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M6D2: Federal Health Insurance Programs

Understanding the major federal health insurance programs is critical for anyone working in the health field, particularly those focused on policy. It is important to not only be able to speak intelligently about the programs, but also to be able to analyze the components of each program that could be altered to increase effectiveness and efficiency. Policy analysts engage in a process of developing policy alternatives and determining criteria upon which to judge these alternatives. There are countless opinions on what the best options are for changing the federal health insurance programs. This discussion has you applying the skills of policy alternative analysis and sharing your findings with your classmates.

For this discussion, you will be assigned by your instructor one of the federal health insurance programs (Medicare, Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program, the Veteran’s Health Administration, TRICARE, or  the Indian Health Service) to focus on. After taking the time to research your assigned program, describe the program and a major issue affecting the program, and propose a policy-level alternative to address the problem. Use these questions to help guide your initial post:

What is one major policy-relevant problem with the program?

What policy alternative would you suggest to alleviate the problem you described?

How might this policy alternative change the program?

Then, respond in writing to your classmates. You are strongly encouraged to respond to classmates who discussed a program different from the one you were assigned. Provide feedback on your classmate’s post. Are there problems with their program other than the one they presented that are more pressing? Comment on your classmate’s proposed alternative. Is the alternative feasible? Are there other consequences from the proposed alternative that your classmate did not address? How did your thoughts differ from your classmate’s? What important points did your classmate raise that you could expand on? What examples could you share that would highlight the difference in thinking between you and your classmate? How does your lens (your personal experiences, background, learning, etc.) affect your thinking on this subject, and how does your lens differ from that of your classmate?

Consult the Discussion Posting Guide for information about writing your discussion posts. It is recommended that you write your post in a document first. Check your work and correct any spelling or grammatical errors. When you are ready to make your initial post, click on "Reply." Then copy/paste the text into the message field, and click "Post Reply." 

To respond to a peer, click “Reply” beneath her or his post and continue as with an initial post.

Evaluation