Policy, Power, and Politics in Health Care

This article discusses policy cycle as a tool for developing new policies, sociological issues affecting a person's state of health, power in policy development and change, and policy considerations for a smoke-free environment in university. It also provides references for further reading.

Running Head: POLICY, POWER, AND POLITICS IN HEALTH CARE 1
POLICY, POWER, AND POLITICS IN HEALTH CARE
Institutional Affiliation
Date

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Question 1. Why is a policy cycle an appropriate tool for developing a new policy?
Policy cycle refers a tool that is used in analyzing policy development. Policy cycle is
mostly used in political science sphere. It is an appropriate tool for development of new policies
because it established a framework through which policymakers can develop new policies. In
addition, through policy cycle, public demands can be organized and turned into actionable
actions aimed at addressing issues affecting the public. The cycle works on the basis of specific
steps each with details of what needs to be done during the process of developing new policies
(Brownson, Colditz & Proctor,2017). While the process of developing policies can be viewed as
quite complex, through the use of policy cycle, it becomes much easier to create new policies.
The reason for this is that through adherence to the established steps, the much needed
consistency in the development of new policies can be achieved. Not only do the steps enable
consistency in the development of the policies but also they ensure that new policies are
standardized and acceptable across the board because they are as per the requisite standards and
for their ability to address existing public needs. Therefore policy cycle ensures that a policy is
accorded support and acceptability making it more effective. It also ensures that policies are not
made haphazardly by prescribing what policymakers need to do in the course of coming up with
new policies. This ensures that each new policy actions are aligned with the existing demands.
Problem identification is also an important consideration in the development of new policies
(Evans, 2017). Policy cycle facilitates this process by ensuring that public demand problems are
identified accurately to aid in the development of effective policies. Policy cycle also ensures
that alternative policies are identified during the process of coming up with new policies.
Rational decision making is an important component of effective policy formulation. Through
the use of policy cycle in guiding policymakers, new policies are developed through rational
decisions. This means that decisions are solely made based on reason and the interests of the
public. Policy cycle is therefore effective tool in the development of new policies due to its
systematic framework and clear policy development guidelines
Question 4. What are key sociological issues and how do they determine a person’s state of
health?

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People are born and raised under different social circumstances. The society in which an
individual is born in forms various aspects of their lives including behavior, perception, and
dressing. Sociological factors refer to social phenomena that can affect or be affected by
relationships and interaction. It includes dynamic social factors such as wealth family, religion
(Thokala et al., 2016). Sociological factors play a major role in the type of lifestyle and kind of
health status enjoyed by an individual. One of the major sociological factors affecting
individual’s health status is social status and income. The quality of health care sought by people
depends on the level of their income and social class. This means that the richer an individual is
in the society, the easier it is for them to seek medical attention. On the other hand, the poor an
individual is in the society the less likely the ability to seek quality medical care (Stoddart &
Evans, 2017). The level of an individual’s income determines the kind of lifestyle that they live.
Deprivation or affordability of goods and services is I determined by the level of income. Apart
from the ease of medical care, wealthy people live in better houses, clean vicinities and live on
healthy diets. On the other had poor people live on deprivation of basic foods and services such
as medical care. Because of their deprived economic status, their access to medical care services
is limited. This also escalated by the fact that they cannot subscribe to medical insurance because
their financial status does not allow them. Therefore, the better the income and social status of
individuals within a society, the better their health status and vice versa. The level of education is
also a major sociological factor that determines the health status. Because of the knowledge
acquired through education, such people can make informed food choices and improved living
standards. On the other hand, poor people also double up as less educated. Because of their low
levels of education, such people make poor food choices and live under poor living conditions
(Barer, 2017). It is true therefore that the health status of individuals is linked to sociological
factors.
Question 5. What is meant by the term ‘power’ in policy development and change?
Power refers to the ability to influence the outcome through the influence of the human
behavior. Power comes at play in policy development through the capacity to influence the new
policy development, adoption, and implementation. In many new policies, influence by the
government is a major factor in the development and adoption (Abel-Smith, 2016). The reason
for this is that most policies require government support for effective adoption. Policymakers

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must, therefore, look out for this support through influencing various arms of government. As a
result of the individualistic nature of a number of the political class, they exert their influence
and power in the development of the new policies. This influence and power serve to satisfy
certain desires of the political class. Because of their power and influence, politicians can lead to
either the adoption or rejection of a new policy irrespective of whether it is effective or not.
Rejection of a new policy is usually informed by the fear of change. People tend to assume that
the introduction of new policies is likely to deprive them certain objectives that they were
enjoying previously. Policymakers should be in a position of understanding the concept of power
and influence in the formulation of new policies. This basic understanding prepares them to deal
with any pertinent issues that may arise in the course of development of new policies (Ståhl,
2018). This understanding can also enable policymakers to identify aspects of the political
process which can influence the successful adoption of new policies. This [preparedness could
include submission of policy proposals before preparation of budgets in a way of ensuring that
sufficient funding is allocated for the development of new policies. They should also identify any
potential conflicts likely to hinder the process of creating new policies. In summary, power in the
context of policy making means the ability to influence the development, adoption and policy
implementation.
Question 6 What policy considerations should be included in a national obesity health
campaign?
In order to increase the effectiveness of new policies, it is important to take note of a
number of considerations. While policies are meant to solve certain problems, without policy
considerations, the ability of a policy to achieve its desired objectives is likely to be affected. The
first consideration in a national obesity health campaign is the prevalence of the obesity problem.
This should be identified through the analysis of current literature and statistics. Sustainability is
also a major consideration in policy creation (Blank, Burau & Kuhlmann, 2017). The campaign
should, therefore, put into consideration the long-term sustainability of the various aspects of an
obesity policy. It should consider how the intended outcome will be maintained over a long
period of time. The effectiveness of a policy is determined by the sustainability of its intended
results over a given period. For example, the effectiveness of an obesity campaign policy can be
accessed by its ability to achieve sustained results such as the reduction of cases of obesity or

POLICY, POWER, AND POLITICS IN HEALTH CARE 5
deaths as a result of obesity. Development of policies is informed by the desire to deal with an
existing issue. The national obesity campaign should, therefore, consider the effectiveness of a
policy in addressing the existing issue which it is meant to deal with. Budget is also a major
determinant of the success of a policy. The national obesity campaign should consider the budget
for the campaign. The budget should be reasonable and which can be raised with ease. The
budget should also be sufficient to ensure optimal implementation of a national obesity
campaign. Stakeholder engagement should also be a priority for a national obesity campaign.
Collaboration is an important component of successful policy implementation. Through
collaboration, the much-needed support for a policy can be achieved. Through various
considerations, therefore, national obesity campaign can be a success (Huss & MacLachlan,
2016).
Question 7. If you were to create a new policy to develop a smoke-free environment for the
university what are at least 4 factors you would include and why?
For a policy to achieve its objectives, it must be created through consideration of various
factors. If I were to create a new policy to develop a smoke-free environment, I would first
consider the objectives of the policy. Just like any other policy, the setting of project objectives
will be a major input into its success. I will therefore clearly state the objectives stating what the
policy aims to achieve. Objectives will give direction to the development and implementation of
the new policy. I will ensure that these policies are clearly stated. In policy creation, statement of
the objectives is followed by interventions to achieve them. I will, therefore, identify the various
interventions which can be employed to develop a smoke-free environment. Each of the
intervention will also include a list of activities to be carried out (Béland & Ridde, 2016). In
these interventions will be the solution to a smoke-free environment in the University.
Stakeholder involvement will also be an aspect that I will consider. I will also consider the input
of stakeholders such as the students, university staff, community and university management.
Stakeholder involvement will not only facilitate inclusion of various opinions and perspectives,
but it will also ensure exclusive support for the policy. Stakeholder involvement will also
provide an opportunity for the stakeholders to have a firsthand understanding of the component
of the policy and how effective its interventions will be (Baum, 2016). This will also minimize
resistance. Monitoring will be the last factor that I will consider. The role of monitoring will be

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to ensure that policy activities are carried out as desired. It will also ensure that any deviation is
identified and rectified. I will include an evaluation and monitoring framework that will guide
the overall implementation.

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References
Abel-Smith, B. (2016). An introduction to health: policy, planning and financing. Routledge.
Baum, F. (2016). The new public health (No. Ed. 4). Oxford University Press.
Barer, M. (Ed.). (2017). Why are some people healthy and others not?. Routledge.
Béland, D., & Ridde, V. (2016). Ideas and Policy Implementation: Understanding the Resistance
against Free Health Care in Africa. Global Health Governance, 10(3).
Blank, R., Burau, V., & Kuhlmann, E. (2017). Comparative health policy. Macmillan
International Higher Education.
Brownson, R. C., Colditz, G. A., & Proctor, E. K. (Eds.). (2017). Dissemination and
implementation research in health: translating science to practice. Oxford University
Press.
Evans, M. (2017). Understanding policy transfer. In Policy transfer in global perspective (pp.
10-42). Routledge.
Huss, T., & MacLachlan, M. (2016). Equity and Inclusion in Policy Processes: A Framework to
Support Inclusive Policy Development, Implementation and Evaluation.
Stoddart, G. L., & Evans, R. G. (2017). Producing health, consuming health care. In Why are
some people healthy and others not? (pp. 27-64). Routledge.
Ståhl, T. (2018). Health in All Policies: From rhetoric to implementation and evaluation–the
Finnish experience. Scandinavian journal of public health, 46(20_suppl), 38-46.
Thokala, P., Devlin, N., Marsh, K., Baltussen, R., Boysen, M., Kalo, Z., ... & Ijzerman, M.
(2016). Multiple criteria decision analysis for health care decision making—an
introduction: report 1 of the ISPOR MCDA Emerging Good Practices Task Force.
Value in health, 19(1), 1-13.