NURS 6051 Legislation Grid and Testimony Advocacy Statement

NURS 6051 Legislation Grid and Testimony Advocacy Statement

NURS 6051 Legislation Grid and Testimony Advocacy Statement

Nurses and other healthcare providers encounter situations that motivate them to advocate for patients and ensure that effective policies exist to safeguard them; especially in reducing the cost of healthcare (Milstead & Short, 2019). Prescription drugs remain a concern for many individuals, especially those with chronic and long term conditions like diabetes (Laureate Education, 2018). The purpose of this assignment is to review a proposed bill or law that seeks to address the issue of the cost of prescription drugs.

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Health-related Bill NameEnd Price Gouging for Medications Act  Bill NumberH.R. 2829DescriptionThe bill was introduced in House by Representative Peter Welch from Vermont on April 22 2021. The bill requires the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to set the maximum cost or price of prescription drugs based on different federal programs (Congress.GOV, 2021). The bill seeks to mandate HHS to establish reference prices and ensure that the uninsured individuals and their families and those with private health insurance have access to the drugs at reasonable cost or prices.Federal or State?FederalLegislative IntentThe legislative intent of the bill is to amend the price gouging for Medications Act, and ensure that individuals who require medications can access them fast and at affordable price. The bill focuses on ensuring that prescription drugs are priced fairly, especially for individuals with chronic and long-term health conditions. The bill advances that retail prices of certain covered medications under known federal health programs like Medicare and Medicaid should not cost beyond established reference prices. The bill will ensure that the HHS sets better prices that allow patients and their families to have lifesaving medicines as prescribed by their physicians and healthcare teams (Congress.GOV, 2021). The proposals of the bill apply to all patients, irrespective of their health insurance status. This implies that creating stabilization would allow Americans to enjoy the same prices of prescribed drugs like their peers in other developed economies like Canada and Germany among other members.  Target PopulationThe bill targets all Americans and individuals using healthcare services. The bill also targets big Pharma’s monopoly power and ensure that reasonable prices exist to allow Americans, especially those with chronic conditions, purchase the much-needed medicines for their conditions.General Notes/Comments    The introduction of the bill is essential to ensuring that more Americans can afford the cost of prescription drugs that remains prohibitive for many that require them. The bill is essential in helping the federal government deal with the current healthcare crises like the COVID-19 pandemic and the Opioid epidemic.  The bill will ensure that federal government ends the monopoly enjoyed by Big Pharma who dictate prices, making it hard for many Americans to lack access to critical care despite their conditions. The bill will enhance monitoring of prices to ensure that consumers do not have to pay more for same drugs in different states and counties across the country. The bill will ensure that the cost of drug spending reduces on programs like Medicare (Merkley, 2021). For instance, the Medicare Advisory Payment Commission (MedPAC) notes that drug spending continues to grow in the program as it increased by over 25% between 2013 and 2018 attributed mainly to higher prices and launches of novel drugs and not a rise in the number of filled prescriptions. The implication is that no patient or individual or family of a loved one should be left out or left alone to suffer and even die because of higher prices of prescription drugs.

Part 2: Legislative Testimony/ Advocacy Statement

The need to regulate and control prescription drugs’ prices is essential given the increased demand for healthcare, especially as the nation battles health crises like the Covid-19 pandemic and the opioid epidemic. Prescription drugs ensure that patients can manage their conditions and ensuring that more Americans can afford the cost of care is important for the nation’s wellbeing. Big pharmaceutical companies continue to manufacture drugs at costly prices which makes it impossible for many to access (Milstead & Short, 2019). Some of these drugs may find their way into the market, albeit used as opiates and not for medical purposes.

As an advanced nurse practitioner, advocating for reduction in the cost of healthcare, including access to medicines, is critical to improving the quality of care and reducing its costs, especially for low-income individuals and households without medical or health insurance coverage (O’Rourke et al., 2018). Having this bill will help many American families that cannot access medications yet they require them to remain alive.

Opposition to this legislative proposal may not be informed by current research and the need to reduce the cost of healthcare in the country. The opioid crisis is partly due to use of prescriptive drugs that are given to individuals, even those who do not have prescriptions. The implication is that this bill will regulate the prices of medicines and help address contributing factors to the opioid crisis.

Conclusion

Improving access to and quality of care is a fundamental part of the nurse advocacy process. As healthcare providers, nurses interact with patients and encounter a host of events that implore them to take actions. The bill to control the prices of prescription drugs is timely and will enhance quality care, particularly to the critically and chronically ill patients.

References

Congress.GOV. (2021). H.R.2829 – End Price Gouging for Medications Act.

Milstead, J. A., & Short, N. M. (2019). Health policy and politics: A nurse’s guide

            (6th ed.). Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.

O’Rourke, N. C., Crawford, S. L., Morris, N. S., & Pulcini, J. (2017). Political

efficacy and participation of nurse practitioners. Policy, Politics, and Nursing Practice, 18(3), 135–148. doi:10.1177/1527154417728514

Laureate Education (Producer). (2018). The Policy Process [Video file].

            Baltimore, MD: Author.

Laureate Education (Producer). (2018b). Introduction to Health Policy and Law

 with Joel Teitelbaum [Video file]. Baltimore, MD: Author.

Merkley, J. (2021). As White House Prepares Health Care Push, Merkley, Welch

Introduce Bill to End Prescription Drugs Price Gouging, Help Ensure Americans Can Get the Medicines They Need. https://www.merkley.senate.gov/news/press-releases/as-white-house-prepares-health-care-push-merkley-welch-introduce-bill-to-end-prescription-drugs-price-gouging-help-ensure-americans-can-get-the-medicines-they-need-2021