Group 1: Health Disparities: What is two public policies needed to reduce racial and ethnic disparities in health care?
Please refer to the rubric for details on how this activity will be graded.
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Peer response #1
The Affordable Care Act of 2010 attempted to close the gaps in health care coverage for millions of Americans. It did this by mandating that everyone carry health insurance, which put more people into the “contributing” category. It lowered beneficiaries’ premiums through market places, which enabled more people to enroll, and it expanded the Medicaid program, covering those who still could not afford to purchase private insurance. Expanding Medicaid coverage alone would expand the coverage umbrella to millions who are currently not covered. This could help ease the unnecessary stress on emergency departments (Gasiewska, 2020). Communities of color are less likely to have health insurance than white communities (Gasiewska et al., 2020). The impact of this Is that they are less likely to engage in preventative health care due to the cost, so they are more dependent on emergency departments for preventative or non-emergency health issues. Gasiewska (2020) points out that in the United States COVID-19 has a 2.6% higher mortality rate for African-Americans than it does for whites. According to the CDC’s web page on racial health disparities (2018) 40.3% African-American have hypertension compared to 27.8% whites. African American women had the highest percentage of preterm births at 11.1 percent, while Asian or Pacific Islander women had the lowest at 6.8 percent (NCHS, 2015). The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that nearly 44 percent of African American men and 48 percent of African American women have some form of cardiovascular disease (CDC, 2014). These are indicators that the CDC and other health tracking agencies use to identify overall health of a population. These co-morbidities make opportunistic infections, COVID-19, produce a higher mortality rate than what it could have been. These co-morbidities are generally easily managed through primary care monitoring and education of modifiable risk factors, but as already stated lack of insurance makes what should be easy to accomplish very difficult. Difficult due to in part of the alteration of the ACA. As the 2012 Supreme court decision not to make the Medicaid expansion mandatory but rather leave it up to the individual states to decide (Levitt, 2020). Medicaid expansion would have enabled more people to be proactive about their health. Along with fighting the expansion of Medicaid, the Republicans lifted the individual mandate. This caused the amount of people paying into the program to drop. Part of the way the ACA works is by having more people pay into being covered than people needing to have the insurances pay out for them, kind of a pay it forward philosophy. When there are less people paying for their own health care coverage it will cause more people to go uncovered due to the high cost of premiums and less people eligible for Medicaid, there is an increased potential for fewer people to not pay their health care bills if they incur one because they are too high. This will in turn be passed off to the beneficiaries that do incur health care bills in the form of increased cost of services (Koma et al., 2020). This is why the individual responsibility and the Medicaid expansion are vital to the success of our health care system. CDC. African Americans heart disease and stroke fact sheet. 2014. [December 7, 2016]. http://www.cdc.gov/dhdsp/data_statistics/fact_sheets/fs_aa.htm. Gasiewska, Aneta, et al. “COVID-19 Highlights Racial Disparities in Our Health Care System.” USA Today, Gannett Satellite Information Network, 1 June 2020, www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2020/06/01/pandemic-giving-us-space-rethink-out-health-care-system-column/5237166002/. Koma, Wyatt, et al. “Low-Income and Communities of Color at Higher Risk of Serious Illness If Infected with Coronavirus.” KFF, 7 May 2020, www.kff.org/coronavirus-covid-19/issue-brief/low-income-and-communities-of-color-at-higher-risk-of-serious-illness-if-infected-with-coronavirus/. Levitt, G. (2020). The Affordable Care Act’s Enduring Resilience. Journal of Health Politics, Policy, and Law, 45(4), 609- 616. NCHS (National Center for Health Statistics). Health, United States, 2015: With special feature on racial and ethnic health disparities. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics; 2016. NCHS Data on Racial and Ethnic Disparities” National Center for Health Statistics, NCHS Fact Sheet, April 2018.
688 words
Reply to at least two of your classmates in the other group (not your own assigned group). In your reply posts, incorporate challenges you would anticipate for the proposals, as well as arguments to overcome those challenges. Each reply should be 400 words.
3 Scholarly articles synthesis
Discussion Rubric – 100 Points | |
Criteria | Exceeds Expectations |
Frequency of Contribution | Initial post with two peer replies posted on two separate days. 25 points |
Initial Post | Initial post to is on time and of the correct length (500–750 words). All components of the initial post requirements are addressed. Course content synthesis is applied with at least two scholarly references included. 25 points |
Peer Replies | On time. There was substantial evidence and synthesis of
course content utilizing course topics and the introduction of questions and new information. 25 points |
Writing Mechanics and APA Format | Few to no writing mechanics or APA errors. 25 points |
Total points | 100 |
Group 2: Quality: What are two public policies needed to improve quality without increasing expenses?
3-4 Scholarly articles synthesis
Writing Assignment Rubric – 100 Points | |
Criteria | Exemplary Exceeds Expectations |
Content of Paper | The writer demonstrates a well-articulated understanding of the subject matter in a clear, complex, and informative manner. The paper content and theories are well developed and linked to the paper requirements and practical experience. The paper includes relevant material that fulfills all objectives of the paper. Follows the assignment instructions around expectations for scholarly references. Uses scholarly resources that were not provided in the course materials. All instruction requirements noted. 30 points |
Analysis and Synthesis of Paper Content and Meaning | Through critical analysis, the submitted paper provides an accurate, clear, concise, and complete presentation of the required content. Information from scholarly resources is synthesized, providing new information or insight related to the context of the assignment by providing both supportive and alternative information or viewpoints. All instruction requirements noted. 30 points |
Application of Knowledge | The summary of the paper provides information validated via scholarly resources that offer a multidisciplinary approach. The student’s application in practice is accurate and plausible, and additional scholarly resource(s) supporting the application is provided. All questions posed within the assignment are answered in a well-developed manner with citations for validation. All instruction requirements noted. 30 points |
Organization | Well-organized content with a clear and complex purpose statement and content argument. Writing is concise with a logical flow of ideas. 5 points |
APA, Grammar, and Spelling | Correct APA formatting with no errors. The writer correctly identifies reading audience, as demonstrated by appropriate language (avoids jargon and simplifies complex concepts appropriately). Writing is concise, in active voice, and avoids awkward transitions and overuse of conjunctions. There are no spelling, punctuation, or word-usage errors 5 points |