Letter to Congresswoman Luria

Nursing 412 – Ethics, Law, Economics & Health Policy: Application to Quality Nursing
Practice
Purpose of Assignment
The purpose of this assignment is to allow the student the opportunity to complete an in-
depth analysis of a health issue in order to serve as an expert witness advocating for community
health nursing and consumers.
Student Approach to Assignment
The healthcare bill “H.R. 986: Protecting Americans with Pre-existing Conditions Act of
2019” quickly became the subject of this assignment as I and many of my family members have
pre-existing health conditions. This assignment showcases my personal connections to
individuals with pre-existing conditions and therefore my compassion towards patients with pre-
existing conditions. I feel that this assignment gave me insight about the process through which
healthcare bills are passed into law.
Reason for Inclusion of this Assignment in the Portfolio
I chose to include this project in my portfolio because it helped me to understand some of
the legal aspects of healthcare as well as the obstacles that patients may face in receiving
adequate care. I feel that this assignment required me to grow as a student and as a nurse by
providing the opportunity to communicate with a public official and to advocate for a population
that is important in my personal and professional life.
Critical Thinking
 Uses decision-making skills in making clinical or professional judgments:
This group assignment required decision making skills in order to make a professional
judgement about which healthcare bill would be supported. It was decided to advocate for
H.R. 986: Protecting Americans with Pre-existing Conditions Act of 2019 due to the many
individuals we as nurses encounter with pre-existing conditions.
 Revises actions and goals based on evidence rather than conjecture:
The letter to Congresswoman Luria was written after evidence about Americans with pre-
existing conditions was gathered from research articles from The American Journal of
Preventative Medicine and The Journal of the American Medical Association. H.R. 986 was
also studied in order to develop the letter to Congresswoman Luria with an overall goal to
enlist her support of the healthcare bill.
Nursing Practice
 Applies appropriate knowledge of major health problems to guide nursing practice:
This assignment required knowledge of pre-existing health conditions including diabetes,
asthma, respiratory conditions, and cardiac conditions which are all reasons for which health
insurance can be denied without H.R. 986. A general understanding of each of these pre-
existing conditions was required to recognize the ways in which a patient can be affected if
 they do not have health insurance and therefore appropriate health care. Advocating for H.R.
986 is a method that can improve the lives of patients with pre-existing conditions.
Communication

 Expresses oneself and communicates effectively with diverse groups using a variety of
media:
This project required me to communicate through a variety of methods with a variety of
people. Because it was a group project, I communicated with my group members via email
and text message. Additionally, I was required to email Congresswoman Luria, which I
completed through her website. The email was required to be professional, succinct, and
well-researched.
 Accesses and utilizes data and information from a wide range of sources to enhance
patient and professional communication:
In order to develop an informed, persuasive email, information about H.R. 986 was obtained
through congress.gov/bill. Additional information was gathered from The American Journal
of Preventative Medicine, The Journal of the American Medical Association, and Centers for
Medicare and Medicaid Services.

Teaching
 Uses information technologies to communicate health promotion, risk reduction, and
disease prevention:
Email through Congresswoman Luria’s website was utilized to communicate the need for
health insurance availability to Americans with pre-existing conditions. The availability of
health insurance to Americans with pre-existing conditions promotes health by reducing
costs of healthcare visits, reduces risk by increasing the likelihood that individuals will attend
regularly scheduled specialty appointments, and prevents disease by encouraging individuals
to attend preventative visits.
 Uses informatics to enhance one’s own knowledge base to support teaching:
Prior to this project, I was not well informed about the potential obstacles of obtaining health
insurance for individuals with pre-existing conditions. In order to obtain the information
needed to make a well-informed advocacy paper, which served as a teaching mechanism for
readers, I used sources that include The American Journal of Preventative Medicine, The
Journal of the American Medical Association, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services,
and information about H.R. 986.

Research
 Shares research findings with colleagues:
The research associated with this assignment was shared with my group members. We
collaborated to complete research and then shared our findings via Google Docs.
Additionally, information that was gleaned from the research process was included in the
email to Congresswoman Luria in order to support claims with evidence.

Leadership
 Initiates community partnerships to establish health promotion goals and implements
strategies to meet those goals:
 This assignment gave me the opportunity to establish health promotion goals through the
promotion of health insurance for Americans with pre-existing conditions. My group and I
contacted Congresswoman Luria to initiate community partnership and to ensure her support
for H.R. 986.

Professionalism
 Understands the effect of legal and regulatory processes on nursing practice and health
care delivery:
Prior to this project, I was not familiar with the legal and regulatory processes in nursing and
health care delivery. However, this assignment required me to research information about the
process that a healthcare bill must go through prior to being passed into law. I learned that
citizens have the ability contact congressmen/congresswomen in order to influence whether
or not a bill becomes a law. I also learned that as a nurse, I have the ability to be an “expert”
witness for healthcare bills.
 Applies an ethical decision-making framework and legal guidelines to clinical situations
that incorporate moral concepts, professional ethics, and advocacy for patient well-being
and preferences:
The advocacy paper that was sent to Congresswoman Luria discussed the need for
availability of health insurance for individuals with pre-existing conditions. H.R. 986
promotes patient well-being by promoting the availability of health insurance to those with
pre-existing conditions. The advocacy also incorporates ethical decision-making framework
through the discussion of fairness of creating obstacles in obtaining healthcare to individuals
with preexisting conditions that these individuals may have no control over.
 Advocates for professional standards of practice using organizational and political
processes:
This assignment provided me with the opportunity to advocate for H.R. 986, which supports
the availability of health insurance for individuals with pre-existing conditions. A political
process was utilized by emailing Congresswoman Luria to ask for her support of the bill.

Culture
 Considers the impact of research outcomes and, the effects of health and social policies,
on persons from diverse backgrounds:
The health policy, H.R. 986 ensures that all Americans including those with pre-existing
conditions have adequate opportunity to obtain healthcare insurance. This bill also ensures
that individuals from all backgrounds, including those with fewer financial resources have an
opportunity to obtain healthcare and therefore seek medical treatment.