1) What vulnerabilities did the Affordable Care Act face?

Name at least six and discuss the difficulties

with each factor contributing to its vulnerability and/or lack of popularity.

2) Describe America’s historical reliance on informal versus formal long‐term care. What factors caused
this shift? Given this history, what future challenges could be expected due to demographic, economic,
and other trends? Name at least four reasons why private LTC insurance has lacked popularity and not
gained traction with American consumers. What new model of insurance appeared recently on the
market from several major insurers that may reshape demand patterns?

3) This question has 2 parts: 1) Identify three examples of vulnerable population groups in the U.S.
experiencing health disparities and explain why they persist in the U. S. With each example, provide a
particular health disease or illness – or associated mortality – based on epidemiological research for
each population group identified; and 2) Describe four measures that have recently been enacted to
address the problem of such disparities. It is possible that a measure may be broad enough to address
all three of your identified disparities/population groups or specific enough to target just one of your
examples. You still need to describe a total of four such measures in your response.

4) How would you characterize the future needs in the healthcare provider workforce? What changes
are being implemented to help meet tomorrow’s challenges as you have described them? Name at least
three additional measures not already underway that might be undertaken.

5) Compare and contrast the U.S. healthcare delivery system to that in the U.K. and separately to that in
Germany. What features are preferable in each? Which aspects of each make it particularly vulnerable
to criticism? Which characteristics are most likely to be more costly and why? Less costly and why? If
you were able to change one major aspect of the U.S. healthcare system, what would it be and why?
How would you argue with policymakers and the public to support your change?

6) Explain what is health policy and how it is used. Describe principal features of U.S. health policy. Give
three examples of the impact of presidential leadership on health policy in the U.S. Explain the cycle of
how policies are routinely formulated and implemented, including Congressional involvement. What is
the primary online means of communicating proposed regulations and policy? As in the case of the
Affordable Care Act, how might the final outcome of such new legislation be shaped?