NURS 510: Analysis of Healthcare Access and Coverage in the US

This report, prepared for NURS 510, delves into the critical issues of healthcare access and coverage in the United States. It explores the fundamental question of whether healthcare should be considered a right or a commodity, arguing for the obligation of healthcare access and coverage for all Americans. The rationale behind this position emphasizes the importance of healthcare as a basic need and a means of minimizing social disparities. The report also examines the barriers that nurses face in participating in healthcare policy development at both national and organizational levels, highlighting issues such as the undervaluation of nursing expertise and the lack of standardized education and training in community-based care. By addressing these barriers, the report aims to contribute to a more inclusive and effective healthcare policy landscape.

Running head: NURS 510 POLICY ORGANIZATION 1
Health Care Access and Coverage
Students Name
Institutional Affiliation

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Health care access and coverage
The potential coverage for the health care services includes; promotion, treatment,
prevention, palliative care and rehabilitation (Sommers, Gunja, Finegold, & Musco, 2015).
The health care coverage serves as an insurance that guarantees everyone in the economy of
access to quality health care services regardless of the individual financial position. Often, the
United States is made up of different people with diverse social status which might hinder
access to health care services especially among the poor in the country. It is, therefore, naïve
to neglect the fact that health care coverage determines the accessibility to health care
services among the members of the economy
The argument of whether everyone should be obligated towards access to quality
healthcare and healthcare coverage or not has been continuous in the United States of
America. Many have supported the Affordable Care Act which aims at ensuring everyone is
insured (Amadeo, 2019). However, some have not heisted to provide their arguments against
the Affordable Care Act. Personally, everyone in the United States of America should be
obligated towards access to healthcare and healthcare coverage. Heath care is one of the basic
need that every economy should strive to promote stability. Additionally, promoting
accessibility and healthcare coverage is the only way of minimizing social differences among
the member of society. Failure to do so will make the poor to suffer from diseases as the rich
in the economy acquire quality healthcare services.
Furthermore, the healthcare sector is a sensitive area in the economy which cannot be
linked to the forces of demand and supply. It is the role of the economy to ensure the
healthcare services are affordable to the citizens. However, linking the healthcare system to
the forces of demand and supply might lead to coalitions which may form cartels thus
creating monopolists in the long term who may render the healthcare sector too expensive to

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the citizens. Therefore, every citizen of the United States of America should be obligated to
healthcare access and coverage.
Barriers
While nurses participate in the policy development of Health care, there are barriers
that they encounter at the national level or the organization of the United States. Firstly, the
nurses are not considered as necessary in generating revenues and making decisions. Often,
the industry of health care doesn't pay attention to nursing outcomes, indicators and effects
costs of healthcare (Moore, et, al.,2017). Significant changes are required in nursing
practices, and the way nurses communicate.
Most nurses are not accessed to various development and leadership education. Also,
nurses have different education levels. The expertise differences arise from the inability to
standardize the education path along with the nation and the respective regulatory bodies
(Coventry, Maslin‐Prothero, & Smith, 2015). The nursing profession continue to be ranked as
the least educated. Therefore, it will be naïve and irrational to consider individuals who are
less educated in policy making at the national level.
The regulatory bodies do not expose nurses to education and preparation in
community-based care which is very important in policy development of health care (Wherry
& Miller, 2016). Thus, their low level of education in community-based care makes them
irrelevant in policy making at the national level.

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References
Amadeo, K. (2019). What is Obamacare? The ACA and what you need to know [online].
Retrieved from: https://www.thebalance.com/what-is-obamacare-the-aca-and-what-
you-need-to-know-3306065
Coventry, T. H., Maslin‐Prothero, S. E., & Smith, G. (2015). Organizational impact of nurse
supply and workload on nurses continuing professional development opportunities: an
integrative review. Journal of advanced nursing, 71(12), 2715-2727.
Moore, L., Britten, N., Lydahl, D., Naldemirci, Ö., Elam, M., & Wolf, A. (2017). Barriers
and facilitators to the implementation of person-centered care in different healthcare
contexts. Scandinavian journal of caring sciences, 31(4), 662-673.
Sommers, B. D., Gunja, M. Z., Finegold, K., & Musco, T. (2015). Changes in self-reported
insurance coverage, access to care, and health under the Affordable Care
Act. Jama, 314(4), 366-374.
Wherry, L. R., & Miller, S. (2016). Early coverage, access, utilization, and health effects of
the affordable care act Medicaid expansions: A quasi-experimental study. Annals of
internal medicine, 164(12), 795.