An advocacy paper on the Affordable Care Act 2010. My focus is on the impact of the act on low-income families and individuals. I believe that the act has greatly improved access to healthcare for this demographic, but there are still areas for improvement. For example, the cost of healthcare is still a major barrier for many low-income individuals, and there are still gaps in coverage that need to be addressed.
Advocacy Project Guide
A key element to the advocacy project is the selection of the law, or portion of one, or regulation to be changed. Another key element is to be precise about the change you intend, both in what it is and how it will be done. Another is to not simply transfer an idea from a journal and copy it with referencing. You may email me outlining your plans to ensure that what you are planning or doing is appropriate. Select a change that is not too large or too minimal. For example, planning for some form of universal healthcare is challenging. This will need to have sufficient detail in what would have to be changed and how it would have to be done within the allowable time for the course. It should not be just a position paper but also a demonstration of your mastery of a law, rule or regulation and how it works.
Proposing a deletion or change in a minor regulation, no matter how absurd or annoying that requirement is, is not sufficiently challenging. Just to say delete something is not a good project but creating something new, or changing an existing one can be. For example, proposing a way to allow employers to offer free contraceptives via health insurance as required under the Affordable Care Act that would be satisfactory to some religious groups who have objected would be a challenge. Just to stop the requirement, explaining why it is not acceptable to some and trying to convince the reader their position is better, may be something you would like, but is not a good project.
A good project would require some thought and understanding of the needs and goals of many interested parties. This is not a chance to try to persuade the reader of your opinion or get your opinion on record. It is a chance to demonstrate you have done quality research into an aspect of a law and that like a surgeon, you have sculpted out a direction that will improve the law. Convincing others of your side is not what this is about. Grading is on how well you meet the criteria and has nothing to do with whether the reader agrees with you.
This project requires good research. This project requires in depth study of the law or regulation. If one uses faulty type reasoning in the legal changes proposed, full credit will not be earned. Select a change, demonstrate you know what it is, how it came about, and how it is negative to whom, how it will be implemented, and who will and will not support your change. One could select a variety of means to implement a change. Some may have to be done by the states due to the Police Powers, Tenth Amendment. Some laws can be done federally, even in health issues using as a justification the Interstate Commerce Clause. While anecdotes can illustrate a point, qualitative information is better support. Examine the questions the assignment asks you to address. Use APA as a guide. The questions you are to address can serve as the headings.
