Running head: BENCHMARK-ANALYSIS OF A U.

S HEALTH CARE POLICY 1

Benchmark - Analysis of a U.S. Health Care Policy

Kiana Woods

Grand Canyon University: NSG-436

July 13, 2019

BENCHMARK- ANALYSIS OF A U.S. HEALTH CARE POLICY 2

Introduction

Before analyzing the United States’ health care system and policies, it is imperative to

understand what health care is and its importance to society. Health care includes the

maintenance, prevention, and/or improvement of disease processes with the intent to maintain or

restore a person’s physical, mental, and/or emotional well-being (Cambridge University Press,

2019). The next significant aspect to understand, is the meaning and role of health care policies.

“Healthcare policy involves the creation and implementation of laws, rules, and regulations for

managing the nation's healthcare system.” (Ballotpedia, 2019, para. 2). In simpler terms, health

care is the care provided to maintain a person’s overall well-being, while health care policies are

regulations that are put into place to manage and maintain the order and quality of health care

that is being provided within the United States. Now that the basics have been explained, a

specific U.S. health care policy, it’s major stakeholders, positive and negative aspects of the

policy, factors that impact care, and suggestions regarding changes to the policy will be

discussed.

Health Care Policy Summary

The United States health care policy that will be reviewed and summarized is titled,

“Achieving Health Equity in the United States” (American Public Health Association, 2018,

para. 1). This policy was created on November 13th, 2018 and was given the policy number:

20189. The goal of this specific health care policy is to address the issue of health disparities

amongst racial/ethnic minority groups and provide a solution that will improve health equity in

the United States. Despite the efforts made by Healthy People 2020 and other systems to

improve quality of care and decrease inequalities, policy makers believed that more

improvement could be obtained with the making of the “Achieving Health Equity in the United
BENCHMARK- ANALYSIS OF A U.S. HEALTH CARE POLICY 3

States” policy. Mentioned in the abstract of this health care policy, is the audience the policy is

addressing and its purpose:

The action items presented in this policy statement call on national, state, and local

governments, as well as nonprofit and philanthropic organizations and individuals, to

implement policies, practices, surveillance, and research that include a health equity lens

and framework across all sectors of society such that everyone can live a long life in

optimal health. (American Public Health Association, 2018, para. 1).

Major Stakeholders: Influence, Development, Implementation, Enforcement, and Impact

“Stakeholders are individuals, groups, or another institution with a financial interest in—

or who are affected by—what happens with an organization.” (Huber, 2018, pg. 216).

Specifically, in healthcare, stakeholders include: patients, employers, insurance companies,

physicians, government, and pharmaceutical firms. Regarding the Achieving Health Equity in the

United States policy, groups within the Government, which is a key stakeholder, will start by

developing the policy. Whether or not this specific stakeholder is able to “sell” and agree upon

the importance of this policy influences if it will be approved, put into play, and have an affect

on other stakeholders. Next, the policy is enforced and implemented by insurance companies,

hospitals, pharmaceutical firms, health care-based companies, and any additional organizations

that provide citizens with housing, education, and other resources. One of the last and most vital

stakeholders are the patients that this policy is referencing. For this policy, the final stakeholder

would be patients that fit into the target racial/ethnic minority groups. These patients are greatly

affected by the policy and its effectiveness because its implementation or lack thereof may

improve or continue to decline their health outcomes and the quality of care that they receive.

Positive and Negative Aspects

BENCHMARK- ANALYSIS OF A U.S. HEALTH CARE POLICY 4

Some positive aspects of this health care policy include the specific attempts at

addressing and using data to support claims of racism and disparities in housing, education, and

health outcomes between various ethnic groups. To support the importance of this policy,

detailed information about morbidities that strike specific racial groups and disparities caused by

housing segregation and a lack of access to quality education were discussed (American Public

Health Association, 2018, para. 8). The addition of statistical data proving the relationship

between racial discrimination and the lack of quality of health care are mentioned and further

support the policy’s claims and goals. Another positive attribution of this policy is its

declarations of support of preexisting policies, acts, and organizations that are already working

towards decreasing health disparities. By mentioning specific organizations that are trying to

improve minorities’ health outcomes, this policy may educate stakeholders on who they can

provide financial and other assistance to in support of these pre-existing establishments. On the

other hand, there are some negative characteristics of the Achieving Health Equity in the United

States policy. Although this policy does an excellent job addressing ongoing issues seen in health

care within the United States, it does not provide very many new solutions to these issues.

Mentioned in paragraph 18 of the policy, the policy maker addresses their lack of answers to

these issues by saying, “While there is not a comprehensive, coordinated strategy for the nation

to achieve health equity…”. (American Public Health Association, 2018, para. 18). In other

words, they are addressing issues of health disparities, supporting organizations that are working

to change these disparities, but are not offering any new solutions that can be utilized. In order

for this policy to be truly effective, it must address the issues it wishes to solve as well as

answers the policy and other stakeholders can put in place to fix them.

Legislative, Regulatory, and Financial Factors

BENCHMARK- ANALYSIS OF A U.S. HEALTH CARE POLICY 5

“When a new policy is made, it is the responsibility of the federal administrative agencies

to fill in the details with rules and regulations that clarify definitions, authority, eligibility,

benefits, and standards.” (American Nurses Association, 2019, para. 1). Depending on what the

rules and regulations regarding the policy allows, nursing practice and the possibility of equitable

care will be impacted. Another factor that may greatly affect nursing and the delivery of care is

the financial aspect of incoming policies. When there are new policies proposed to decrease

health care disparities through the use of new organizations, the increase of community

resources, and the creation of school programs and quality housing, money is something that

must be considered. The more changes and additions that come with a new policy, the more

money that must be spent. If there is a lack or shortage of funds, some of the disparities may

remain, leaving the job of decreasing inequalities up to nurses and other healthcare professionals.

Proposed Changes

Previously discussed, were both pros and cons of the Achieving Health Equity in the

United States policy. To address the negative aspects of the policy, some changes that can be

applied may include: the addition of specific education organizations to decrease disparities, the

creation of healthy, quality, and safe housing for minorities, and specific strategies that can be

used to financially support pre-existing organizations that advocate for equality of the U.S.

health care system.

Conclusion

Health care is an industry concerned with the improvement and/or maintenance of a

person’s overall health through the use of prevention, diagnosis, and treatment techniques.

Health care policies are regulations created to guide and maintain the health care that is being

provided within the United States. A U.S. policy titled, “Achieving Health Equity in the United
BENCHMARK- ANALYSIS OF A U.S. HEALTH CARE POLICY 6

States” was analyzed and reviewed. In addition, a proposal of changes that may be implemented

to improve the policy were discussed. Understanding health care and policies, their stakeholders,

factors that affect each, and the pros, cons, and ways to enhance policies are important aspects to

address when trying to make improvements to the U.S. health care system.
BENCHMARK- ANALYSIS OF A U.S. HEALTH CARE POLICY 7

References

American Nurses Association. (2019). Agencies and regulations. Retrieved from

https://www.nursingworld.org/practice-policy/advocacy/federal/agencies-regulations/

American Public Health Association. (2018). Achieving health equity in the United States.

Retrieved from https://www.apha.org/policies-and-advocacy/public-health-policy

statements/policy-database/2019/01/29/achieving-health-equity

Ballotpedia. (2019). Healthcare policy in the United States. Retrieved from

https://ballotpedia.org/Healthcare_policy_in_the_United_States

Cambridge University Press. (2019). Cambridge dictionary. Retrieved from

https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/healthcare

Huber, D. L. (2018). Leadership and nursing care management (6th ed.). St. Louis, MO:

Elsevier-Saunders. ISBN-13: 9780323389662