Policymakers are elected officials who play a crucial role in the establishment of policies that address various societal concerns. Policymakers initiate different policies depending on the specific issues to be addressed by the legislation. In most cases, these officials propose policies, which undergo the different stages in the policymaking process before being enacted into law. An example of a policymaker who has played a crucial role in the development of a policy to address a healthcare issue is Representative Michael Burgess. Rep. Burgess is a Republican representative from Texas’ 26th congressional district where he has served since January 2003 (Burgess, n.d.). Prior to joining the U.S. House of Representatives, Burgess practiced medicine for approximately three decades. I selected this policymaker because of his wealth of experience in the medical field as well as his service as a Congressman. Additionally, he has sponsored several bills to address different issues in the healthcare field.
A healthcare policy issue of interest that is supported by Representative Michael Burgess is maternity care. Burgess has sponsored a bill that is geared towards enhancing access to maternity care, which is known as, “Improving Access to Maternity Care Act” (GovTrack, 2017). While the United States spends way more than other developed countries on maternity care, access to such care services continues to be a major problem. Additionally, the country continues to experience poor maternal and infant health outcomes despite the increased expenditure (Midwife, 2014). One of the problematic areas in access to maternity care is placement of maternity healthcare professionals in the existing primary care shortage areas. Even though these professionals can be involved in the National Health Service Corps, they are not usually placed in the most critical areas, which enhance the problem of access to maternity care and require improvement.
References
Burgess, M.C. (2017). Biography. Retrieved from U.S. House of Representatives website: https://burgess.house.gov/about/
GovTrack. (2017, March 15). H.R. 315: Improving Access to Maternity Care Act. Retrieved September 13, 2017, from https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/115/hr315/summary
Midwife. (2014, June 1). Maternity Care in the US: Statement of the Problem. Retrieved September 13, 2017, from http://www.midwife.org/acnm/files/ccLibraryFiles/Filename/000000003784/MACPACAttachmentFinal1-6-14.pdf
