Advocacy Through Legislation

Advocacy Through Legislation
Student Name
Institutional Affiliation
Advocacy Through Legislation
Problem

Inadequate health insurance coverage is a problem in Virginia State that negatively impacts the population’s health outcomes. Uninsured people lack access to preventive services from chronic illnesses including cancer, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, among others. The problem affects all Virginians, including those under the age of 65, non-elderly adults, children, as well as people of diverse ethnic and racial backgrounds. Uninsured Virginians below age 65 represent every populace in Virginia: 41.4 percent are white non-Hispanic, 20.3 percent are Black/African American, 29.5 percent are Hispanic, 5.9 percent are Pacific/Asian Islander, and 3 percent are identified as “other” or people of multiple racial backgrounds (Virginia Health Care Foundation, 2021a). The consequences of being uninsured include deteriorated health outcomes, lack of access to needed care, unmet medical needs, poor children’s health, and costly care, culminating in unpaid healthcare bills. If the problem goes unaddressed, the uninsured people are likely to die from chronic diseases such as cancer. Research indicates that uninsured Americans have deteriorated cancer survival rates (Virginia Health Care Foundation, 2021b).

Idea for Addressing Solution

I think advocacy constitutes the most feasible approach to address the problem of Virginia’s uninsured populations. Financial support advocacy initiatives could reduce the funding burden on the uninsured populations, hospitals, and the exclusive jurisdiction. Advocating for more insurance coverage could lower the medical costs, morbidity, and mortality rates and improve the population’s overall health outcomes (Williams, Phillips, & Koyama, 2018). This is because the uninsured are likely to need expensive crisis care for illnesses that could have been cured earlier via affordable ambulatory care. However, legislation is the best advocacy course since such efforts include budget appropriations, the services to be covered by insurance, and which immunizations adults and children must receive, among many others. The healthcare legislation impacts the cost of care, quality, and access to healthcare services, which influence overall health outcomes (Ballotpedia.org, n.d.).

Research the Issue

Evidence 1

Legislation is the best strategy to reduce Virginia’s uninsured problems. For example, the Uninsured Medical Catastrophe Fund (UMCF) reimburses the “uninsured medical catastrophe” medical treatment. Under this policy, the “uninsured medical catastrophe” incorporates injuries and life-threatening diseases that require specialized treatment, hospitalization, or both. The Fund is structured to ensure it reimburses only for not-yet-rendered services – it does not pay for already rendered emergency services (Community Catalyst, 2021).

Evidence 2

According to the Virginia Health Care Foundation (2018) report, the Virginia Department of Health and Hospitals contributes significantly to assisting uninsured and low-income Virginians obtain the care they require. This justified the...