Health care system - Research Paper Example

A simple majority vote allows the bill to move to senate, and the same procedure is repeated. A simple majority vote is sufficient to pass the bill through this stage. The final stage includes an assessment of the bill by the conference committee that compares resultant bill versions from the two stages. Finally, the bill returns to the senate and the House for approval. After the approval the bill is printed and delivered to the president to veto or sign it in to law (United States House of Representatives, 2012).

The passage of bills into laws does not however, only include the political class. In addition to the politicians, other special groups such as consumer groups, lobbyists and other stakeholders often take part indirectly in the legislative process. These groups often take part by engaging in advocacy processes. This involves stating and identifying issues, gathering information, mobilizing people, seeking resources, creating alliances, networking, seeking media support, contacting the government and coercing legislators to support the bills.

In a nut shell, such teams work to ensure that the bill is passed into law (Michael, 2012). The passage of the Affordable Care Act is a good example of legislations that received considerable support from consumer groups, lobbyists and other stakeholders. . On the other hand, republicans, insurance companies and conservatives were opposed to the bill. Notably, various advocacy groups engaged in pushing legislators to pass the bill. In addition, they engaged in various activities within the advocacy framework such as sensitizing the public and gathering research information on the effects of the bill.

The supportive advocacy groups included the “American Association of Retired Persons” (AARP), “National Association for the Advancement of Colored People” (NAACP), “American Medical Association” (AMA), and the “American Osteopathic Association” (AOA) among many others (Roy, 2012; SurgiStrategies, 2012: Hughes, 2010). 2. Discuss the expanding role of public health services in today's environment in terms of wellness, prevention, and bioterrorism Primary Healthcare (PHC) denotes professional healthcare delivered by practice nurses and general practitioners.

PHC covers a wide range of preventive and health services, including screening, disease prevention, counseling and education. It also concerns issues of health access enhancement, environment and lifestyle changes. Primary healthcare is important in defining the quality of life and health of a population because it intervenes in the health sustenance process earlier before the development of diseases or conditions that favor diseases (Academy Health, 2009). PHC plays a significant role in educating the public on how to develop better health within communities by educating them on environmental issues and preventive matters.

The fact that PHC intervenes before the occurrence of diseases makes it important in the healthcare