Public Policy Decisions Have Been

¶ … public policy decisions have been constantly evolving. Part of the reason for this, is because of shifts that are taking place in the economy and the needs of people. To fully understand how this is affecting the federal and state governments requires outlining various policy decisions that have been implements at each level. Once this occurs, it will provide the greatest insights as to how these choices are impacting the kinds of services that are being delivered.

A Definition of Public Policy

Public policies are when the different levels of government are enacting various laws, regulations and programs to address issues that are affecting the general populace. This takes place on: the national, state and local levels. ("Defining Public Policy," 2006)

Three Federal Policies

The three federal polices include: health care reform, controlling the deficit and improving economic activity. As far as health care reform is concerned, the federal government has been taking aggressive steps to force business to provide some kind of health insurance to their employees. This is accomplished under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. The resources that are being utilized to advance these policies are to provide additional funding to the states in the form of block grants. The actions that were taken, is to mandate that all employers will be required to provide some kind of health insurance for their employees (either through their own program or one that is based off of the federal model). ("Federal Public Policy," 2011) I am in agreement with this program and the effects that it having.

When it comes to controlling the deficit, the federal government is trying to limit their amounts of spending and reduce the number of entitlement programs. The resources that they are using to achieve this objective are: to seek out dramatic cuts from within the various agencies. This is part of an effort to address the problem by taking some kind of middle ground. ("Federal Public Policy," 2011) I am in agreement with these initiatives.

Improving economic activity is when the federal government has been providing assistance to those businesses that are considered to be too big to fail. The resources that they are using: is to provide additional liquidity to these organizations and guarantee a number of different loans. ("Federal Public Policy," 2011) I am in agreement with this program and the effects that it having.

Three State Policies

Three state policies include: improving the quality of health care services, revitalizing the manufacturing sector and improving access to various IT services. As far as health care is concerned, the states have been trying to provide more specific resources for addressing the problem. This is accomplished through additional funding and expanding their Medicare / Medicaid program. I am in agreement with these initiatives. ("Center for Public Policy Research," 2011)