Assignment Prompt
This assignment is intended to help you learn to critically analyze a policy challenge in your local (city) government, understand its origins, assess the implemented policy actions, and evaluate the impact on the community. In this series of assignments, you will be tasked with choosing a topic (or an issue) you would like to research as it progressed locally, statewide, and nationwide. In Module 2, you will focus on a local issue. In Module 3, you will discuss it as it moved to the state level. In Module 4, you will discuss it as it progressed to the federal level. In Module 5, you will describe the impact of the issue you chose on the policy formation process. In Module 6, you will provide a summary of the policy you chose and its development as the issue progressed locally, statewide, and nationwide. Even though the United States does not have a centrally controlled system of health care delivery, it does have a history of federal, state, and local government involvement in health care and health policy. The formation and implementation of health policy occurs in a policy cycle comprising five components: issue raising, policy design, public support building, legislative decision making and policy support building, and legislative decision making and policy implementation. These activities are likely to be shared with Congress and interest groups in varying degrees. Examples of current issues in health policy include Prescription Drug Costs, High Costs of Healthcare, Availability of Skilled Workforce, Fee-for-Service Healthcare, and Health Equity.
Defining the Problem
The problem that has prompted policy implementation is discrimination in care delivery. About 1 in 7 people in Denver Colorado reported to have experienced unfair treatment in their attempt to access healthcare services. Young people without health insurance or with public insurance are disproportionately affected by discrimination. Women are more likely than men to be discriminated in healthcare with 28.6% of women compared to 5.3% of men reporting being discriminated (Colorado Health Institute, 2023). The most common reasons why people are discriminated in healthcare are ethnic background, race, culture, and disability. In 2021, 4.4% of Hispanic Latinos and 5.4% of African Americans reported unfair treatment in healthcare compared to 2.3% of White People in Colorado (Colorado Health Institute, 2022). Discrimination results in mental health issues, high mortality rates, obesity, and diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, hypertension, and cancer. Implementation of the necessary resources is essential in understanding the disparities and ensuring that people in Denver pursue care without fear of being discriminated against.
Stating the Policy
The two policy actions meant to address the problem of discrimination in healthcare are the non-discriminatory policy and the Public Health Institute at Denver Health Initiative (PHIDHI). Through the non-discriminatory policy, Denver Health does not discriminate against people on the basis of sex, disability, age, national origin, color, or race. The policy provides free services and aids such as sign interpreters and written information in various formats such as large print to help people living with disabilities access healthcare services (Denver Health, 2024). Also, the policy provides free language services to people who do not speak English such as information written in other languages and interpreters.
The Public Health Institute at Denver Health Initiative (PHIDHI) regards discrimination due to race as a public health emergency. The initiative actively engages in strategies to address racial and health disparities in Denver Colorado and across all health programs. PHIDHI has a racial equity committee that oversees the action plan of the initiative. The initiative aims at enhancing health and promoting equity through a community engagement framework that ensures that the programs and services created align with the needs and preferences of the community members (Public Health Institute at Denver Health, 2024).
Making Your Case
The non-discriminatory policy is widely accepted by politicians, the general public, and healthcare professionals. All the stakeholders agree that the policy is essential as discrimination violates fundamental human rights and it affects both the users of healthcare and healthcare organizations based on issues such as criminal record, migration and asylum status, harmful gender stereotypes, sexual orientation, and ethnicity. The policy is necessary to improve people's behavior in accessing care and enhancing the dignity of all people. Additionally, this policy recognizes discrimination as a social stressor that leads to physiologic effects on individuals such as heartburn, anxiety, and irregular heartbeat.
The Public Health Institute at Denver Health Initiative (PHIDHI) is deemed necessary as it strengthens the ability of the organization and healthcare organizations to advance health equity in Denver. This policy recognizes and acknowledges the current and historical inequities in care provision and charts a way to resolve them. The Public Health Institute at Denver Health has introduced a health equity action plan that utilizes a racial equity framework. There are four major strategies in the framework: community engagement, equitable and actionable data, policy and systems change, and organizational capacity and readiness (Public Health Institute at Denver Health, 2024).
Discussing the Impact
The two policies have enhanced access to healthcare for all in Denver. They have enabled all individuals to enroll in programs such as Accountable Care Collaborative regardless of their color, race, national origin, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, political beliefs, gender, sex, age, and religion. Denver, through both non-discriminatory policies, acknowledges that racism occurs and communities of Indigenous, black, and people of color experience systemic, structural, and institutional inequalities. The policies have enhanced health equity for all people in Colorado. When people are not discriminated against in care provision, all people can access care, especially those from racial and ethnic minorities, disabled people, females, and the elderly.
References
- Colorado Health Institute. (2022). Racial discrimination and access to care in Colorado. https://www.coloradohealthinstitute.org/research/racial-discrimination-and-access-care-colorado
- Colorado Health Institute. (2023). Health Hazard: Patients at Risk When Treatment is Unfair. https://www.coloradohealthinstitute.org/research/health-hazard
- Denver Health. (2024). Regulatory disclosures. https://www.denverhealth.org/about-denver-health/regulatory-disclosures
- Public Health Institute at Denver Health. (2024). Health and racial equity. https://www.phidenverhealth.org/about-us/health-racial-equity
Related sample: Colorado Health Equity Strategic Plan