government 400 words find article respond apa format

What influence does public opinion have on health care policy? Provide a recent (last eight weeks) poll or news article on healthcare policy illustrating the power of public opinion to affect policy.

Respond 200+

In recent years, healthcare policies have been a contentious topic for Americans. Since the Affordable Health Care Act was signed into law by President Obama, those not in support have tried to dismantle the policy and those in favor have made attempts to keep or expand it. Data shows that most Americans support the Federal Government doing more to provide healthcare insurance coverage. Interesting data has shown that public opinion has gone down since 2006. In 2006, 96% of Democrats, 86% of Independents and 72% of Republicans were in favor of government-assisted healthcare. In contrast, 94% of Democrats, 77% of Independents and 40% of Republicans were in support. Both Independents and a large portion of Republicans have had a reversal of opinion. However, polls show that most Americans overall have been in favor of a government health plan since 2016. The shift in support could be attributed to how this health plan would be executed. Shifts in opinion can be seen when people hear that potential tax increases and longer waits for treatment may be imposed under a national health plan. Another matter that sways support is when people falsely assume that they would be able to keep their current health plans under a national plan. These examples may have led to the reduction of support (“Public Opinion”, 2020).

This data of public opinion is key for politicians to utilize in advocating for the policies and be viable candidates for public office, particularly for Democrats. Even then, four of ten Republicans also support government assistance, so this becomes a real issue to be addressed by all national representatives (“Public Opinion”, 2020). With the majority of the population supporting some kind of government-assisted healthcare policy, politicians have no option but to act. It’s a matter of how it is implemented and mitigating impacts to the general public. If the will of the people is not met, these elected officials can be held accountable and easily replaced.

References

Public Opinion on Single-Payer, National Health Plans, and Expanding Access to Medicare Coverage. (2020, April 3) Retrieved from https://www.kff.org/slideshow/public-opinion-on-si…

Respond 200+

Molly Taft’s April 15th article for The Intercept titled Medical Residents Demand COVID-19 Hazard Pay serves as a wake-up call for Health Care Administrators and is an example of the continued drive to change our healthcare system from the ground up by stoking public opinion. In it she highlights how Medical Residents on the front lines of New York’s battle against the Coronavirus (COVID-19 Epidemic) are enduring the brunt of responsibility while continually being grossly overworked and underpaid. Taft captures how dire the situation is, exposing Senior Leadership’s disdain for the perceived dissention when Residents asked for increased hazard pay to match that of their peers at other hospitals (Taft, 2020).

This is just one of the more recent articles meant to sway public opinion on healthcare and reflects the continued tug-of-war between activists, media, corporations, and the government with “the people” left as the flag in the middle. But does public opinion really play a role in this change? Or are the people only used as a catalyst for some ulterior agenda? Especially given this is such an important election year, the question begs to be answered whether some of these “Power to the People” moments touted by our elected officials is no more than a clever campaign advertisement meant to garner votes in November.

I believe the answer lies somewhere in-between. The People do have the power to persuade change in healthcare policies when either of two things occur; the problem is so egregious that decision makers are forced to affect change or face lawsuit; or public opinion is so great that if policy is not changed, the policy makers will be forced from their position for not acting on the will of “the people.” I feel anything in between is a narrative meant for a greater purpose and should be automatic suspect.

Citation (APA):

Taft, M. (2020, April 15). Medical Residents Demand Covid-19 Hazard Pay. Retrieved April 16, 2020, from https://theintercept.com/2020/04/15/coronavirus-ho…