agenda setting

The Agenda-Setting for the Affordable Care Act
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The Agenda-Setting for the Affordable Care Act
Agenda setting is a process in which the method through which appropriate solutions to particular challenges are addressed is determined. In this case, the articles involve a review of the process that determines the best solution for healthcare insurance unaffordability as the implementation of ACA. The process agenda setting is normally composed of three streams. These streams are the problems, the policies, and the politics involved in the process. When the requisite conditions are availed, these three streams interact to initiate the process of formulating these solutions. Among the requisite conditions is the need that is to be resolved. Consequently, individuals begin to think about probable solutions to a case and agitate for change within a political class. This means that problems exist and the agenda setting is the processes of fitting solutions to these problems. The processes are made possible by a hospitable political environment.
In the first stream, the main problem for agenda setting in ACA formulation is the large number so citizens without a health insurance policy. Health expenditure is an expensive venture in the United States. Most of the people who cannot afford insurance are not able to pay for health services out of pocket. This reduces their quality of life significantly. Reduced quality of life results in reduced productivity.

Additionally, the diseases quickly progress into chronic conditions which will cost the healthcare more resources to manage (Porter, 2006) . This tasks a country’s economy twice. First of all, there is the reduction in revenue from the poor productivity of the sick individuals. There is then the use of the already constrained resources to care for illnesses that would have been resolved more easily if they were treated earlier. The problem of large numbers of uninsured people is therefore important for the state and therefore the legislators.
When the problem is identities, it is disclosed using data and facts that show any change in the indicators. A change indicator for the problem leading to ACA implementation would be determined by an evaluation of the numbers of uninsured people. An increase would show that the more Americans are unable to pay their insurance premiums. In the US, most healthcare insurance premiums are paid by the employer. Those who are not employed therefore have to pay for private premiums out of pocket. These premiums are paid to private firms which are also very expensive and therefore unsustainable for people without regular income. Many restrictions hinder people who are poor from accessing Medicaid assistance.
To resolve this problem the Obama`s administration conceived the implementation of policies as the second stream in agenda setting. Nancy Pelosi revealed to the public the intention to overhaul healthcare in July 2009 (Cutler, 2015). In November, ACA received the first vote getting 219 against 176 votes. In December, the policy got 60 votes against 39. On March 21, 2010, the santé-version of the law was passed into law and signed by President Obama into law two days later (Cutler, 2015). The political stream of the agenda-setting has involved a continuous struggle between the Democrat-leaning and Republican-leaning sections of the houses of representatives. There are fundamental issues that remain a challenge such as the funding of contraception and abortion processes. This process continues to undergo challenges form the disagreements. It is however hopeful that the legislators will work together towards a better ACA for the citizens of the United States.

References
Cutler, D. (2015). From the Affordable Care Act to Affordable Care. JAMA, 314(4), 337. http://dx.doi.org/10.1001/jama.2015.7683
Porter, D. (2006). Health, civilization and the state. London: Routledge.