The skyrocketing healthcare expenditure in the US is a major cause for concern. In 2017, the US spent 18 percent of the gross domestic product translating to the sum of $3.5 trillion, but was expected to rise to above 27 percent by 2027 (Sisko et al., 2019). The American population was about 325 million resulting in capita healthcare cost of $ 10,000 per annum, which is unsustainable. The increased cost of care is responsible for an increased loss of insurance among low-income earners and a significant cause of inaccessibility and healthcare inequality. Medicare deductibles and other expenses have been adjusted upwards in 2020, meaning individuals have to dig deeper into their pockets to pay Medicare. For instance, the basic monthly premium for Medicare Part B enrollees is increased by $9.10 to $144, while Part B beneficiaries will pay $13 more from $ 185 (Tseng et al., 2018). Senator Michael Enzi introduced an amendment bill to the Public Health Service Act in 2019 to enable full disclosure of billing and information on service to patients. The main aim was to ensure verifiability and that patients are fairly charged for assistance to reduce unnecessary costs.
Advanced Practice Nurses (APRNs) have a role to play in influencing policy. Their training, skills and experiences provide them with the right knowledge and attitudes for policy decisions (Association Nurses American, 2020). APRNs can be very useful in advocating health policies such as coordinated care, evidence-based practice, or emerging changes to practice regulations, as presented in the above example of an amendment bill (Bou-Karroum et al., 2017). The policy promotes best outcomes by ensuring ethical practice, which enhances safety and reduces the cost of healthcare risks. The policy defines each practitioner's role in the disciplinary team and how these roles interact and impact other healthcare professionals and workers, which results in a robust healthcare system. Developing these competencies can be achieved by communication of policy through appropriate fora such as seminars.
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References
Association, American Nurses. (2020). Health Policy . Retrieved July 18, 2020, from www.nursingworld.org: https://www.nursingworld.org/practice-policy/health-policy/
Bou-Karroum, L., El-Jardali, F., Hemadi, N., Faraj, Y., Ojha, U., Shahrour, M., ... & Melki, J. (2017). Using media to impact health policy-making: an integrative systematic review. Implementation Science, 12 (1), 52.
Ellenbecker, C. H., Fawcett, J., Jones, E. J., Mahoney, D., Rowlands, B., & Waddell, A. (2017). A staged approach to educating nurses in health policy. Policy, Politics, & Nursing Practice, 18 (1), 44-56.
Sisko, A. M., Keehan, S. P., Poisal, J. A., Cuckler, G. A., Smith, S. D., Madison, A. J., ... & Hardesty, J. C. (2019). National health expenditure projections, 2018–27: economic and demographic trends drive spending and enrollment growth. Health Affairs, 38 (3), 491-501.
Tseng, P., Kaplan, R. S., Richman, B. D., Shah, M. A., & Schulman, K. A. (2018). Administrative costs associated with physician billing and insurance-related activities at an academic health care system. Jama, 319 (7), 691-697.
