Week 2 - Policymaking Flashcards
Who makes policy?
Private actors (health foundations), government (federal, state. and local), and authoritative decision makers
What are the 2 public policy problems?
Beyond individual concerns and determine if a “decision” represents a “policy”
What are the 2 structuring policy options?
- Mandatory/voluntary
- Take action/refrain from acting
What is the federal policymaking structure?
- Legislative branch: House and Senate
- Executive branch: White House and administrative agencies
- Judicial branch
What is Congress? What are the 2 parts of Congress? Who makes up those parts?
Congress is lawmaking body of federal government
Congress consists of Senate and House
Senate: statewide; two senators from each state
House: by district; proportional to population, at least one representative per state
What is the legislative branch of Congress? Give a few examples of health committees.
Workhorse of Congress
Examples of health committees:
Senate Finance, subcommittee on health care
Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions
House Ways and Means
House Appropriations, subcommittee on Labor,
Health and Human Services
Education
Who are the constituents of the legislative branch?
Voters in State or District
Voters in nation if have leadership role or national aspirations
Political Party
President
Who makes up the executive branch? How many cabinet departments are there and what are their jobs?
White House: President and executive offices assist and advise president
15 Cabinet Departments: interpret and Implement laws passed by Congress
What are some of the presidential powers/duties?
Chief of State: symbol of the country and its citizens
Chief Executive Officer: manages cabinet and executive branch
Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces: top
ranking military official in the country
Other powers: sets the Agenda, Budget Proposals, Persuasion, Sign or Veto Bills, Executive Orders
What are the duties of the administrative agencies of the executive branch? Who are their constituents?
Duties/Powers: implement statutes through
rulemaking
Constituents:
President
Congress
Individuals and entities regulated by agency
Who are the president’s constituents?
Nation (All Voters)
Public who voted for president
Political Party
Other Nations
International Organizations
Who are the 3 key agencies in health bureaucracy?
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)
Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)
Department of Defense (DOD); Military Health
What are the 11 agencies of the HHS?
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
Food and Drug Administration
National Institutes of Health
Administration for Children and Families
Administration on Aging
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
Health Resources and Services Administration
Indian Health Service
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry
What does the VA do? What is TRICARE (DOD) and what does it do?
VA: provides comprehensive care to veterans
DOD:
TRICARE originally stood for “TRI-service CARE,” indicating its purpose to provide healthcare for members of the Army, Navy, and Air Force. Over time, it
expanded to cover other service members, veterans, and
their families, while keeping the same name.
TRICARE provides health insurance to current and
retired military personnel and their families
Why is state-level policymaking important? Give 2 example of state and local health bureaucracy.
State-level policymaking is important because:
Key decisions are made on state level.
The Constitution gives states primary responsibility
for protecting the public’s health.
Variation among states in how policymaking process is structured
State and local health bureaucracy: state-level agencies (e.g., Medicaid, Public Health) and local public health agencies
