Legislation Grid and Testimony/Advocacy Statement
The Assignment: (1- to 2-page Legislation Grid; 1-page Legislation Testimony/Advocacy Statement)
Be sure to add a title page, an introduction, purpose statement, and a conclusion. This is an APA paper.
Part 1: Legislation Grid
Based on the health-related bill (proposed, not enacted) you selected, complete the Legislation Grid Template. Be sure to address the following:
Determine the legislative intent of the bill you have reviewed.
Identify the proponents/opponents of the bill.
Identify the target populations addressed by the bill.
Where in the process is the bill currently? Is it in hearings or committees?
Part 2: Legislation Testimony/Advocacy Statement
Based on the health-related bill you selected, develop a 1-page Legislation Testimony/Advocacy Statement that addresses the following:
Advocate a position for the bill you selected and write testimony in support of your position.
Explain how the social determinants of income, age, education, or gender affect this legislation.
Describe how you would address the opponent to your position. Be specific and provide examples.
At least 2 outside resources and 2-3 course specific resources are used.
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Legislation Grid Template
Use this document to complete Part 1 of the Module 2 Assessment Legislation Grid and Testimony/Advocacy Statement
| Health-related Bill Name |
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| Bill Number | |
| Description |
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| Federal or State? | |
| Legislative Intent |
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| Proponents/ Opponents | Proponents:
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| Opponents:
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| Target Population |
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| Status of the bill (Is it in hearings or committees?) |
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| General Notes/Comments
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Introduction
Health legislation are used to formalize the government’s commitment to goals. The legislation act as binding rules that government the responsibilities of health stakeholders, including the government and public. They make up a legal architecture/framework for health. Within the USA, health legislation are presented and debated before being signed into law. The process of developing legislation goes through different stages of discussion that explore the merits and demerits of the legislation, and whether any amendments are required (Buppert, 2020). This paper explores the merits of a selected health law with a view to garnering support for the legislation.
Legislation Grid Template
Use this document to complete Part 1 of the Module 2 Assessment Legislation Grid and Testimony/Advocacy Statement
| Health-related Bill Name | Veterans Mental and Behavioral Health Quality of Care Act
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| Bill Number | H.R.3811 |
| Description | The bill seeks to mandate the Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) to engage an independent and objective third-party organization that is outside the VAs direct control to conduct research studies that explore the differences in quality of care between the behavioral and mental healthcare provided by the VA against the care provided by other organizations (Congress.gov, 2023. |
| Federal or State? | Federal |
| Legislative Intent | Introduced as a bipartisan bill, it seeks to benchmark the mental and behavioral healthcare services offered by the VA against those offered by other organizations. The intention is to identify gaps in healthcare quality with a focus on ensuring that veterans get the best care possible (House.gov, 2023). |
| Proponents/ Opponents | Proponents: Veterans, and medical personnel intent on having the best possible care quality that improves care outcomes. Having poor mental healthcare is undesirable since it would contribute to unfavorable outcomes and keeping patients from reaching their full potential. |
| Opponents: Those concerned about cost implications. They would argue that the VA simply needs to identify and implement the best care quality approaches, rather than having to compare its care quality against that of other organizations. | |
| Target Population | Veterans as the bills seeks to ensure they receive the best possible mental health care services from the VA. |
| Status of the bill (Is it in hearings or committees?) | The bill was introduced in the House of Representatives, then referred to the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, before being sent to the Subcommittee on Health where it is currently held for action (House.gov, 2023). |
| General Notes/Comments
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The duties that members of the military forces undertake takes a toll on their mental health while increasing their demand for mental and behavioral health services. While the VA has programs in place to ensure that veterans receive mental and behavioral health services, there are concerns that the quality of care is lacking, especially when compared to other organization. In comparing the quality of care offered by the VA against that offered by other organizations, a comparison benchmark would be created that identifies opportunities for improving quality of care offered by the VA (Moller et al., 2020). |
Part 2: Legislation Testimony/Advocacy Statement
There is a need to support the bill in improving the quality of mental and behaviors care services offered by the VA. This occurs by collecting and using evidence and data from other organizations to illuminate areas for continuous growth and improvement in VA services. The bill allows for benchmarking that helps the VA to uncover opportunities for improving its services. In fact, it would enable VA to improve on patient satisfaction, patient safety, quality of care, and efficiency. Enacting the bill would present a benchmark that gives the VA external references on which to base its evaluations and design working processes. It invests in identifying and learning from good practices in other organizations (Murray, 2022).
The proposed legislation would ensure that veterans receive high quality of care that addresses the social determinants of health. Like other populations, veterans face social determinants of health that worsen health outcomes, increase risk for and prevalence of mental illnesses, and disrupt optimal mental health. Efforts to improve quality of mental and behavioral health services would ensure just distribution of health services to ultimately improve mental health, reduce the prevalence of mental illnesses, and improve outcomes for veterans, thereby equipping the to address the social determinants of health, such as improving education levels and getting employment (Stanhope & Lancaster, 2020).
The opponents of the legislation would argue that it costs a lot to conduct the research, and that the money would be better spent in other areas. However, the investment in the research would be well spent as it allows for benchmarking that offers decision support based on monitoring activities and developments of other organizations. It makes it possible to compare the quality of healthcare services, and support the sharing of best practices across different organizations. At its core, the benchmarking focuses on improving quality of care by peer-to-peer development, thereby making a tool for improving care as long as the right metrics and development areas are identified and shared by the participating organizations (Sherwood & Barnsteiner, 2021).
References
Buppert, C. (2020). Nurse Practitioner’s Business Practice and Legal Guide (7th ed.). Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC.
Congress.gov (2023). H.R.3811 – Veterans Mental and Behavioral Health Quality of Care Act. https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/3811?q=%7B%22search%22%3A%22health+care%22%7D&s=1&r=17
House.gov (2023, June 6). Bishop, Fallon introduce Bipartisan Bill to Identify Ways to Improve Veterans Mental & Behavioral Health Care. https://bishop.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/bishop-fallon-introduce-bipatrisan-bill-to-identify-ways-to-improve-veterans-mental-behavioral-health-care
Moller, N., Vossler, A., Jones, D., & Kaposi, D. (Eds.) (2020). Understanding Mental Health and Counselling. SAGE Publications.
Murray, E. (2022). Nursing Leadership and Management for Patient Safety and Quality Care (2nd ed.). F.A. Davis Company.
Sherwood, G., & Barnsteiner, J. (Eds.) (2021). Quality and Safety in Nursing: A Competency Approach to Improving Outcomes (3rd ed.). John Wiley & Sons.
Stanhope, M., & Lancaster, J. (2020). Public Health Nursing: Population-Centered Health Care in the Community. Elsevier, Inc.