The Role of Politics in Public Health Policy

Practitioners who ignore the role of politics do so however, at their peril, for politics has been in the front and center of some of the fiercest health policy debates in our nation’s history.
—Bhattacharya (2013, p. 100)

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Public health policy has long been the vibrant pulse of U.S. politics. Health care issues and talks of reform have been a major focus of political debates and taken center stage during presidential elections. Most notably, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) pitted Democrats, Republicans, and Tea Party activists against one another, shutting down the government for a total of 16 days in 2013. From small-business owners and insurance companies to special-interest groups and the general public, stakeholders urged politicians toward specific, yet polarized, action. With Congress at a standstill and nonessential government workers on furlough, President Obama strove to quickly pass legislation in hopes of easing political uprising and the formation of personal agendas and kickbacks. He counseled not only Congress but also the nation to come to an agreement, acknowledging that each political body must compromise for the good of the American people.

PPACA was not the first, and will certainly not be the last, piece of health care legislation to make national headlines. Due to the far-reaching impacts public health policy has on the general welfare of the public, politics—for better or worse—will always play a critical role in health affairs (Oliver, 2006).

This week, you examine the role of politics in public health policy. In your Discussion, you investigate how stakeholder involvement and politics/politicians impact policy and advocacy.

Learning Objectives

Students will:

Evaluate impacts of stakeholder involvement in public health issues
Analyze impacts of politics on public health policy and advocacy

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

Bhattacharya, D. (2013). Public health policy: Issues, theories, and advocacy. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Chapter 4, “The Role of Politics: Players, Processes, and Power” (pp. 99–139)

Goldberg, D. S. (2012). Against the very idea of the politicization of public health policy. American Journal of Public Health, 102(1), 44–49.
Note: Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.

Grogan, C. M. (2012). Editor’s note: The hidden strength of prevention politics. Journal of Health Politics, Policy, and Law, 37(2), 177–180.
Note: Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.

Kamradt-Scott, A. (2013). The politics of medicine and the global governance of pandemic influenza. International Journal of Health Services: Planning, Administration, Evaluation, 43(1), 105–121.
Note: Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.

Tarantola, D. (2012). Foreword: Public health, public policy, politics and policing. Harm Reduction Journal, 9(1), 22–23.
Note: Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.

Discussion: Politics Is Power

Simply put, politics is power. It is the power that influences issues toward political agendas, the power that persuades stakeholders toward favorable solutions, and the power that draws national attention to polarized policies. Politicians have the power, the means, and the position to not only “politicize,” or make an issue political, but to also “politick” to gain power and influence for public health issues.

As a public health professional, what should you know before entering the political arena? How might you apply knowledge of political agendas to assist you in advocating for your issue?

Before attempting to impact policy at the local, state, national, and/or international level, public health professionals must first identify the numerous stakeholders who impact their issue. In addition, taking time to understand how politicians have voted and lobbied for the issue is critical.

In this Discussion, you examine the history of political support for or opposition to the public health issue you have selected for your Scholar-Practitioner Project. You also investigate how stakeholder power has influenced the progress (or lack thereof) of your issue.

To prepare for this Discussion, review Chapter 4 of the course text. Then, consider the role politics has on your public health issue and identify the various stakeholders who have (or are) impacting the issue, conducting further research as needed.

BY DAY 4

Post the stakeholders who have impacted (or are currently impacting) your public health issue and explain the level of impact each has had and why. Then, describe the history of political support of or opposition to your issue. Justify your post with specific examples of stakeholder and political involvement in public health policy and advocacy. Support your post with the Learning Resources and peer-reviewed sources.

BY DAY 6

Provide a critical peer review of one or more colleagues by proposing an additional stakeholder or political force that has—or has the potential to—impacted their public health issue and/or the development of legislation associated with their issue. Provide at least one resource or website that can assist your colleague in further research and investigation. Support your response with the Learning Resources and peer-reviewed sources.Consider the stakeholders that have supported or opposed the public health issue you have Skin Cancer. Please note all of the following requirements for this discussion:

Post the stakeholders who have impacted (or are currently impacting) your public health issue;
Explain the level of impact each has had and why;
Describe the history of political support of or opposition to your issue;
Justify your post with specific examples of stakeholder and political involvement in public health policy and advocacy; and
Support your post with the Learning Resources and peer-reviewed sources.