Writing a policy change proposal is different from writing an essay. You will write a policy change proposal over the span of the course. You will find links posted to Webliography each week to use for citations and references in addition to your textbooks. Youwill not use the library in this class, instead use reliable internet sources no older than 2010 because the health reform law, which is the topic of this class, was not signed into law until 2010. The more recent the citation, the better and more accurate your content would be.
Review the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act PL 111-148 and choose a section to amend during the class. Then begin writing the Unit 3 section of the policy change proposal. You will add to the Unit 3 section in Units 5 and 9 so by Unit 9 you will have one completed proposal. You will write sections of the proposal in class each week and reflect on the peer review learning in class in a Journal assignment so look ahead at the Discussion topics and Journal assignments so you can have sections of the proposal ready to post for peer review. Comments from the instructor and your peers would provide ideas on how to improve the proposal.
Directions:
Steps for Section One of the Proposal 1. First, give your proposal a name like this:
PL 111-148 Section 5310 Policy Change Proposal
Do not forget to write using the most recent edition of APA format so this means the same title will be in the Running head, on the title page, and at the top of page 2 of the proposal.
2. Second, write the introductory paragraph.
When constructing the introductory paragraphof the first section of the public policy change proposal you would write only three sentences in the introductory paragraphto introduce the reader to the proposed change.
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Step 1:Begin by writing the first sentence like this: The public policy problem is that…(state what is missing from the section of the law what you think should be added). State a problem you have identified in a section of Pl 111-148. Be sure to choose a section of the law that you are passionate about and a problem you want to see resolved through an amendment to Congress.
Step 2:Now, write the second sentence, which is the policy question. Begin by writing: The public policy questions is should the federal government mandate…(this should match the problem statement by asking if the government should mandate the change you are proposing).
Step 3:Now, write the third sentence, which is the proposed amendment. Begin by writing, The public policy problem resolution is an amendment that would say…(write the actual language of the proposed amendment here).
Review this example of how to write the introductory paragraph and model your introductory paragraph just like this:
The problem is that section 5308 of PL 111-148 does not include pediatric nurse practitioners. The public policy question is should the federal government mandate inclusion of pediatric nurse practitioners. The resolution to the public policy problem is to amend section 5308 of PL 111-148 to say: Section 5308 would include pediatric nurse practitioners (American Association of Colleges of Nursing, 2010).
3. Third, write the body of the proposal.
After the introductory paragraph, create headers for social, political, economic, legal, and ethical issues, as well as the stakeholders. Write one paragraph for each type of issue with citations and references for each describing how the issue would support or not support your proposed amendment.
Start each issue sectionlike this example and write each section in 4 to 5 sentences with cites and references- you may use the links provided in Webliography for cites and references: The legal issue that would affect passage of the proposed amendment is that the U.S. Supreme Court ruled the law constitutional and the payment mandate a tax because (you fill in this after reading about it).
Here are the topics to cover under each issue section. Be sure to say how the issues support passage of your proposed amendment and if the issue does not support passage of your proposed amendment, how you plan to get Congress to vote to pass the amendment into law anyway. Legal Issues
Write about the 28 states that have filed suit against the federal government to repeal PL 111148 claiming the law is unconstitutional. Be sure to include the status of the lawsuit in the U.S. Supreme Court and the effect this would have on getting your proposed amendment passed if the law is ruled unconstitutional or constitutional
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Political Issues
Write about the Senate and House bills in Congress to repeal PL 111-148 and the effect repealing the law would have on getting your proposed amendment passed.
Economic Issues
Write about the trillion dollar U.S. budget deficit, budget cuts to entitlement programs like the one you may propose, and spending cuts as well as increased taxes to balance the Congressional budget and the effect this would have on getting your proposed amendment passed.
Social Issues
Describe why the proposed amendment is good for all Americans and why Americans would support the amendment to Congressional stakeholders to vote for it.
The last issue is a little different so you will write it like this: Ethical Issues
Choose one ethical principle and use it to convince stakeholders why your amendment should pass. Begin the paragraph like this instead of like the other issues: The ethical principle that supports passage of the proposed amendment is (insert principle) because (insert why) (cite).
Stakeholders
Then list the stakeholders who have a stake in seeing your amendment pass or fail and in one sentence describe the role of each stakeholder- remember nurses would be an American voter. You would use a numbered list for clarity.
Use these stakeholder groups 1. Politicians because a politician would vote to pass, not pass, or table the amendment. 2. The American voter who would support or not support the amendment to politicians. 3. Political Activists who demonstrate for or against the amendment. 4. Political Lobbyists who lobby for or against the amendment.
Next write a summary (not a conclusion): Summary
First write about what the section of your proposed amendment says. Then write how the amendment would change the section. This is a summary (not a conclusion) that describes the section of the law you chose and why the amendment is important to America from a social, economic, political, legal, and ethical point of view. In this section, you would “sell” the amendment to stakeholders. So talk about the social, legal, political, ethical, and economic
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issues that support passage of the amendment to the stakeholders. On the last page list references in the most recent version of APA format and remember for every reference there needs to be at least one citation in the body of the paper.
References Note: References will come from your class textbooks and reliable internet websites and be no older than 2010. After you post the proposal, you will receive feedback and a grade so you can revise the proposal andmake it perfect before adding it to section two of the policy change proposal Assignment. Be sure to use the grading rubrics and Assignment instructions to write the proposal in all weeks.
To view the Grading Rubric for this Assignment, please visit the Grading Rubrics section of the Course Home.
