Health Care Policy Bill Selection, Policy Brief, Policy Analysis and Policy Issue

Assignment 1:

Health Care Policy Bill Selection (5 points)

Read “Nurses’ Stages of Political Engagement” in Porche (2019) pages 280-281.

Assignment Criteria:

1. Research and choose a state or federal bill related to a health care policy issue of interest.

• This bill will be used for all course assignments
• The issue can be a bill that was passed in a recent legislative session, an issue currently in the legislature, or an issue presented in the legislative session but ‘died’ in committee
• No duplicate bills unless approved by the instructor

2. Place the title of the bill in the subject line of the discussion post.
3. Post a brief description of the bill on the discussion board. Use bulleted format.

• Identify if it is a state or federal bill
• Include the bill’s number (H.R.# or S#), title, purpose, intended group/population, and outcome (if already determined)
• Identify the bill’s legislative sponsors
• Explain the reason for selection

4. Post to the discussion board forum Assignment 1: Health Care Policy Bill Selectionby Monday Week 2 at 11:59 PM/EST.

Assignment 2:

Policy Brief

(19 Points)

Students will develop a written Policy Brief utilizing the chosen state or federal bill selected in Assignment 1. A policy brief is a “short document providing findings and recommendations to an audience who may not be experts in an area of interest” which serves to give policy advice (DeMarco & Adams, 2014, p. 209).

Nurse leaders can utilize a policy brief to explain a perceived problem to an administrator, constituents, and/or legislators. A policy brief provides a quick snapshot of the problem or the issue and a solution.

Review the section Policy Briefs pp. 300-302 and Box 15-11, in Porche (2019), the journal articles provided in Week 2, and new resources posted below to assist in understanding the intent and the development of a policy brief.

Reference

DeMarco, R., & Adams, K. A. (2014). The mechanics of writing a policy brief.  Nursing Outlook, 62(3), 219-224.

Assignment Criteria

Students will develop a written Policy Brief addressing the following:

1. Introduce the selected state or federal bill used in Assignment 1.
2. Provide a summary of the issue or problem related to the chosen state or federal bill selected in Assignment 1.
3. Describe the background information related to the issue or problem.

• Include key regulatory and legislative history and any related data.

4. Explain policy options or alternatives.

• Include pros and cons of any policy option or alternative, timetable of action, political perspective with policy option and alternative, and political vote count for each policy option if known.
• If not available, please note in the brief.

5. Discuss various stakeholder perspectives on each policy option or alternative if available.

• Provide recommended actions.

6. The Policy Brief should be in narrative format and two to three pages in length excluding the title and reference page.
7. No introductory paragraph, purpose statement or conclusion is needed for this Policy Brief Assignment.
8. Include level 1 and 2 headings to organize the Policy Brief Assignment.
9. Include three professional peer-reviewed scholarly journal references to support the paper (review in Ulrich Periodical Directory) and should be less than five years old.
10. APA format required (attention to spelling/grammar, title page, reference page, and in-text citations).
11. Submit the assignment to Turnitin prior to the final submission, review the originality report, and make any needed changes.
12. Submit by the posted due date.

Additional Resources

Policy Briefs

https://writingcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/policy-briefs/ (Links to an external site.)

Health Policy Brief Series

https://nursing.gwu.edu/health-policy-brief-series (Links to an external site.)

 Examples of Policy Briefs

Please note, if this relates to your issue or problem, you cannot use the information in these examples.

A Matter of Conscience: Examining the Law and Policy of Conscientious Objection in Health Care

https://gwu.app.box.com/v/Policy-Brief-Fry-Bowers (Links to an external site.)

Ensuring Access to Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder

https://gwu.app.box.com/s/kj1wb8le4ub6ibl9lpatrrds1j1ll0pf (Links to an external site.)

Lack of Payment for Dental Services Leading to Poor Oral Health

https://gwu.app.box.com/s/1y4cx8u6srwl3e0iyrtp2hnzbk2y0ji9 (Links to an external site.)

Child Mental Health: A Time for Innovation

https://www.rch.org.au/uploadedFiles/Main/Content/ccchdev/1805-CCCH-PolicyBrief-29.pdf (Links to an external site.)

Assignment 3:

Policy Analysis Scholarly Paper

(25 points)

In this assignment, students will examine the selected bill from Assignment 2 and critically analyze and evaluate the context in which the area of concern or issue relates to the policy making process.

Assignment Criteria:

Develop a scholarly paper that addresses the following criteria:

1. State the selected bill including the bill number and title.
2. Identity the area of concern or issue clarifying the underlying and related concerns.
3. Describe the background of the area of concern or issue – assess economic, legal, and regulatory processes that prompted the writing of the bill
4. Identify all direct and/or indirect stakeholders and stakeholder position on the area of concern.
5. Identify the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) to the bill.
6. Evaluate how issues in the bill will affect stakeholders at an institutional, local, state, and/or federal level.
7. Using the Essentials of Master’s Education, propose two ways the master’s prepared nurse leader can act as a change agent, contribute to the policy-making process, and advocate for quality, cost-effective care.
8. The scholarly paper should be in narrative format, 5 to 6 pages excluding the title and reference page.
9. Include an introductory paragraph, purpose statement, and a conclusion.
10. Include level 1 and 2 headings to organize the paper.
11. Write the paper in third person, not first person (meaning do not use ‘we’ or ‘I’) and in a scholarly manner. To clarify: I, we, you, me, our may not be used. In addition, describing yourself as the researcher or the author should not be used.
12. Include a minimum of five (5) professional peer-reviewed scholarly journal references to support the paper (review in Ulrich’s Periodical Directory) and be less than five (5) years old. Instructor can revise these guidelines to include websites.
13. APA format is required (attention to spelling/grammar, a title page, a reference page, and in-text citations).
14. Submit the assignment to Turnitin prior to the final submission, review the Originality Report, and make any needed changes.
15. Submit to the Assignment Thread by the posted due date.

Assignment 4:

Policy Issue/Action PowerPoint Presentation

(15 points)

Students will utilize Assignment 3 and develop a PowerPoint (PPT) and Kaltura presentation on the selected policy/issue. The Kaltura presentation is a method to get the issue/action message across to those who make the decisions.

Assignment Criteria:

Develop a PowerPoint presentation that includes the following criteria:

1. Introduce the bill and reason for selection
2. Overview of bill: Number, title, sponsor, and brief background area of concern or issue
3. Identify all direct and/or indirect stakeholders and stakeholder position on the area of concern
4. Identify the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) to the bill
5. Explain how issues in the bill will affect stakeholders at an institutional, local, state, and/or federal level.
6. List two ways the masters prepared nurse leader can act as a change agent, contribute to the policy-making process, and advocate for quality, cost-effective care.
7. Develop a recorded PowerPoint presentation/PPT using Kaltura in the form of a scholarly presentation. Follow the instructions for using Kaltura located in the Canvas Course Menu under APA Documents/Resources.
8. After making the PPT, utilize Kaltura media to present the PPT with voice over (use computer and microphone).
9. For presentation clarification, include presenter’s notes in the click to add section to explain the slide.
10. The PowerPoint presentation should not be more than 8-10 slides (excluding the title slide and reference slide) and ten (10) minutes in length. Be complete and concise. Use bulleted statements not complete sentences or paragraphs.
11. Use APA format for PPT, which always includes a title slide, a reference slide, and APA requirements. Resources found in APA Documents/Resources.
12. A minimum of five (5) references will be required for this assignment. References should be from scholarly peer-reviewed journals (check Ulrich’s Periodical Directory) and be less than five (5) years old.
13. Post the Kaltura presentation to the discussion board by Monday of Week 8. Critique and comment to two classmates by Friday, responses may be on the same day, no references required.
14. Submit the PPT AND the Kaltura presentation to the Assignment Thread by the posted due date.

Include the following slides:

• Slide 1: Title Slide
• Slide 2: Introduction – For the Kaltura presentation, introduce yourself and give a brief overview on why you chose this bill
• Slide 3: Purpose statement
• Slide 4: Overview of bill: Number, title, sponsor, and brief background on the bill’s legislative history
• Slide 5: Identify all direct and/or indirect stakeholders and stakeholder position on the area of concern
• Slide 6: Identify the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) to the bill
• Slide 7: Explain how issues in the bill will affect stakeholders at an institutional, local, state, and/or federal level.
• Slide 8: List two ways the masters prepared nurse leader can act as a change agent, contribute to the policy-making process, and advocate for quality, cost-effective care.
• Slide 9: Conclusion
• Slide 10: References in APA format (include in-text citations on slides).

Last Updated on November 6, 2023