Healthcare Access

Healthcare Access

Millions of Americans are affected by their lack of access to health care, and it is an important population health issue. Access to health care means having the resources to obtain good quality, timely and affordable health care services when they are required. A number of people face challenges accessing health care because of issues like not having health insurance, poverty, high health care costs, distance to health care, and limited availability of health care providers (Chen, 2025). Individuals may not seek health care in a timely manner, have sub-optimal health results, die prematurely and experience inequity in vulnerability to access health services. Healthcare access is increasingly gaining a national and presidential profile due to its current and significant impact on the individual, family and community.

Responsible Government Agency

Health and Human Services (HHS) is the agency with the primary responsibility to attempt to solve the problem of access to health care. Other agencies that help: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Why is the HHS the best agency? Why is it that HHS is the best agency?

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) plays a key role in ensuring Americans have access to and affordability of health care and has a responsibility to ensure their health and wellbeing by designating policies and programs. Provides essential services including Medicare and Medicaid; supports healthcare facilities to offer services to communities; promotes preventative healthcare; strives to reduce inequities among the uninsured in accessing healthcare. Because there are numerous healthcare programs and policies at a national level under HHS jurisdiction that directly impact access to healthcare services, HHS has been identified as the most appropriate agency.

How Healthcare Access gets on the Presidential agenda

Because health care services impact millions of Americans and also social and economic implications, access to health care is on the agenda. It’s frequently in the news when health care costs are increasing, when there are differences in health care and when more and more people are uninsured. But in the media, political debates, public interest and national health related debates like Covid-19, the subject of access to healthcare has been getting awareness. Furthermore, advocacy organizations, health care providers and public health professionals continue to rally government officials to improve health systems and increase access and affordability of health care for all citizens.

The access to health care is on the agenda – how it is done

Healthcare access is also a key issue on the President’s agenda, as it is one of the top concerns of the American people. The problem remains evergreen on the national political agenda and continues to be a problem of health care disparities, increasing rates of chronic diseases, rising health care costs, and debate on health insurance coverage. Policymakers continue to have an interest in health access as better health access can lead to a decrease in preventable illnesses and improve the quality of life and health outcomes for the population (Kazi et al., 2026). Advocacy by healthcare professionals, community organizations and policy makers is also an important factor in maintaining the issue on the agenda long-term.

Selected Champion

Former President Barack Obama is a strong healthcare champion for healthcare access.

Give a reason why Barack Obama is a good choice as a champion.

Barrack Obama was key in the design of the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) that allowed millions of Americans to access health care services for the first time in history. He worked on filling the health care gaps, expanding health care insurance and enhancing the access to health care of at-risk individuals. As a leader and advocate for improved healthcare, Barack Obama has been continuing to advocate and lead policies in the US to improve access to healthcare.

Students provide proper referencing of sources.

The assignment should include scholarly journal articles, government resources about healthcare, course learning materials, and CDC materials. Information is sourced from evidence-based information and is used to enhance the discussion and to illustrate an understanding of concepts relating to healthcare policy and population health.

APA 7 Formatting

The paper needs to be written in APA 7 style and should focus on accurate in text citations, academic writing, paraphrasing text and the reference page to avoid plagiarism and to ensure an academically sound paper. There is also an emphasis on writing in a scholarly manner and proper citations.

Conclusion

Access to health care is also a key determinant of population health and can play a significant role in impacting population health. Government agencies, including HHS, are vital to increasing access to health care services, and presidential leadership and health care advocacy are critical to keeping the issue on the national agenda. Reducing health inequalities and improving people’s health is a key focus area to address access to health care.

References

(US), M., Schaeffer, L. D, Schultz, A. M., & Salerno, J. A. (2026). Summary. Nih.gov; National Academies Press (US). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK215013/

Chen, A. M. (2025). Barriers to health equity in the United States of America: can they be overcome? International Journal for Equity in Health, 24(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12939-025-02401-w

Kazi, D. S., Beckman, J. A., Benjamin, R. M., Firestone, G., Johnson, J. C., McClellan, M. B., Meltzer, N., Oxrider, A., Rosen, S. E., Scott, B. L., Volpp, K. G., & Warner, J. J. (2026). Health Care Affordability in the United States, From Crisis to Action: A Presidential Advisory from the American Heart Association. Circulation. https://doi.org/10.1161/cir.0000000000001442

 

 

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NURS_6050_Agenda
son Grid
.doc
LEARNING RESOURCES
(https://waldenu.instructure.com/files/19506740/download?download_frd=1)
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Page
3
Required Readings 
Administration
Which administrative agency
(like HHS, CDC, FDA, OHSA)
would most likely be
responsible for helping you
address the healthcare issue
you selected? Why is this
agency the most helpful?
of 4
ZOOM
Short, N. M. (2022). Milstead’s health policy and politics: A nurse’s guide (7th ed.). Jones &
Bartlett Learning.
Chapter 1, “Informing Public Policy: An Important Role for Registered Nurses” (pp. 2–23
only)
Chapter 3, “Problem Identification and Agenda Setting: What Rises to a Policymaker’s
Attention?” (pp. 57–71)
Chapter 10, “Financing Health Care” (pp. 229–239)
Chapter 12, “An Insider’s Guide to Engaging in Policy Activities” (pp. 293–301)
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (2024, May 15).
How do you think your selected
social media resources
healthcare issue might get on
Diabetes: Web and
the presidential agenda? How
(https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/communication-resources/?
CDC_AAref_Val=https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/library/factsheets.html) .
does it stay there?
Who would you choose to be
the entrepreneur/
https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/communication-resources/?
CDC_AAref_Val=https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/library/factsheets.html
Kingdon, J. W. (2001). A model of agenda-setting with applications.
D.C.L
champion/sponsor (this can be
a celebrity, a legislator, an
agency director, or others) of
Law Review M.S.U.
(https://go.openathens.net/redirector/waldenu.edu?
url=https://advance.lexis.com/api/permalink/9b2f387e-9503-4fed-8a60-f8f029778dfd/?
context=1516831) ., 2(331).
the healthcare issue you
selected? An example is
Michael J. Fox a champion for
Parkinson’s disease.
Smith, L., Roberts, K. J., Giambra, B., Polfuss, M., Danford, C., Sheppard-Lemoine, D.,
Schultz, T. R., Winter, N., Mulcaster, A., Alrimawi, I., Honda, J., Brysiewicz, P., Carr, S., &
Feetham, S. (2025).
Nurses’ engagement in healthcare policy development: An umbrella
review
(https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/inr.70109) . International nursing
Global Navigation.
review, 72(4), e70109. https://doi.org/10.1111/inr.70109
Rosenthal L. D. (2024).
Political engagement to support, advocate, and advance APRN
© 2021 Walden University, LLC
Hi Mirrian,
practice
(https://aacnjournals.org/aacnacconline/article/35/1/18/32304/Political-Engagement
You will find this global navigation bar on every page in your
Canvas environment, to provide quick access to the most
utilized tools, outside of a course.
to-Support-Advocate-and) . AACN advanced critical care, 35(1), 18–19.
https://doi.org/10.4037/aacnacc2024900
OASIS. (n.d.).
Evaluate resources
(https://academicguides.waldenu.edu/library/evaluating)
. Walden University. https://academicguides.waldenu.edu/library/evaluating
Mood, L. H., Snyder, M. A., & Pope, A. M. (Eds.). (1995).
Default icons include Account, Dashboard, Course, Calendar,
Inbox, and Help. If you are part of any global groups, an icon will
appear here to access them. In keeping with universal design
principles and accessibility, the names of these icons can not be
altered
Nursing, health, and the
environment
(http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/waldenu/detail.action?docID=3376382) .
National Academies Press.
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USA.gov. (n.d.).
A-Z index of U.S. government departments and agencies
(https://www.usa.gov/agency-index) . https://www.usa.gov/agency-index
USA.gov. (n.d.).
Other links may also appear here, depending on what your
institute has deployed.
To find out more:
Branches of the US government
(https://www.usa.gov/branches-of
government) . https://www.usa.gov/branches-of-government
How do I use the Global Navigation Menu as
a student?
The United States Government. (n.d.).
The Cabinet.
(https://community.canvaslms.com/t5/Student
Guide/How-do-I-use-the-Global-Navigation-Menu-as-a-student/ta
p/522)
(https://www.whitehouse.gov/administration/the-cabinet/) The White House.
Don’t show this again
https://www.whitehouse.gov/administration/the-cabinet/
Document:
APA Course Paper Template (APA 7) (Word document)
(https://academicguides.waldenu.edu/ld.php?content_id=54383772)
Document:
Agenda Comparison Grid Template (Word document)
(https://waldenu.instructure.com/courses/226506/files/19506740?wrap=1)
(https://waldenu.instructure.com/courses/226506/files/19506740/download?download_frd=1)
Academic Support Resources
Respond to the Assignment Prompt
prompt)
Navigate OASIS Resources
resources)
Paraphrase and Summarize Information
(https://academics.waldenu.edu/writing/paraphrase-summarize)
Locate, Cite, and Reference Journal Articles
(https://academics.waldenu.edu/library/locate-cite-reference-articles)
Organize and Develop Paragraphs
develop-paragraphs)
Cite and Reference Learning Resources
learning-resources)
Required Media
(https://academics.waldenu.edu/oasis/assignment
(https://academics.waldenu.edu/oasis/navigate-oasis
(https://academics.waldenu.edu/writing/organize
(https://academics.waldenu.edu/writing/cite
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Walden University, LLC. (Producer). (2018). Setting the Agenda [Video file]. Baltimore, MD:
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