Question: Advance Care Planning and Analysis
Democrats' Plans for Healthcare
I totally agree with Sarah Palin's sentiments on the Democrats plan for healthcare. I think what the Democrats are pushing for claiming to reduce healthcare is downright discriminatory and it will do more harm than good in the long run. The truth of the matter is, some people need more care than others. For a fact, such a system will not favor vulnerable populations like those with chronic illness, the elderly and the disabled. There are currently more than half a million people in America living with various forms of disabilities. Such people continue to remain in waiting lists to receive services due to the fact that Obamacare urges states to expand Medicaid coverage to able-bodied adults instead of prioritizing the services to those who need them the most (Hilberg, 2015).
My judgment is informed by a commitment to advance care of planning. For instance, recent estimates from the Urban Institute suggest that a big percentage of the individuals eligible to Obamacare Medicaid expansion are adults without children in their prime working years. This means that Obamacare does not provide medical services to the most vulnerable. Another report published by the Foundation for Government Accountability showcases how Medicaid rolls have erupted under Obamacare and also how individuals with disabilities have suffered owing to this.
The Role of Nurses in this Plight
It is important to note that nurses are always in the frontline in boardrooms and in leading healthcare organizations. Given their high level of education and their experience, they have the intelligence to observe, validate and the network to transmit messages that advocate for healthcare reform values. Taking this into consideration, it is not right for them to endorse a legislation even when it is not perfect. If they leverage their numbers and use their influence efficiently, they will be able to support only the legislative changes that strengthen the system instead of those that weaken it (Béland, Rocco & Waddan, 2016).
The above also applies to the recently failed American Care Act. They must rigorously oppose legislation that could undermine or compromise the goals of the healthcare system. Nurses must, therefore, make an extra effort to communicate, listen and collaborate with the new congressional leaders. I believe that by putting their voices together, they can become part of the solution when it comes to directing policy through political goodwill (Béland, Rocco & Waddan, 2016).
Part 2: You posed valid considerations. What is moral agency and how does it correlate with Sara Palin's comments?