Impact of SIGs and PACs on Healthcare Legislation, Research Paper Example

Nurses today are cognizant of the stark reality that the health care system faces many problems that must be addressed and changed. Nurses who currently practice in the real-world healthcare system have been galvanized and motivated to become advocates to influence laws, regulations, and policies governing the health care system at the macro level (Maryland & Gonzalez, 2012). Such advocacy requires nurses to transcend practice settings and immerse themselves into a less familiar world of politics and policy despite the fact that nurses do not feel equipped or prepared to effectively advocate in. Nurses succeed in their advocacy role if they put in the time, willpower, power, and energy combined with their political dexterity to influence legislative directives (Abood, 2007).  Special Interest Groups (SIG) and Planned Action Committees (PAC) both impact the legislative process as it relates to healthcare policy in the United States today. SIGs refer to communities that share an interest in promoting a certain area of learning, technology, or knowledge, and the members collaborate to impact or devise solutions within their field of expertise. Health care issues within the legislative arena must go through the manifold phases of the policy process, beginning from when a bill is first proposed to when the bill is enacted, implemented, and assessed. The policy process is not only affected by the preferences of other organizations, elected official, and other individuals, it is also profoundly impacted by SIGs (Abood, 2007). SIGs, along with other stakeholders of a certain health care policy, use various types of communication, influencing, conflict management, negotiation, problem-solving skills, and critical thinking within the political sphere in order to yield a desired outcome for healthcare policy.

Political Action Committees influence the legislative process in relation to healthcare directives in a slightly different manner. PACs are usually a group of more than two people who collaborate with the purpose of opposing or supporting a political party, and political candidate, or a certain issue in order to influence or sway the result of elections vis-à-vis advocacy. Professional associations retain the capacity to benefit nurse advocates by providing them with the tools and information to make sure that political candidates support the nursing profession, which is why registering to vote is so crucial. An established PAC can facilitate nurse advocacy by helping nurses and other medical personnel ascertain what issues elected officials stand for in addition to finding any opportunity for nurse advocates to work for a candidate or elected official that supports healthcare issues and nursing and thus would draft legislation in favor of healthcare.

References

Abood, S. (January 31, 2007). “Influencing Health Care in the Legislative Arena”.OJIN: The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing. Vol. 12 No. 1, Manuscript 2.

Maryland, M., & Gonzalez, R. (January 31, 2012). “Patient Advocacy in the Community and Legislative Arenas” OJIN: The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing Vol. 17, No. 1, Manuscript 2