Week 5 Social Media Discussion: Healthcare Policies and Population Health

Discussion Question

Healthcare policies impact all populations. Now, with the use of social media, policies involvement and awareness are rising.

Take a moment to review the Twitter feed for compelling Tweets that are related to healthcare policy and are directly impacting your community or those you care for.

Give an overview of a policy or potential policy. Include how it could impact your community or those you care for positively negatively.

1. Next, discuss the importance that interdisciplinary collaboration would have related to the policy.
2. Then, identify any ethical concerns it raises for you and why.
3. Compose a 280-character or fewer Tweet that describes what you have shared with the class. Remember Twitter only allows 280 characters (this include spaces, etc.) so you will need to be concise. It should include a hashtag. Include a reference URL if applicable. Share this Tweet in the discussion. (Note: A Twitter account is not required).
4. Your discussion post should look like:
5. Paragraph one: overview of the policy or potential policy. Include how it could impact your community or those you care for positively negatively.
6. Paragraph two: Discuss the importance that interdisciplinary collaboration would have related to the policy.

Paragraph three: Identify any ethical concerns it raises for you and why

• Paragraph four: Compose a Tweet that describes what you have shared with the class.
• Resources: Where did you find your data?
• Example Tweet: Medications should be affordable. #pharmaceuticaltransparency #nursesunit #advocate https://www.cms.gov/newsroom/press-releases/cms-ta..
• i will also need one reply to two classmates, here are they responses
• Chritine: “Health policy is a statement of a decision regarding a goal in health care and a plan for achieving that goal. For example, to prevent an epidemic, a program for inoculating a population is developed and implemented, and priorities and values underlying health resource allocation are determined” (Nies & McEwen, 2019). The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) could help the less healthy older population with the rising food costs. Formerly known as Food stamps, Snap participants that meet the requirements use a debit like card to pay for groceries. The program helps low-income families meet food needs. “Some 10 million people over 50 are classified as having low or very low food security. Assistance programs such as SNAP are designed to address the problem of food insecurity throughout the U.S. population” (“Food Security”, 2022).

1. Collaboration with primary health care provider, nutritionists, health care team, and case managers would benefit the community’s overall health. “In 2010, 14.5 percent of households in the United States were food insecure, meaning that they did not always have access to enough food for all family members to live active, healthy lives. Food insecurity and poverty are associated with significant social, economic, and health consequences” (Blumenthal, 2012). Each member of the health care team can tell the patients in the community about SNAP.

I do not have any ethical concerns with SNAP. In my opinion it is a great program that helps people that can’t afford nutritional food. “Among adults, food insecurity is associated with postponing needed medical care and medications, increased hospitalizations, inadequate intake of key nutrients, and poor physical and mental health, including an increased rate of depression” (Blumenthal, 2012).

Tweet:

Did you know that Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) once known as food stamps is not just for people with children? Adults that meet the income requirements are eligible. Click the link below to find out if you’re eligible for assistance.

District Direct (dc.gov) (Links to an external site.) #SNAP #NutritionMatters

References:

Blumenthal, S. (2012). SNAP to Health: A Fresh Approach to Improving Nutrition in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. Snaptohealth.org. Retrieved 26 September 2022, from https://www.snaptohealth.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/CSPC-SNAP-Report.pdf (Links to an external site.).

Food Security. AARP Foundation. (2022). Retrieved 26 September 2022, from https://www.aarp.org/aarp-foundation/our-work/food-security/ (Links to an external site.).

Nies, M., & McEwen, M. (2019). Community/public health nursing: Promoting the health of populations (7th ed.). Elsevier.

Malorie:There are many problems with healthcare policies in the United States. One that has very recently become a personal issue with me, is the high cost of prescription medications and the requirement of “prior approval” for insurance to potentially pay for necessary medication. Last week my father had a heart catheterization, which was clean thankfully, but he had an echo that showed diastolic heart failure with an ejection fraction of 35%. New medication added. Thankfully covered without questions from insurance, but he had a co-pay. Upon discharge, a Holter monitor was placed on him. Two days later, he had a transient run of atrial fibrillation which caused the cardiologist to put him on yet another medication, Eliquis. This medication must have prior approval for insurance to pay for it and they may refuse to. This is absurd.  Although he converted himself back to sinus rhythm, atrial fibrillation has the potential for a stroke. The cardiologist’s office stepped up and gave him free samples of Eliquis to get him through until insurance can decide whether to pay or not. Prescription drug prices are high due to a “law that states Medicare can’t bargain directly on prices” (Patients For Affordable Drugs). The drug companies decide how much to charge for their medication and there is no negotiation at all. The trickle downhill from this ultimately falls to the patient. There must be a policy that changes this law. “Between 2002 and 2013, the price of insulin jumped, with the typical cost for patients increasing from about $40 a vial to $130. The amount of insulin a person needs varies, but one vial typically lasts about a week or two” (Epstein, Strodel).

Interdisciplinary collaboration is a must for there to be any change. The primary physician, nurse, home health, and pharmacist all must work together to bring attention to the outrageous problem that is occurring daily. The physician provides detailed information as to why this medication is required. The nurses should follow up with the patients to verify that the patient has the medication whether it be from the pharmacy or from samples given from the office. The pharmacist can check for different ways to provide the medication to the patient, either in generic form or other medication that has the same effect. The patient should not have to be the only one advocating for change in policy.

There is an ethical issue involved in drug pricing. The company that develops the drug has put money and time into engineering a potentially lifesaving or life-altering medication and in order to keep producing other drugs, they must make money. The price should not be so astronomically high that no one can afford the medicine. The drug companies are the ones that decide how valuable their product is and we have no choice but to pay for it.

Stop the high cost of LIFESAVING medications. Join the fight #PatientsforAffordableDrugs. www.patientsforaffordabledrugs.org (Links to an external site.)

About. Patients For Affordable Drugs. (2021, April 30). Retrieved September 27, 2022, from https://patientsforaffordabledrugs.org/about/ (Links to an external site.)

Epstein, R. H., & Strodel, R. (2018, June 22). Diabetes patients at risk from rising insulin prices. The New York Times. Retrieved September 27, 2022, from https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/22/well/diabetes-patients-at-risk-from-rising-insulin-prices.html#:~:text=Between%202002%20and%202013%2C%20the%20price%20of%20insulin,many%20people%20are%20affected%20by%20the%20rising%20prices (Links to an external site.).

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