facilities in areas with shortages of medical resources .
The Three Branches of Government and How They Impact Health Policy
All three branches of the federal government – Congress , the executive branch , and the judiciary – play important roles in health policy .
Congress makes laws that create new programs or modify existing ones . It also conducts “ oversight ” of how the executive branch implements the laws Congress has passed . Congress also sets the budget for “ discretionary ” and “ mandatory ” health programs and provides those dollar amounts .
The executive branch carries out the laws made by Congress and operates
the federal health programs , often filling in details Congress has left out through rules and regulations . Federal workers in the health arena may provide direct patient care , regulate how others provide care , set payment rates and policies , conduct medical or health systems research , regulate products sold by the private sector , and manage the billions of dollars the federal government spends on the health-industrial complex .
Historically , the judiciary has had the smallest role in health policy but has played a pivotal role in recent cases . It passes judgment on how or whether certain laws or policies can be carried out and settles disputes between the federal government , individuals , states , and private companies over how health care is regulated and delivered . Recent significant decisions from the
Supreme Court have affected the legality and availability of abortion and other reproductive health services and the constitutionality of major portions of the ACA .
The Executive Branch – The White House
Although most of the executive branch ’ s health policies are implemented by the Department of Health and Human Services ( and to a smaller extent , the Departments of Labor and Justice ), over the past several decades the White House itself has taken on a more prominent role in policy formation . The White House Office of Management and Budget not only coordinates the annual funding requests for the entire executive branch , but it also reviews and approves proposed regulations , Congressional testimony ,
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