How do Special Interest Groups such as ANA improve Patient Care and Outcome by Lobbying Congress?

Outline

Introduction

Special Interest Groups; Purpose behind establishment

Presence in the Health Care Industry; Structure

Discussion

Brief Historical Background of Special Interest Groups (SIG's)

Emergence

New Deal and its impact

Proliferation in the 70's and post-7's era

ANA's Practice to Improve Patient Care by Lobbying Congress

Aims and Objectives of SIG's in the Health Care Industry

Transition from Nursing Student to Nurse Advocate

Lobbying Congress

PAC and the Action Plan

Nurse Lobbyists and their roles

Conclusion

Recommendations for improvement

How do Special Interest Groups such as ANA improve Patient Care and Outcome by Lobbying Congress?

Introduction

In its broader form, special interest groups (SIG's) are the cord of interaction between government and governed, serving to protect self or societal interest. It is formed to influence public policies and legislations through lobbying for potential members of Congress. SIG's pressurize elected officials to pass legislations favorable to their interests. Also known widely as pressure groups, they exist for nearly all the sectors in the economy to voice concerns of their respective sector on Capitol Hill.

Organized interest of Medical is generally considered as one of the oldest pressure groups. Interest groups dominating American Health Care Industry comprises mainly of individuals from either government, industrial or medical sector. It has associations representing interests of Medicare, Medicaid, National Institutes of Health in the government sector. Insurance, Medical Equipment, Pharmaceutical companies are on the forefront of the industrial sector keeping a check on the balance of their interests against policies. Physicians, Hospitals and Nurses guard their interest and promote various causes in the political arena through various action committees.

Discussion

Brief Historical Background of Special Interest Groups (SIG's)

It is the part of American life since the country came into being. But the modern interest groups start to take shape in the late 19th century (Harris & Tichenor, 2011). The year 1896 gave interest groups their head-start. They heavily advertised and promoted a political party candidate. That election with interest group's lavish donations truly demonstrated the power and resources interest groups' hold.

New Deal, series of economic programs enacted between 1933 and 1936 as a response to Great Depression aimed to transform USA into modern liberal state. New Deal revolved around relief, recovery and reforms to prevent US from going into such depression again. Various federal committees were formed and programs were recognized as a result to serve businesses and their economic interests, to fortify economy (Walker Jr., 2011). As a consequence of this, advocacy groups started to propagate to protect those enacted policies that mattered most.

The group reached its peak in the 1960's. The focus this time was post-materialist issues as civil rights, women's rights, environmental rights and alike gaining momentum. This transition thrashed insular politics taking place at Congress and started to affect the policy-making through various lobbying groups (Harris & Tichenor, 2011). The advocacy groups started to nominate their members for Congress so that their voice gets even greater chance to be heard.

70's is regarded as an era that fostered even more change in command as American citizens' ...