Transformative Policy Creation: The Case of Healthcare and the Affordable Care Act
The policy creation process for different spheres of life can be defined by its impact on people and structures. In some cases, the changes brought on by the new laws are small and incremental as they slowly reshape systems. In other situations, significant changes are required to resolve a major problem or completely alter how an industry operates.
When I think about transformative policy formulation, I imagine it is a cycle of policy creation focused on significant changes from one policy state to another. The steps of this process include focusing on a specific issue, navigating the process, and engaging several policy tools to ensure that the change is rapid and substantial (Porche, 2017). Therefore, I understand transformative healthcare policy formulation as a type of policy creation that challenges old healthcare structures and frameworks.
In healthcare, these policy measures may apply to a complete change in how people are insured. An example of the transformative formulation is the Accordable Care Act (ACA), which was accepted in 2010 (Glied et al., 2020). This policy was innovative and significant as it recreated the health benefits system for Americans. It offered new services for millions of citizens and changed people’s ability to access healthcare.
The specific issue targeted by this policy was that many people were uninsured or greatly dependent on their jobs to keep their insurance. As a result, many vulnerable groups could not afford medical care (Glied et al., 2020). The introduction of ACA became a foundation for affordable care and a different approach to health insurance. People became less reliant on their current occupation, and some individuals with pre-existing conditions could access services (Glied et al., 2020). Such policy activity is prominent and can be considered transformative because it changed the cost of healthcare and the workforce’s engagement in the industry.
References
Glied, S. A., Collins, S. R., & Lin, S. (2020). Did the ACA lower Americans’ financial barriers to health care? Health Affairs, 39(3), 379-386. Web.
Porche, D. J. (2017). Health policy: Application for nurses and other healthcare professionals (2nd ed.). Jones & Bartlett Learning.