OPEN COMMENT LETTER 5 Open Comment Letter – Draft Copy [NAME] [ADDRESS] [DATE] [THE COUNCIL AUTHORS OF LEGISLATION] [ADDRESS] Dear Sir/Madam, I am writing to address issues that are related to health disparities as well as the legislation that can be implemented to help in dealing with the vice. Ov erview Health disparities refer to the differences that may arise in the health status of different groups of persons. Factors such as race, gender, social class, disability, and sexual orientation may contribute to health disparities. The issue of racial discrimination has been a major contributor of health disparities across the U.S., with 47% of individuals from the African American and Latina population complaining of poor medical care and treatment. The aged population has also been affected directly by the issue of health disparity, with most of them having to face the challenges of poor medical care. In the quest of dealing with the issue of health disparities, it is vital to employ the use of the health equity legislation act. The Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2014 was passed by the Congress to help in addressing the issues of health disparities across the U.S. Intended Consequences of the Legislation The implementation of the Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2014 will help in addressing the issue of health disparity across the U.S. First and foremost, the legislative act will call for the equal medical care and treatment to all individuals, irrespective of their gender, race, and social class. The piece of legislation will call for the medical practitioners to be on the frontline in providing the necessary treatments to these vulnerable groups (Braveman et al., 2011). Moreover, it will be a requirement for all the healthcare organizations across the U.S. to come up with healthcare disparities programs that will aim at educating the medical practitioners in providing equal treatments to all individuals. Specific medical attention will be provided to the elderly, to help them lead normal lives. Interpretation of the Major Tenets of Legislation As for the health practitioners, it will be a requirement for them to ensure that they provide equal medical care to all the patients. Moreover, the health equality act will help the health practitioners come up with suitable decisions on how to handle all patients equally without discriminating against them (Laurencin, 2014). As for the consumers of the healthcare services, by having an idea of the legislation, they will be able to fight for their rights. In the event of health disparities, they will have an idea of how to handle the issue, as well as the personnel that they will be able to approach and address their issues. Summary of the Logical Interpretation of the Legislation The Health Equity and Accountability Act will aim at addressing the issues of health disparities within the health organizations across the U.S. The member of the congress will be required to stress his or her commitment to the health equity, and this will be evident through his or her urge to help me in conducting population-specific, community-based participatory research; establishing health education programs for special populations; and promoting the inclusion of minority and discriminated groups in clinical trials (Laurencin, 2014). Based on the legislative act, all the healthcare facilities will be required to ensure that they provide adequate medical support to vulnerable populations, and this will be possible if the member of the congress will facilitate the application of the Act. The Outcomes of Legislation The implementation of the health equity legislation will help in dealing with the issue of health disparities. As a congress member, it will be his or her role to ensure that he or she stresses to the other members of the congress on the importance implementing the legislative act within the health care organization (Anderson, 2011). Once the healthcare center starts applying the legislation, some of the outcomes that will be witnessed will include an improvement in the level of medical care and treatment to those vulnerable groups that initially faced the problem of medical discrimination. The legislation will also help in improving the work diversity of the healthcare practitioners within the health organization, and this will, in a bigger picture, help to improve their performance and working relations. Key Health Issue The reduction of the costs of medical and healthcare services can help in addressing the issue of health disparities. The reduction of the costs of these services means that people from the disadvantaged social classes will be able to meet their healthcare needs. By reducing the costs of medical care services and ensuring that health practitioners go through a health disparity program, all patients will receive equal healthcare services irrespective of their gender, age, or race. Moreover, by reducing the demand for the healthcare services, it will be easier to implement the legislation on health equity. Impact of Legislation The implementation of the health equity legislative act will have a direct effect on the financial health of providers working for the military or government-sponsored care financing models. The implementation of the health equity act is aimed at ensuring that all patients receive equal medical treatment. Both military and government-sponsored care organizations will have to come up with health disparities programs, and this will require that funds are also set aside for these programs. Proposals to the Socioeconomic Determinants of Health Some of the socioeconomic determinants of health include poverty, education, and diversity. There are various changes that can be made to the health equity legislation act to directly affect the socioeconomic determinants of health (Anderson, 2011). Some of these changes include ensuring that all the organizations abide by the legislation. Failure to abide will lead to organizations having their licenses withdrawn. These changes will also ensure that the legislation solely focuses on the aspect of socioeconomics about health. The health organizations will have to ensure that they come up with programs that will aim at ensuring that all the medical practitioners are trained on how to apply the health equity act. Once these medical practitioners undergo the training, they will ensure that they administer equal medical care to people from all races. I would appreciate if the legislation could be implemented within the shortest time possible to help in addressing the issues of health disparities. Yours sincerely, [SIGNATURE]
