NURS 8100 Week 2 Assignment: Advocacy Area

NURS 8100 Week 2 Assignment

Advocacy Area

Student Name

Walden University

NURS-8100

Prof. Dr. Mary Bemker Houghtaling

March 2025

Advocacy Area

Access to healthcare is a right, but most disadvantaged and poor populations remain disproportionately affected by political factors in health. Medicaid expansion policies limiting the same, defunding community health programs, and imposing bureaucratic barriers create barriers for individuals to access required medical care. To address these structural disparities is to be a top advocacy issue in this course because equal access to healthcare affects health outcomes, decreases the prevalence of chronic disease, and conforms to nursing ethics of beneficence and justice (Jindal et al., 2023). Through policy change, these obstacles can be removed, thus guaranteeing healthcare access for all, irrespective of socioeconomic status.

Why This Advocacy Issue Is Most Important

Limited access to health care prevents unnecessary hospitalization, inadequate chronic disease control, and heightened health disparities. Most people, especially in vulnerable populations, cannot afford required treatments, medications, and preventive services because of high charges and limiting policies. Studies have shown that non-expansion states leave millions of people uninsured, widening disparities in diabetes, hypertension, and maternal health (Jack, 2021). These inequalities will keep on disproportionately affecting low-income and minority groups if not dealt with, resulting in continuous cycles of ill health and economic insecurity.

Policy Solutions to Mitigate or Eliminate This Issue

Healthcare inequities must be corrected through far-reaching policy changes. The expansion of Medicaid and enhanced support for community health clinics can make healthcare more accessible to high-risk populations. Besides, policies that deal with social determinants of health, like affordable housing, food stamps, and mass transit, can contribute to general well-being and alleviate pressures on the healthcare system (Kreuter et al., 2021). Legislative actions should also address removing administrative obstacles hindering people’s access to required medical care, providing equal access to healthcare to everyone.

Conclusion

Equitable access to health care is a critical advocacy issue that needs to be addressed to minimize inequalities and enhance patient outcomes. Political determinants of health influence a person’s capacity to access care, and policy-led interventions are, therefore, critical. Nurses have an important role in shaping healthcare reforms through advocacy, professional association engagement, and legislative action. Through disassembling such system barriers, health can become more accessible, equitable, and inclusive, hence improving public health and ensuring everybody gets the health care they deserve.