As of 2017, health care expenditures in the United States are near 17.9% of our gross domestic product (GDP), with a major portion of Medicare funding going toward chronic illness and care at the last 6 months of life. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) has made some initial legislative changes in the U.S. health system, but not sufficient enough to address growing expenditures and caring for the large aging population. In this assignment, learners will synthesize issues in aging with health policy solutions by writing a paper on one health issue for older individuals addressed in the topic and offering a policy solution. Example of issue: In 2014, more than 50% of the costs of institutional long-term care for older persons was paid for with public funds from Medicaid.

General Guidelines:

Use the following information to ensure successful completion of the assignment:

• This assignment uses a rubric. Please review the rubric prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the expectations for successful completion.
• Doctoral learners are required to use APA style for their writing assignments. The APA Style Guide is located in the Student Success Center.
• This assignment requires that at least two additional scholarly research sources related to this topic and at least one in-text citation for each source be included.
• You are required to submit this assignment to LopesWrite. A link to the LopesWrite technical support articles is located in Class Resources if you need assistance.

Directions:

Write a paper (1,000-1,250 words) that addresses a health issue for older individuals. Include the following:

1. Evaluate what the literature suggests as a resolution to your chosen issue.
2. Discuss any attempts to incorporate the solution into public policy.
3. Determine the barriers to implementation of the solution.
4. Analyze the options being discussed for public or private funding.
5. Propose your own recommendation.