Select a policy from an agency or a government program and discuss each of the critical questions for policy analysis offered on page 197.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The Answer is One policy that we can analyze using the critical questions for policy analysis is the Affordable Care Act (ACA) implemented by the U.S. government.

1. What are the policy's objectives?
The objective of the ACA is to increase the quality and affordability of health insurance, lower the uninsured rate by expanding public and private insurance coverage, and reduce the costs of healthcare for individuals and the government.

2. What are the policy's benefits and costs?
The benefits of the ACA include providing access to affordable healthcare for millions of Americans, prohibiting insurance companies from denying coverage based on pre-existing conditions, and expanding Medicaid to cover more low-income individuals. The costs include increased taxes to fund the expansion of coverage and potential disruptions to the existing healthcare system.

3. Who are the policy's primary and secondary beneficiaries?
The primary beneficiaries of the ACA are individuals who were previously uninsured or underinsured, as well as those with pre-existing conditions who were previously denied coverage. Secondary beneficiaries include healthcare providers who see an increase in insured patients and the government, which benefits from a healthier population and reduced healthcare costs.

4. What are the policy's distributional effects?
The ACA has had distributional effects by providing subsidies to low and middle-income individuals to help them afford insurance, expanding Medicaid to cover more low-income individuals, and imposing taxes on high-income earners and certain healthcare industries to fund the expansion of coverage.

5. What are the policy's unintended consequences?
Unintended consequences of the ACA include some individuals facing higher premiums, disruptions in the individual insurance market, and potential strains on the healthcare system due to increased demand for services.

6. What are the policy's implementation challenges?
The implementation of the ACA faced challenges such as technical issues with the healthcare.gov website, resistance from some states to expand Medicaid, and difficulties in enforcing the individual mandate.

By analyzing the ACA using these critical questions, we can gain a comprehensive understanding of its objectives, impacts, and challenges, which can inform future policy decisions and improvements.

Select a Policy from an Agency or a Government Program