Health Policy Formulation Process

Health Policy Formulation Process
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Health Policy Formulation Process
Federal policies in healthcare play an integral role in promoting the welfare of members of society. The functioning of the U.S. healthcare system depends significantly on healthcare policies set and implemented by the federal government. Policymaking is an important and complex process involving several stakeholders. As informed by Longest (2016), policymaking occurs in three cyclical and interrelated phases: formulation, implementation, and modification. This paper examines the three phases in detail, focusing on the interrelationship between them as well as the key stakeholders involved.
Formulation Phase
The formulation is the first phase of the health policymaking process and comprises two unique but sequential parts. The first part is agenda setting, which occurs when different health-related problems, solutions, and political dynamics interact (Longest, 2016). Therefore, for the process of policymaking to progress, there must be a political actor to initiate specific problem-solution combinations and, consequently, the policy development pathway. The agenda-setting step plays a key role in determining what would be prioritized in the policymaking process. It shapes how the combinations of problems, potential solutions, and political circumstances emerge and progresses in the policymaking continuum (Longest, 2016). After a problem whose solution lies in public policy becomes prominent in the political agenda, it can proceed to the second part of the formulation phase, the development of legislation.
The development of legislation is characterized by policymakers proposing specific legislation to address the problems. As informed by Longest (2016), the legislation can be thought of as unproven solutions to the issues identified. In this part, the proposals by policymakers pass through carefully prescribed steps, which can lead to new laws or amendments to ones previously enacted. Proposals can be submitted by politicians, private citizens, interest groups, or the executive branch. For example, for the ACA legislation, the Obama registration communicated a set of principles to Congress, which drafted the legislation (Longest, 2016). The stakeholders involved in the formulation phase can be many, but Congress is the constant one as only its members can introduce legislation. In Congress, a bill goes through 13 steps, meaning only a few can become law.
Implementation Phase
The output of the formulation phase is a new or amended law. As such, when the formulation phase ends with the enactment of legislation, it paves the way for the implementation phase. However, as Longest (2016) pointed out, the boundary between the formulation and implementation phases is porous. There is a symbiotic relations...