Discussion 1: Policy Analysis Summary
Health care policy can facilitate or impede the delivery of services. For the past several weeks, you have been engaging in an authentic activity by critically analyzing a specific health care policy and various aspects of the impact associated with its implementation. A critical step in the policy process is communicating your findings with others. This week, you will share information from your policy analysis and its implications.

To prepare:

Briefly summarize your policy analysis, focusing on the implications for clinical practice that may be most relevant or interesting for your colleagues. Include how evidence-based practice influenced the policy, policy options, or solutions.
Then;
Post a succinct summary of your policy analysis paper (see attachment). Include at least two of the options or solutions for addressing the policy and the resulting implications for nursing practice and health care consumers.  Policy Analysis Summary Essay Discussion Paper

Policy Analysis Summary

Hyde Amendment bans the use of federal funds to pay for abortion through Medicaid and federal insurance, unless the abortion is requires in response to a pregnancy resultant from incest or rape, or a pregnancy that endangers the life of the mother (Israel). While the policy was intended to monitor the use of the limited federal funds and ensure that they are assigned to the worthier activities, there are concerns that the policy is discriminatory. The policy discriminates against pregnant women who are not among the exemptions presented in the policy but still have an acceptable reason for seeking an abortion, such as the contraception failing or mistakenly/accidentally having unprotected sex. Having been first enacted in 1976, the policy has long become obsolete with the need for additional amendments to address its unfair nature (Fawcett & Russell, 2001).

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Additional analysis reveals that the policy generates significant debate the leaves the health care providers in a dilemma over how to approach abortion cases in which clients seek the services and are unable to pay for them but are not among the exemptions presented in the Hyde Amendment. This is especially the case as the policy presents abortion as a personal choice rather than as a medical need. The policy concedes that women make the choice to get pregnant, and should consequently take the responsibility of carrying the pregnancy to term or terminating the pregnancy (Hewison, 2007). The reality is that pregnancy is not necessarily a personal choice. Besides that, there are pregnant women who have valid reasons for seeking an abortion but are unable to pay the high financial price that could be as high as a whole month’s rent for persons living below the poverty line (Wilms-Crowe, 2018). Also, it is unfair to give birth to a child who would be disadvantaged from the get go because of lacking access to essential resources. Given this awareness, there is a need to amend the policy while making federally funded abortion services readily available to more women (Blackman, 2005). Making the recommended policy changes would require input and consensus from leaders with significant engagement that identifies shortcomings in the policy and presents effective solutions.

References

Blackman, V. S. (2005). Putting policy theory to work: Tobacco control in California. Policy, Politics, & Nursing Practice, 6(2), 148-155. doi: 10.1177/1527154405276289

Fawcett, J., & Russell, G. (2001). A conceptual model of nursing and health policy. Policy, Politics, & Nursing, 2(2), 108-116. doi: 10.1177/152715440100200205

Hewison, A. (2007). Policy analysis: A framework for nurse managers. Journal of Nursing Management, 15(7), 693-699.  doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2934.2006.00731.x

Israel, M. Abortion Funding: Save the Hyde Amendment.

Wilms-Crowe, M. (2018). Responding to the Hyde Amendment: Abortion Discourse, Race, and a Conspiracy of Silence.  Policy Analysis Summary Essay Discussion Paper