Compare And Contrast The Three Levels Of The Federal Government

3. The United States federal government is based on a constitution established in 1776 that unites the 50 states together in a unified whole, or federation, while at the same time protecting the sovereignty of each of the individual states. This structure is known as federalism, and it involves the arrangement of duties and powers distributed among the federal government and the states. Both the federal government, as well as each of the 50 states, is comprised of the executive, the legislative, and the judicial branches of government, which ensure a system of checks and balances upon one another. The President of the United States is the head of the federal government, and the individual governors are the elected officials in the executive

All three levels of government, federal, state, and local, are involved in making laws concerning health policy, and often there is an overlapping of responsibilities and duties. Essentially, the federal government’s current main objective is the oversight of Medicare, the Affordable Care Act, Health and Human Services, and Veteran’s Affairs. The individual states each play a major role in the distribution and supervision of how these Medicare funds are dispersed. States also have other critical roles in implementing health policy, including in the areas of education; regulation; protecting the public health; providing safety net structures, including community providers; and providing health insurance to state employees. Local governments have very limited powers concerning enacting health policy, and are largely responsible for smoking laws and health inspections of restaurant facilities. The federal government, and the state government, along with the local government, are all concerned with the health-based objective of promoting health through enacting health

The demanders of health care and health policies are those in need of health services, whether they are individuals or groups, otherwise known as the buyers. The suppliers of health care and health care services, also whether or not they are individuals or groups, are called the sellers. The buyers and the sellers have different interests and goals in mind, but through negotiation and the perception of relative value, work together to achieve a compromise situation. In cooperative negotiations in the economic marketplace, hopefully the end goal is a win-win situation for both parties involved. In a competitive negotiating strategy, the goals of the parties are more at-odds, and the situation is considered a win-lose parameter. The buyer has the preference of quality health care with a low price attached, while the health practitioner would prefer a higher price. In order for the market strategy to thrive, both parties need to obtain some levels of satisfaction. Many variables are involved in these negotiations, although oftentimes unspoken. Demanders and suppliers can both be represented by individuals and groups or organizations. Large organizations, such as lobby groups, special interest, and advocacy groups, often have more sway in public policy making due to their increased resources. These resources and voices can be used to sway individual policy makers to present policies favorable to their interests, particularly at election time. Groups generally fall into two