Reforming Maternity Care in America, Essay Example

Distinguish between the pros and cons that often emerge from various Regulatory agency policies on the nursing practice environment

Some regulatory agency polices as it pertains to the obstetric nursing practice environment encompass those embedded in Medicaid coverage, affordable care act benefits and maternity care regulations employed by specific healthcare organizations. Essentially, in distinguishing between the pros and cons regarding these policy implications on obstetric care, is to examine the extent to which they facilitate access to available obstetric services or prevent certain groups in the society from obtaining quality maternity care.

For example, the Affordable Care Act regarding maternity care in America, with a few variations among states provides access to maternity care for uninsured women or those whose insurance policies did not cover maternity care. From this standpoint the Affordable Care Act has brought tremendous relief to pregnant women in the society (US Department of Health and Human Services, 2015). However, the disadvantage to be considered is whether this policy was designed to improve quality of maternity care in a country plagued with increasing maternal mortality rates? Has it helped to reduce these rates? This is where policy makers have to measure the impact of their actions in regulating certain irregularities in healthcare delivery.

Similarly, the Medicaid policies affecting obstetric practice environment may require more advanced nurses to be trained and conduct vaginal deliveries, rather than doctors, in controlling maternity care costs. It makes no sense having the affordable care act provisions and still huge copayments for maternity care are incurred. Interest groups have raised alarm at the cost of maternity care in America (Midwives Alliance (2009). Indeed a disadvantage in execution of these meant to improve health care delivery policies, lies in the realization of whether they are efficient in accomplishing the projected policy goals.

References

Midwives Alliance (2009). Reforming Maternity Care in America. Retrieved on October 2^nd , 2015 from http://mana.org/pdfs/MANARecsToObamaHealthTeamJan09

US Department of Health and Human Services (2015).The Affordable Care Act and Maternity Care. Retrieved on October 6^th, 2015 from http://www.hhs.gov/healthcare/facts/factsheets/2015/05/affordable-care-act-maternity-care.html