Public Policy

Introduction Public policy is a product of politics and a course of action that the government uses to address a problem (Magleby & Light, 2009). Public policies have several purposes. Climate change and opportunities are two examples of policy purposes. The policy process is difficult to achieve for several reasons. One reason is that not all citizen agree on the policy, especially if it takes away their benefits. Another reason is that policies to not always make it past the deciding to act step, which results in nondecisions (Magleby & Light, 2009). There are three types of public policy used by the government; distributive, redistributive, and counterdistributive (Magleby & Light, 2009)

Identification of Public Policy Types There are

Following this, The Senate approved its version of the health care reform in a 60-39 vote (Timeline: Affordable Care Act, 2016). The act was then signed into law on March 23, 2010 by President Barack Obama. It was then upheld on June 28, 2012 by the Supreme Court (ObamaCare Facts: Facts on the Affordable Care Act, n.d). The act went into effect in January 2014.

Opinion on Recent Policy I believe that Obamacare is a work in progress. So far, it was gone well with its intended effect, but it can be improved. The act and program has granted many Americans affordable healthcare (ObamaCare Facts: Facts on the Affordable Care Act, n.d). With the creation of this policy, Americans have been given various options to chose from that fit their medical needs. However, a negative effect of the program is that new taxes had to be created so the program could be funded.

Comparison of Expected Outcome and Actual

Through this polic, various health care associations, including Medicaid, have expanded (ObamaCare Facts: Facts on the Affordable Care Act, n.d). However, this policy has caused many tax increases. Many citizens do not agree with the tax increase. The policy has worked well, but there could be some improvements to the policy so that it can reach its intended outcome (ObamaCare Facts: Facts on the Affordable Care Act, n.d).

Explanation of Impact on Different Demographic Groups Differing policies will affect different demographic groups in various ways (Magleby & Light, 2009). For example, a policy on abortion will affect women more directly then it will affect men, It will also affect religious groups who oppose abortion more than those who are unbothered by abortion (Magleby & Light, 2009). Another example is that policies made for minorities will have a greater impact on those minorities. Non-minorities will not be as affected by the policy since it is not directed toward them (Dye, 2013).

Explanation of Policies Political Parties Engage