INDIVIDUAL HEALTH POLICY ANALYSIS

1 Assignment Instructions

INDIVIDUAL HEALTH POLICY ANALYSIS THESIS: DUE DATE: 11/19/2022 (20 pages minimum, excluding references and appendices). The thesis will follow the format of a health policy analysis report model (see below). There will also be instruction in Module 2.

Thesis template: Each student will be responsible to turn in a health policy analysis thesis based on their own individually selected topic. Chapter 13, “The Art of Structuring and Writing a Health Policy Analysis” by Teitelbaum and Wilensky (in Canvas) explains how your health policy analysis thesis should be written. The health policy analysis thesis requires the use of the health policy analysis template which can be found at the end of this document. The policy thesis paper will be 20 pages excluding references and appendices. All students will be required to certify on Canvas that they have read the Chapter 13 assignment.

Also, each student must complete the thesis checklist. See below.

Health Policy Analysis thesis papers and other papers and projects must be submitted through Turnitin in Canvas.

Thesis Checklist

General

____ Did you review Chapter 13? Did you review the Module 2 presentation on the Healthcare Analysis Policy? (Both found in W2L under Modules)

____ Does every single sentence relate back to the problem? One way to check this is to read your paper starting from the last sentence forward.

____ Did you catch simple grammar and sentence structure? Reading your paper out loud can help you identify the mistakes.

____ Did you use the APA template and keep the same headings?

____ Did you provide evidence-based research and data? Use the research/data to make your points.

____ Did you remove all personal pronouns? Replace your opinions with data and evidence-based research.

____ Did you remove the comments from the template?

____ Did you explain any tables/chart/graphs/etc. used in the text of the paper? Visuals are excellent, but they need to be explained with words.

___ When referring to the United States, did you include the 2nd period U.S.?

___ Did you finish your paper and put it aside for a few hours or days and then review it again with fresh eyes?

___ Did you make sure there is not a page break between the problem statement and background sections?

___ Did you only introduce an acronym if you used it later in the paper? Did you only introduce an acronym one time? Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).

___ Did you spell out numbers up to 10?

___ Did you give your thesis a title? Are the important words in the title capitalized?

Problem Statement

____ Is the problem statement question succinct and specific?

____ The problem statement question is not a yes or no question.

____ Do you identify the primary stakeholder (the client) in the problem statement question?

Background

____ Does the background section provide factual content to paint a complete picture of the problem?

___ Do you include data and evidence-based research?

Landscape (use subheadings)

____ Does the landscape section identify the key stakeholders regarding the problem?

____ Does the landscape section identify the key concerns (economic, political, practical, legal, etc.) of the stakeholders regarding the problem?

____ Do you use subheadings?

Options – the heart of analysis of the paper

____ Are each of the options something the client, named in the problem statement, can carry out? For example, if your client is Congress, the options should focus on legislation. If your client is an agency such as the CDC, then the options should address policy and regulation. If your client is the CDC, your options should not address passing laws.

____ Do you have 3 to 5 options?

____ Do you analyze each option equally (pros & cons of each, no favoritism)?

____ Does the options section flow from the problem statement?

____ Do your options include criteria such as cost, cost-benefit, political feasibility, legality, administrative ease, fairness, ROI, timeliness, and targeted impact?

____ Do you include data and research to make your points in the options?

____ Do you include subheadings for your options?

Recommendation

____ Do you offer 1 option as the best solution?

____ Do you discuss why you selected the specific option?

____ Do you discuss how the option was reached?

____ Do you consider your client’s values and power and if they have the power to implement the option? If they don’t have the power to implement the option, then you need to change your options.

____ Do you discuss possible drawbacks of the option recommended and how they can be handled?

Conclusion

____ Is the conclusion concise?

____ Does the conclusion summarize your findings?

____ Do you conclude with a strong persuasive statement?

APA, In-text Citations, & References

____ Did you remember to cite any information you gathered from a source?

____ Did you cite the tables/charts/graphs/etc. in the text of the paper and include a reference in the reference list?

____ Do all of your exact quotes include page or paragraph numbers? If not, it is considered plagiarism.

____ Did you double-check that you did not include the 1st initials of authors in the in-text citations?

____ Did you use the template? Did you remove all comments from the template before submitting?

____ Do your references match the in-text citations and vice versa? Remember, if you use The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in your reference list, then the in-text citation needs to be The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (not CDC). An easy way to check this is to use Control F.

___ Are the journal titles and volumes italicized in your reference list? Article titles are not italicized.

___ Are your references double-spaced?

___ Are your references in alphabetical order?

___ Does your reference list start on a new page?

___ Did you check that the important words in journal titles are capitalized? Did you check that only the 1st word, the word after a colon, and proper nouns are capitalized in article, book and website titles?

Comment by Sarah J. Hammill: Be sure to remove all of the comments from the original document.

Health Policy AnalysisComment by Sarah J. Hammill: Change to the title of your thesis. Important words in titles are capitalized.

Your Complete Name

Florida International University

MAN6974: HCMBA Thesis

Abstract

The abstract is optional. If you are going to include it, then it goes on page 2 by itself. Start on page 3 with the Problem Statement. The abstract should be about 250 words and is a summary of your health policy analysis! We don’t want to read an abstract of an article you found on your topic. Comment by Sarah J. Hammill: If you are going to include your abstract, be sure to read it over for grammar and sentence structure issues. The Writing Coach doesn’t review abstracts in the optional submissions because they are graded separately.

Problem StatementComment by Sarah J. Hammill: This section can simply be the problem statement question. It should not be a yes/no question. It shouldn’t be too broad. Your problem statement question guides your entire paper. Everything must relate back to your problem statement question. This can be the toughest part of your paper. Once the problem statement is approved, it cannot be changed without permission.

Make sure to write clear and concise sentences. Avoid writing wordy and lengthy sentences and do not use inflated words. Express your ideas as clearly as possible. Write a clear problem statement in the form of a single question. This is the starting point of your analysis, so writing a succinct problem statement will frame the entire analysis. As research analysts, your goal is to connect all the dots across the various sections of the final analysis and align them closely with the problem statement.

Ask yourself whether the problem statement is too broad. Depending on the research problem under analysis, it might be necessary to narrow it. This can be accomplished by focusing on a specific demographic group or geographical area. For instance, does your research problem specifically address challenges in the South Florida region? Does it concern African-American single parents without health insurance coverage?

As a rule of thumb, this section (serving as the introduction to your analysis) should clearly specify “the needs and concerns of your client” (Tietelbaum & Wilensky, 2013, p. 255) . Note that the phrase enclosed by double quotation marks was copied verbatim from Tietelbaum and Wilensky’s text; therefore, credit must be given to these authors and a page number must be provided for all direct quotations. Please remember that if direct quotations include 40 words or more, a block quotation format must be used (see APA Manual, 6th ed., p. 92). Make sure NOT to use double quotation marks to enclose block quotations. If you are paraphrasing the material, it is not necessary to include a page or paragraph number within parenthetical citations. However, you must always give credit to original authors even if paraphrasing their material.

Finally, you should avoid writing vague statements. The problem statement should focus on a specific issue, as opposed to a series of issues. This will make the analytical process more

manageable. Make sure NOT to offer any solutions in this section of your analysis. Avoid writing long sentences whenever possible.

Background

It is essential to remember that the Background section is informational, as opposed to analytical. In this section, you should specify why your team was charged with the analysis of this problem. It is equally important to keep your “audience” in mind at all times. In addition to your client (primary audience), other readers include your professor and possible faculty members and/or healthcare industry practitioners interested in your topic. Providing as many relevant facts (from empirical research) as possible, will strengthened your viewpoints and, ostensibly, persuade your client as to why your proposed solution is the most appropriate. However, to reiterate, remember this section is just “informing” others about the facts emerging from your research. This section should not “analyze” the issue(s) at hand or offer any recommendations at this point.

LandscapeComment by Sarah J. Hammill: Use subheadings. I recommend that the stakeholders be your subheadings. Discuss the issues (legal, political, practical, and economic) that are important to each stakeholder.

Similar to the preceding Background section, the content of the Landscape section is two-fold: to identify “key stakeholders and the factors that must be considered when analyzing the problem” (Tietelbaum & Wilensky, 2013, p. 256) . Your research should identify the main stakeholders. In addition to your client, who is the main stakeholder, other individuals or entities directly related to the research problem must also be identified.

Among the factors underlying policy implementation are the political, economic, practical, and legal factors. Please refer to Tietelbaum and Wilensky’s text (p. 257) for specific details about these factors. Finally, this section can be organized by stakeholders or by factors.

OptionsComment by Sarah J. Hammill: Use subheadings. Option 1… Option 2… etc.Discuss the pros and cons of each option.This section should be detailed. It is the heart of your paper. Professor Weismann and Ganske want to see analysis and the culmination of your knowledge from the program in this section.

The Background and Landscape sections serve as the preamble to this policy analysis and puts the research problem in context. The options section is the heart of your paper. It is the analysis and should be detailed. Each option should be weighted equally. Be sure to use the factors in box 3.2 in analyzing each option (Tietelbaum & Wilensky, 2013, p. 260).

Tietelbaum and Wilensky (2013) suggest “three to five alternatives for your client to consider” (p. 259). Your team should provide the positive and negative aspects (i.e., pros and cons) for each alternative. This is what the authors deem “a balanced analysis”. They also suggest selecting between three and five criteria to run the pro vs. con analysis. Some criteria include: cost, Return-on Investment, political feasibility, etc. It is important to remember that your client’s values and his/her ability to make (or not make) decisions (i.e., power) must be kept in mind when making your final recommendation.

Organizing your list of options logically is extremely important. The first sentence in each “Option” subsection should clearly describe that option. When analyzing each option consider the following:

· Cost: How much does each option cost?

· Cost-Benefit Analysis: Cost versus the value of each option.

· Political Feasibility: Are the options viable?

· Legal Implications: Are the options legal? What are the ramifications?

· Administrative Ease: How difficult would each option be to implement?

· Fairness: Does each option treat individuals affected fairly?

· Timeliness: Can each option be implemented in a timely reasonable fashion?

· Targeted Impact: Does each option actually target the problem/population involved (Tietelbaum & Wilensky, 2013, p. 260).

Option 1. Describe the option. What are the pros of this option? What are the cons of this option? Explain your argument briefly and concisely.

Option 2. Describe the option. What are the pros of this option? What are the cons of this option? Explain your argument briefly and concisely.

Option 3. Describe the option. What are the pros of this option? What are the cons of this option? Explain your argument briefly and concisely.

Option 4. Describe the option. What are the pros of this option? What are the cons of this option? Explain your argument briefly and concisely.

Your team may choose to insert brief tables in this section to illustrate how the team assessed each option. Make sure to keep the table content concise and brief, as tables are supposed to supplement your narrative. You might want to refer to the analytic side-by-side Table 13-2 appearing on page 261 of Tietelbaum and Wilensky’s textbook.

Recommendation

Choose ONLY ONE option as your recommendation. Why did your team choose this option over the other ones? Did your team consider the client’s values and power when choosing this option? Did the team consider and identify any possible drawbacks this recommended option may have in its implementation? Did the team provide alternative ways to avert such drawbacks, if any? Make sure NOT to repeat the analysis in this section.

Conclusion

Consider writing at least one concise paragraph wrapping up the entire content of this analysis very briefly. Do not ramble! Get to the point! Do not rewrite previous sections of your paper. The key here is to SUMMARIZE your findings based on the evidence you gathered and understood from the sources you investigated. Make sure to end your concluding paragraph(s) with a persuasive statement.

ReferencesComment by Sarah J. Hammill: These references are for illustrative purposes only.References always start on a clean page.Appendices go after the references. References must be in APA.Include EVERY source you have cited in your paper.Include ONLY those sources you have cited in your paper (do not include those sources you have read but did not cite in the text of your paper).In-text citations must match your reference list and vice versa.Your references and in-text citations MUST match! If you have an in-text citation, it must be listed here and vice versa. Check your APA guide for how to do commonly known abbreviations. Use your APA Manual, library.fiu.edu/healthcaremba/cite, and APA OWL Purdue (https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/apa_style/apa_formatting_and_style_guide/general_format.html)and other resources listed in your W-2-L course.

Affordable Care Act, Volume Source § section number (2010).

Centers for Disease Control & Prevention. (2020, February 8). Youth risk behavior surveillance

data tracking: How risky behavior impacts decision-making.

.

Hammill, S.J. (2019 ). Essential APA writing. (2nd ed.). Jones & Bartlett

Learning.

Weismann, M. & Ganske, S. (2019, October 15). Health policy analysis writing: Evidence-

based research is fundamental. Journal of HCMBA, 16(3), 15-21.

Weismann, M., Ganske, S., & Hammill, S.J. (2019, October 15). Capstone students will write

great healthcare policy analysis theses. Journal of HCMBA at FIU, 12(4), 19-31.

AppendixComment by Sarah J. Hammill: Appendices go AFTER your references. Be sure to explain your appendices in the text of your paper.