Health Policy Evaluation: Analyzing Current Policy, Challenges, and Alternatives

What is the current policy and its purpose? why is it being done this way?

Identify challenges associated with the health policy.

Describe the problem/challenge (empirical evidence that documents the score and nature of the problem).

Discuss the intended and unintended effects of the policy.

Discuss the alternatives to the current policy option.

Assess how well it is or is not working based off of available research. This is not your opinion but should be supported in research.

Pros and cons of each public health policy option should be discussed.

Identify the political, economic, and security implications for each option. Each policy option should be compared and contrasted to the other options as well as to the current policy.

Clearly identify which option will be recommended and which options will be discounted.

Clearly lay out the argument for why that option is better than each of the others.

The public health policy brief should be should be a peer reviewed journal article. All references should be no older than 10 years and should be from quality sources. Quality sources are peer reviewed journals and quality web sources. Quality web sources typically end in .edu or .gov. No blogs and no Wikipedia- those are not quality sources. Quality web sources include Kaiser Family Foundation (they provide a ton of information on health policy), Mayo clinic, American Heart Association, and etc. If you are unsure of a source’s quality don’t use it. All references and formatting of the paper should be completed in APA format. Directions: Student are to examine a public health policy that influences population health. Your topic MAY explore an issue of cost, access, management, quality, ethics in the United States. The paper will present a summary of the current situation associated with the health policy.

Identify challenges associated with the health policy. Present and evaluate 2 possible options/responses for possible resolution to the policy and discuss how stakeholders and the population will be affected. Abstract: Should identify what the paper is about. Only 250 words. Should have an introduction to the paper, identify what will be discussed in the paper, a conclusion of the paper, and recommendations. There should be no cited sources in a an abstract. Format of Body of Paper I. Statement and Significance of the policy Identify the health policy and the public health issue it is trying to address. Provide a background on the public health issue and the policy. This portion should identify and review the current policy. For example, if the topic is the US health care system there are multiple proposals for changing the US health care system. Policy options include the US becoming a single payer system or a universal system. Both of these options should be discussed. Policy papers must present several policy alternatives, and they must be serious alternatives. As a general rule, two options should be presented. One serious alternative will often be to maintain the status quo.