Healthcare costs continue to rise making it difficult for many employees to receive the kind of care they need. Many employers have now shifted health care costs to their workers. According to Parrott (2014), health care providers are worried that many employees are relinquishing necessary care because they cannot afford it. A similar problem is experienced by employees who are on employment-based healthcare system. The United States Department of Labor (2001) points out that approximately 66 per cent of the United States population is covered by the employment-based medical plans, yet many poor people are unable to pay for the employment-based coverage. The nurse can play a very important role in helping employees obtain the necessary health care needs through a legislative process (Maryland and Gonzalez, 2012).
This problem can be solved a great deal if employers begin to meet employee health insurance costs instead of leaving the entire burden to employees. The best proposal for the existing organizational problem is that, ‘Employers must meet health insurance costs for all their employees.’ When this proposal is changed into law, employee health care costs will be shifted legally to the employer. This will enable all workers to receive the kind of health care they need irrespective of how little their basic salary may be. As Maryland and Gonzalez (2012) state, nurses can use patient problems to impact public policy, and they must provide accurate information in order to achieve the desired outcome. Through a legislative process, the above mentioned proposal can be changed into law for the benefit of current and future employees.
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In order to turn this proposal into law, it will have to be communicated to a member of staff who also feels that the issue can be addressed through a legislative process (Maryland and Gonzalez, 2012). The legal counsel will work together with the staff member in order to develop a bill that will be voted for or against. After a bill will have been developed with the assistance of a legal counsel, the staff member will have to seek for support from his colleagues before the bill is introduced for debate.
According to Maryland and Gonzalez (2012), introduction of a bill only occurs after the proposed piece of legislation has secured some support. Nurses are very impulsive when it comes to introduction of a new bill (Maryland and Gonzalez, 2012). The nurse will have to get a sponsor who will persuade his or her colleagues to support the bill by appending their signatures. Since the elected sponsor and his or her colleagues forming part of the committee are not health care providers, the nurse’s level of commitment and experience will determine whether the bill will be introduced or not (Institute of Medicine of the National Academies, 2010).
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If the bill obtains significant support at this stage, it will go to a full House for consideration. The advantages of the bill will be examined by members of the House who will then debate and vote. If more than half of the House members vote in favor of the bill, it will be sent to the Senate for further debate and approval (The U.S. Constitution Online, 2010). Otherwise, the bill will either be abandoned or sent back to the committee for further amendments. In the Senate, the merits of the bill will be examined, after which members will debate and vote. The bill will be allowed to move to the next level if more than half of the Senate members vote in its favor. The voting process, in the House and in the Senate, is very simple and can either be done manually or electronically (The U.S. Constitution Online, 2010).
If the bill is successfully approved by both the House and the Senate, it will be taken to the Governor. The bill will become law if the Governor accepts to sign it (The U.S. Constitution Online, 2010). However, the Governor may reject the bill and send it back to the House and Senate committees. The two houses may decide to override the Governor’s veto and this will only occur if two thirds of votes are established. The House and the Senate committees may also decide to make necessary changes on the bill to enable the Governor to sign it into law, or support the Governor’s idea to reject the bill. Suppose the legislature overrides the Governor’s signature, the Governor will be compelled to sign the bill into law (The U.S. Constitution Online, 2010). Basically, all employers will be legally obliged to meet health insurance costs for all their employees. Eventually, employee health care costs will now be shifted their employers and workers will now be able to receive the kind of care they need.
In conclusion, it is clear that nurses are very good advocates for their patients or clients, both in the community and in organizations. This paper has adequately demonstrated how a nurse can engage in a legislative process to impact health care costs for workers. For nurses to obtain significant support of their proposed legislation from their sponsors, members of the House and the Senate members, they must be sure that the issue being addressed will bring numerous advantages to the community or the group in question.
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