Agenda Comparison Grid and Fact Sheet or Talking Points Brief It may seem to you that healthcare has been a national topic of debate among political leaders for as long as you can remember.
Healthcare has been a policy item and a topic of debate not only in recent times but as far back as the administration of the second U.S. president, John Adams. In 1798, Adams signed legislation requiring that 20 cents per month of a sailor’s paycheck be set aside for covering their medical bills. This represented the first major piece of U.S. healthcare legislation, and the topic of healthcare has been woven into presidential agendas and political debate ever since.
As a healthcare professional, you may be called upon to provide expertise, guidance and/or opinions on healthcare matters as they are debated for inclusion into the new policy. You may also be involved in planning new organizational policy and responses to changes in legislation. For all of these reasons, you should be prepared to speak to national healthcare issues making the news.
In this Assignment, you will analyze recent presidential healthcare agendas. You will also prepare a fact sheet to communicate the importance of a healthcare issue and the impact on this issue of recent or proposed policy.
To Prepare:
- Review the agenda priorities of the last three U.S. presidential administrations.
- Select an issue related to healthcare that was addressed by each of the last three U.S. presidential administrations.
- Reflect on the focus of their respective agendas, including the allocation of financial resources for addressing the healthcare issue you selected.
- Consider how you would communicate the importance of a healthcare issue to a legislator/policymaker or a member of their staff for inclusion on an agenda.
The Assignment: (Comparison Grid and 1-page Fact Sheet)
Part 1: Agenda Comparison Grid
Based on the presidential administrations you are comparing, complete the Agenda Comparison Grid. Be sure to address the following:
- 1: Identify and provide a brief description of the healthcare issue you selected.
- 2: Identity which administrative agency would most likely be responsible for helping you address the healthcare issue you selected.
- 3: How does the healthcare issue get on the agenda and how does it stay there?
- 4: Who was the entrepreneur/champion/sponsor of the healthcare issue you selected?
Part 2: Fact Sheet or Talking Points Brief
Based on your Agenda Comparison Grid for the healthcare issue you selected, 5: develop a 1-page Fact Sheet or Talking Points Brief that you could use to communicate with a policymaker/legislator or a member of their staff for this healthcare issue. Be sure to address the following:
- 6: Summarize why this healthcare issue is important and should be included in the agenda for legislation.
- 7: Justify the role of the nurse in agenda setting for healthcare issues.
8: Consider how the feedback you received might influence your Fact Sheet or Talking Points and revise as necessary.
Note: Kindly address all the above key points.
Agenda Comparison Grid and Fact Sheet Learning Resources
Note: To access this week’s required library resources, please click on the link to the Course Readings List, found in the Course Materials section of your Syllabus.
Required Readings
Milstead, J. A., & Short, N. M. (2019). Health policy and politics: A nurse’s guide (6th ed.). Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.
- Chapter 1, “Informing Public Policy: An Important Role for Registered Nurses” (pp. 11–13 only)
- Chapter 2, “Agenda Setting: What Rises to a Policymaker’s Attention?” (pp. 17–36)
- Chapter 10, “Overview: The Economics and Finance of Health Care” (pp. 171–180)
- Chapter 12, “An Insider’s Guide to Engaging in Policy Activities”
“Creating a Fact Sheet” (pp. 217-221)
DeMarco, R., & Tufts, K. A. (2014). The mechanics of writing a policy brief. Nursing Outlook, 62(3), 219–224. doi:10.1016/j.outlook.2014.04.002
Note: You will access this article from the Walden Library databases.
Kingdon, J. W. (2001). A model of agenda-setting, with applications. Law Review, M.S.U.-D.C.L., 2(331). Retrieved from https://cursos.campusvirtualsp.org/mod/resource/view.php?id=16070
Lamb, G., Newhouse, R., Beverly, C., Toney, D. A., Cropley, S., Weaver, C. A., Kurtzman, E., … Peterson, C. (2015). Policy agenda for nurse-led care coordination. Nursing Outlook, 63(4), 521–530. doi:10.1016/j.outlook.2015.06.003
Note: You will access this article from the Walden Library databases.
O’Rourke, N. C., Crawford, S. L., Morris, N. S., & Pulcini, J. (2017). Political efficacy and participation of nurse practitioners. Policy, Politics, and Nursing Practice, 18(3), 135–148. doi:10.1177/1527154417728514
Note: You will access this article from the Walden Library databases.
Institute of Medicine (US) Committee on Enhancing Environmental Health Content in Nursing Practice, Pope, A. M., Snyder, M. A., & Mood, L. H. (Eds.). (n.d.). Nursing health, & Environment: Strengthening the relationship to improve the public’s health. Retrieved September 20, 2018.
Note: You will access this article from the Walden Library databases.
USA.gov. (n.d.). A-Z index of U.S. government departments and agencies. Retrieved September 20, 2018, from https://www.usa.gov/federal-agencies/a
USA.gov. (n.d.). Executive departments. Retrieved September 20, 2018, from https://www.usa.gov/executive-departments
The White House. (n.d.). The cabinet. Retrieved September 20, 2018, from https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-trump-administration/the-cabinet/
Document: Agenda Comparison Grid Template (Word document)
Required Media
Laureate Education (Producer). (2018). Setting the Agenda [Video file]. Baltimore, MD: Author.
