NSG 4068 Week 3 Project – First Steps on Becoming a Grassroots Lobbyist/Advocate for Health Care Policy How Nursing Experience Influences Advocacy

In nursing, there are many underserved communities and patients. It is something that is seen every day, and though it is a sad situation, it’s the truth. I think that my nursing experience plays a great role in my advocacy to oppose the AHCA. I have witnessed patients face many challenges where they are not able to afford medications or don’t have transportation to see a doctor when needed. The elderly populations are living longer with more chronic conditions, and I think if the AHCA was passed, it would cause more burdens and hardships for them as well.

From a nurse’s perspective, I have to agree that it was best that the AHCA did not get passed and go into effect. As my legislative representative opposed the AHCA, I agree with this. America is supposed to do what is right for the people, and I think this was the right decision.

The American Nurses Association (ANA) is also in agreement that opposing this bill was the right choice. While nurses can only do so much for the patients, I think that being an advocate is very important. I also think that we should do what is best for the patients and their health care. I think that many Americans do not get the health care they deserve, and this is not fair. I also think that pharmaceutical and insurance companies are persistently getting rich from these people.

I think most would agree that the AHCA had more cons than pros when looking at everything. It would have resulted in leaving many uninsured and not getting the health care they need. People with pre-existing conditions would be affected tremendously. This is a key reason that advocates say they chose to support and strengthen the ACA instead (Norris, 2020). When you look at the whole picture of what the AHCA would have resulted in, you can clearly see it was the right choice.

References

Buchmueller, T., Levinson, Z., Levy, H., and Wolfe, B. (2016). Effect of the Affordable Care Act on racial and ethnic disparities in health insurance coverage. American Journal of Public Health, 106(8), pp. 1416-1421. Doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2016.303155

Engel, J. (2018). Unaffordable: American healthcare from Johnson to Trump. University of Wisconsin Press. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/324992119_Unaffordable_American_Healthcar e_from_Johnson_to_Trump/citation/download