctuation errors AND/OR Writing style is not focused on topic, making discussion difficult to understand.	The following was present: 13 – 15 errors in APA format AND/OR Responses have 8-10 grammatical, spelling or punctuation errors AND/OR Writing style is not focused on topic, making discussion difficult to understand. AND/OR The student continues to make repeated mistakes in any of the above areas after written correction by the instructor.	The following was present: 16 to greater errors in APA format. AND/OR Responses have more than 10 grammatical, spelling or punctuation errors. AND/OR Writing style does not facilitate communication
	0 Points Deducted					5 Points Lost
Participation Requirements	Demonstrated the following: Initial, peer, and faculty postings were made on 3 separate days					Failed to demonstrate the following: Initial, peer, and faculty postings were made on 3 separate days
	0 Points Lost					5 Points Lost
Due Date Requirements	Demonstrated all of the following: The initial posting to the graded threaded discussion topic is posted within the course no later than Wednesday, 11:59 pm MT. A minimum of one peer and one instructor responses are to be posted within the course no later than Sunday, 11:59 pm MT.					Demonstrates one or less of the following. The initial posting to the graded threaded discussion topic is posted within the course no later than Wednesday, 11:59 pm MT. A minimum of one peer and one instructor responses are to be posted within the course no later than Sunday, 11:59 pm MT.

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