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Homework answers / question archive / Regardless of political affiliation, individuals often grow concerned when considering perceived competing interests of government and their impact on topics of interest to them
Regardless of political affiliation, individuals often grow concerned when considering perceived competing interests of government and their impact on topics of interest to them. The realm of healthcare is no different. Some people feel that local, state, and federal policies and legislation can be either helped or hindered by interests other than the benefit to society.
Consider for example that the number one job of a legislator is to be reelected. Cost can be measured in votes as well as dollars. Thus, it is important to consider the legislator’s perspective on either promoting or not promoting a certain initiative in the political landscape.
To Prepare:
Post an explanation for how you think the cost-benefit analysis in terms of legislators being reelected affected efforts to repeal/replace the ACA. Then, explain how analyses of the voters views may affect decisions by legislative leaders in recommending or positioning national policies (e.g., Congress' decisions impacting Medicare or Medicaid). Remember, the number one job of a legislator is to be re-elected. Please check your discussion grading rubric to ensure your responses meet the criteria.
Affordable Care Act (ACA) - Cost-benefit Analysis
Cost-benefit analysis
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 (ACA) by the Obama Administration aimed to ensure that American citizens have access to affordable health care services, which had long been a social justice issue in the nation’s healthcare. Its provisions would expand healthcare coverage, have offsets raising taxes, and slow Medicare spending growth. However, some legislators did not welcome the policy, which sought to overcome many obstacles in health care in America. Trump’s administration was quick to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act (Shindler, 2017). It became apparent that repealing and replacing the ACA would hurt the citizens, who are the voters.
The legislators realized that they were reducing their chances of re-election by supporting ACA repeal and replacement. The passing of the American Health Care Act (AHCA) would translate into the loss of insurance coverage by millions of Americans and the high costs of health care. In the cost-benefit analysis, the repeal and replace would risk chances of legislators’ re-election. In ACA, Americans would have access to affordable care, yet this new policy would deprive them of and increase costs while denying some patients health coverage. Cost-benefit analysis revealed to the legislators that the repeal and replace had negative aspects that would cost them their positions in office. To increase their re-election prospects, the senators proposed the Better Care Reconciliation Act of 2017 (Redhead & Kinzer 2017).
How voters’ views affect decisions
The public elects legislators to serve at various levels of the government to make or change laws. Therefore, as elective leaders, they campaign so that voters would select them. Effective legislators would have a higher chance of re-election. As elected officials, legislators would want to make policies that would appeal to the voters and increase their chances of staying in office. Being aware that their chances of being elected by voters lie in these voters’ interests, the appropriate course of action would be determined by what voters think. The position that Congress takes regarding ACA and AHCA policy matters is impacted by what voters think. Nonetheless, the overriding interest of a politician is to get re-election.
The voters significantly affect the legislator’s policy choice. Even partisan Democrats and Republicans might compromise their choices regarding a particular policy because they compete for votes. Some Republicans have been willing to depart from the party’s orthodoxy to support Medicaid expansion. Many citizens in these expansion states have benefited by gaining coverage and other resources from the federal government.
