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Healthcare Management (D223) – UKM1 Task 2
1: FEDERAL AND STATE PUBLIC HEALTHCARE POLICY
Federal
One federal public healthcare policy that significantly influences patient care and healthcare
delivery is the Affordable Care Act (ACA), also known as Obamacare. The ACA was enacted in
2010 with the aim of increasing the number of Americans with access to affordable health
insurance and improving the overall quality of healthcare. This policy mandates that individuals
have health insurance coverage and offers subsidies to make insurance more affordable for low-
income individuals. The responsibility for administering the ACA lies with the Centers for
Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), a federal agency within the U.S. Department of Health
and Human Services.
State
At the state level, an example of a public healthcare policy is the California Nurse Staffing Ratio
Law. This law, implemented in 2004, sets specific nurse-to-patient ratios in different healthcare
settings, such as hospitals and nursing homes. The purpose of this policy is to ensure patient
safety and improve the quality of care by ensuring an adequate number of nurses are available to
meet patient needs. The enforcement of the California Nurse Staffing Ratio Law falls under the
jurisdiction of the California Department of Public Health.
A2: PUBLIC HEALTHCARE POLICY PROCESS
Federal
The Affordable Care Act (ACA) is a comprehensive healthcare reform law. It aims to improve
the accessibility, affordability, and quality of healthcare. It has many operational components
that make up this law. Some of the key components are The Health Insurance Marketplace,
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Subsidies and Cost-Sharing Reductions, Medicaid Expansion, Protections for people with pre-
existing conditions, Essential Health Benefits, and the Employer Mandate.
The creation of the Health Insurance Market allowed for different levels of health insurance to be
available to people, as well as ensured that health insurance was available in every location.
Subsidies and cost-sharing reductions made the insurance either a low-cost or no-cost option for
people meeting certain economic benchmarks, The Medicaid expansion allowed for coverage to
be expanded to cover more low-income individuals and families. The Protections enacted
allowed individuals to retain insurance and made sure they could not be denied or charged higher
premiums because of an existing diagnosis. The Essential Benefits component guarantees that
certain specific health benefits must be covered, like maternity care, prescription drugs, and
mental services. Additionally, the Employer Mandate required certain large employers to provide
health insurance coverage to their employees or face penalties.
State
The California Nurse Staffing Ratio Law has key components that contain several key
operational aspects that bring the policy into effect. While the primary component has to do with
nurse staffing, some other provisions are important as well. The key components are and
establishment of Minimum Nurse-to-Patient Ratios, Variable Staffing ratios, Staffing
Requirements for Specific Units, Public Reporting, and Whistleblower protections.
The Minimum Nurse-to-Patient ratio ensures that there are specific requirements and minimums
set for nurse-to-patient ratios set in different hospital units. The Variable Staffing ratios
component is part of this law because it takes into account that due to differing patient loads
staffing ratios will need to be adjusted, this component allows hospitals to adapt staffing levels
accordingly. The Staffing Requirements for Specific Units allow that different units like
Healthcare Management (D223) – UKM1 Task 2
1: FEDERAL AND STATE PUBLIC HEALTHCARE POLICY
Federal
One federal public healthcare policy that significantly influences patient care and healthcare
delivery is the Affordable Care Act (ACA), also known as Obamacare. The ACA was enacted in
2010 with the aim of increasing the number of Americans with access to affordable health
insurance and improving the overall quality of healthcare. This policy mandates that individuals
have health insurance coverage and offers subsidies to make insurance more affordable for low-
income individuals. The responsibility for administering the ACA lies with the Centers for
Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), a federal agency within the U.S. Department of Health
and Human Services.
State
At the state level, an example of a public healthcare policy is the California Nurse Staffing Ratio
Law. This law, implemented in 2004, sets specific nurse-to-patient ratios in different healthcare
settings, such as hospitals and nursing homes. The purpose of this policy is to ensure patient
safety and improve the quality of care by ensuring an adequate number of nurses are available to
meet patient needs. The enforcement of the California Nurse Staffing Ratio Law falls under the
jurisdiction of the California Department of Public Health.
A2: PUBLIC HEALTHCARE POLICY PROCESS
Federal
The Affordable Care Act (ACA) is a comprehensive healthcare reform law. It aims to improve
the accessibility, affordability, and quality of healthcare. It has many operational components
that make up this law. Some of the key components are The Health Insurance Marketplace,
, 2
Subsidies and Cost-Sharing Reductions, Medicaid Expansion, Protections for people with pre-
existing conditions, Essential Health Benefits, and the Employer Mandate.
The creation of the Health Insurance Market allowed for different levels of health insurance to be
available to people, as well as ensured that health insurance was available in every location.
Subsidies and cost-sharing reductions made the insurance either a low-cost or no-cost option for
people meeting certain economic benchmarks, The Medicaid expansion allowed for coverage to
be expanded to cover more low-income individuals and families. The Protections enacted
allowed individuals to retain insurance and made sure they could not be denied or charged higher
premiums because of an existing diagnosis. The Essential Benefits component guarantees that
certain specific health benefits must be covered, like maternity care, prescription drugs, and
mental services. Additionally, the Employer Mandate required certain large employers to provide
health insurance coverage to their employees or face penalties.
State
The California Nurse Staffing Ratio Law has key components that contain several key
operational aspects that bring the policy into effect. While the primary component has to do with
nurse staffing, some other provisions are important as well. The key components are and
establishment of Minimum Nurse-to-Patient Ratios, Variable Staffing ratios, Staffing
Requirements for Specific Units, Public Reporting, and Whistleblower protections.
The Minimum Nurse-to-Patient ratio ensures that there are specific requirements and minimums
set for nurse-to-patient ratios set in different hospital units. The Variable Staffing ratios
component is part of this law because it takes into account that due to differing patient loads
staffing ratios will need to be adjusted, this component allows hospitals to adapt staffing levels
accordingly. The Staffing Requirements for Specific Units allow that different units like
