Health policy final test

POL 210-001 Exam 2 Review

1. What is health?
   A state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being, not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.

2. Health policy, health care, and health status—what connection do they have?
   Health policy shapes health care systems, which influence individual and population health status.

3. Relevance of health policy to health determinants:
   Health policies directly impact determinants like access to care, quality, environment, and socioeconomic factors.

4. Policy competence and its importance:
   The ability of health professionals to understand and influence policy. Important for advocacy and improving patient outcomes.

5. Policy initiation and policy modification:
   Initiation is introducing new policies; modification involves changing existing policies to adapt to evolving needs.

6. Five steps to help health professionals influence health policy:

   1. Understand the issue, 2) Engage stakeholders, 3) Develop policy solutions, 4) Advocate effectively, 5) Evaluate impact.

7. Ethical philosophical principles in policy advocacy:
   Autonomy, beneficence, nonmaleficence, and justice guide ethical engagement in health policy.

8. Impact of federalism on U.S. health policymaking:
   Divides responsibilities between federal and state governments; leads to policy variation and complexity.

9. 10th Amendment and state influence on health policy:
   Reserves powers not given to the federal government to states, giving them authority over public health policy (e.g., Medicaid).

10. What is the policy process?
    The sequence of steps by which issues become policies—includes agenda setting, formulation, adoption, implementation, evaluation.

11. Types of Health Policy:
    Regulatory (controls behavior), Allocative (distributes resources).

12. Public policy vs. health policy:
    Public policy covers all government actions; health policy is a subset focusing on health-related decisions and laws.

13. Most active area of federal healthcare legislation:
    Medicare, Medicaid, the Affordable Care Act (ACA).

14. Healthcare interest groups:
    Include AMA, AHA, pharmaceutical lobbies; influence legislation through lobbying, campaigns, and public pressure.

15. Interest groups’ impact in health vs. other sectors:
    Health sector interest groups are highly organized and influential due to financial resources and public relevance.

16. Iron Triangle:
    A policy-making relationship among Congress, bureaucracies, and interest groups; crucial in health policy negotiations.

17. School of thought on interest groups' role:
    Pluralism—sees interest groups as essential to democracy and policy-making.

18. Suppliers of health policies:
    Legislators, executive agencies (e.g., HHS), courts, and private organizations.

19. Interest group influence in agenda setting:
    Lobbying, media campaigns, political donations, coalition-building.

20. Dual vs. Cooperative Federalism (general):
    Dual: Clear-cut roles for federal and state governments.
    Cooperative: Shared responsibilities and collaboration.

21. Dual vs. Cooperative Federalism (public health):
    Dual: States lead public health initiatives.
    Cooperative: Federal and state governments work together (e.g., CDC-State programs).

22. ACA and federalism:

• Cooperative: Joint federal-state Medicaid expansion.

• Interactive: States develop exchanges with federal support.

• Dual: States can opt out of expansion.

23. Punctuated Equilibrium Theory:
    Policies usually change incrementally but occasionally shift dramatically due to major events or shifts in attention.

24. Core policy model phases:
    Agenda setting → Formulation → Adoption → Implementation → Evaluation → Termination or Continuation.

25. Rational Actor Model:
    Assumes policy makers are rational, weigh all options, and choose the most efficient one.

26. Three agenda-setting factors (Kingdon):

1. Problem stream, 2) Policy stream, 3) Political stream.
   When they align, a policy window opens.

27. Executive Order 13877 (2019):
    Promotes transparency in hospital prices and empowering patients through healthcare information access.

28. Advocacy groups and political participation:
    Include grassroots organizations, professional associations, and lobbyists that influence through education, lobbying, and legal action.

29. Role of CMS (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services):
    Administers Medicare, Medicaid, CHIP; sets regulations and standards for healthcare providers.

30. Medicaid vs. CHIP:
    Medicaid: Covers low-income individuals, including adults and children.
    CHIP: Specifically for children in families earning too much for Medicaid but can’t afford private insurance.

31. Why study health policy?
    To understand how policy affects healthcare delivery, outcomes, costs, and to empower professionals to advocate for change.