Please answer all of the questions. please make it easy to read and to understand. use simple words and simple english.
Health Policy Issue Essay
Pick one of the 10 health policy issues listed below.
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40 points total
APA Style- you will lose points for not adhering to citations and style.
https://library.brockport.edu/citing/apa
2-3 pages- double spaced- follow APA format style
In your essay- explain:
1. Why the healthcare policy issue is relevant?
2. What is the history of the issue?
3. What is the current state of the concern?
4. Is it still a concern, why or why not?
5. Is there anything you feel is relevant to this concern that you think is important?
Health Policy Issues of 2022-2023
1. COVID-19-With the omicron variant causing record numbers of COVID-19 cases, the pandemic is far
from over. It will continue to drive policy decisions, from vaccination mandates to access to testing.
2. Telehealth waivers-Earlier in the pandemic, Congress granted flexibilities to allow providers to deliver
services to Medicare beneficiaries via telehealth. Whether these flexibilities will be extended by
legislators is unclear.
3. Build Back Better-Key provisions of the bill, which faces an uphill battle in Congress, include a
proposed extension of the Affordable Care Act and prescription drug pricing reforms. It is not yet known
if the bill will be revised to increase its chances of getting through the Senate.
4. Drug pricing-Along with reforms proposed in the Build Back Better bill, this year the 340B program,
which allows limited access to lower-cost prescription drugs, will be considered by the courts.
5. Surprise billing-The No Surprises Act, enacted in December 2020, took effect Jan. 1, 2022, and
healthcare providers and payers scrambled to implement it. Some lawmakers are thought to be primed
to press their colleagues in Congress for changes.
6. Mental health policy -The high level of stress the pandemic puts on front-line workers, including
healthcare professionals, is being further recognized. In July 2022, a new national suicide hotline is set
to launch, and lawmakers are working on passing the Lorna Breen Healthcare Provider Protection Act,
named after a physician who died by suicide.
7. Physician payment-The prospect of a 3.75 percent cut in Medicare payments to physicians set for
2022 prompted Congress to pass the Protecting Medicare and American Farmers from Sequester Cuts
Act at the end of 2021, though the action Congress took is considered a stopgap measure rather than a
permanent solution.
8. User fee reauthorization legislation-Every five years, the FDA must negotiate user fee agreements
with industries it regulates. These fees pay for about 80 percent of the agency’s personnel costs. These
agreements have already been finalized and sent to Congress, but lawmakers could add CMS policy to
these agreements.
9. Value-based care-According to the law firm, Biden’s 2021 CMS strategy was notably devoid of any
detailed discussion of specialty care models and financial risk. This may suggest support for CMS’ direct
contracting model; however, pushback from Democrats could mean there are potential changes to the
model being discussed.
10. Health equity-The Biden administration has put particular focus on health equity: One of President
Joe Biden’s first actions in office was the signing of a health equity executive order. According to the
report, more health equity initiatives could be expected in 2022.