Public Health Professionals

1) A) What is a health policy analysis? Is this a field that attracts you? Why or why not?

OR

B) How does product differentiation affect demand for the product? How does product differentiation relate to competition? Provide examples.

2) Public Health Professionals

Choose a public health profession from Careers in Public Health athttp://www.careersinpublichealth.net/careers that you find interesting. Click on the career field to learn more about it. Briefly describe the career you chose and what a person in this position might do on a day-to-day basis. Go to your state or local health department’s webpage and search for the department where a person in your chosen position might work. What types of programs do they provide to the residents in your community?

3)Review pages 109–110 of Essentials of Health Policy and Law as well as the following legislation:

Examination and Treatment for Emergency Medical Conditions and Women in Labor

You are a consultant specializing in policy analysis. Based on the Examination and Treatment for Emergency Medical Conditions and Women in Labor legislation, as well as the situation that follows, you will complete a policy analysis with 3–5 options for your client, Congresswoman Moody, to consider.

Congresswoman Moody represents a state that borders Mexico. She is up for re election next year, and she will seek another term in office.

There are many undocumented workers that reside in her district. Congresswoman Moody is vocal about the need to provide health care to all that need it, but she also believes in fiscal restraint and does not support bail-outs for private facilities. She is well aware that her state’s Medicaid budget is almost exhausted for this year, and the state’s unemployment rate remains stubbornly high.

Apart from the voters, other affected constituents include three private regional medical centers trauma units that receive referrals from five or more small facilities that have emergency departments with lesser trauma status. Also, the largest health care corporation that owns two of the three medical centers in her catchment area, and which supported her in her last bid for election with campaign funds at the allowable limit, is threatening to refuse Medicare and Medicaid patients to ensure survival in the bad economy. An increase in unfunded mandates for urgent care may push this corporation into private payer only, and Congresswoman Moody is aware that there are enough affluent families in the area to support two facilities providing only designer medicine and concierge services.

All options must:

Be within the power of Congresswoman Moody to do

Be consistent with Congresswoman Moody’s values, and

Address the issue identified in the problem statement

You will:

Identify 3–5 options for Congresswoman Moody’s consideration

Identify criteria that will be used to evaluate the options

Identify pros and cons for each option

Use a side-by-side table (MS® Excel® would be appropriate for this) to assist in analyzing the options.

Prepare a paper at least 500 words in length and include at least four references.