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Content: Public Policy
Authoritative decisions made in the legislative, executive, or judicial branches of government that are intended to direct or influence the actions behaviors or decisions of others
Allocative Policies
Designed to provide net benefits to some distinct group of class of individuals or organizations at the expense of others in order to ensure that public objectives are met. Come in the form of subsidies. Medicare and Medicaid policies
Subsidies/Federal aid to medical schools
Regulatory Policies
Policies designed to influence the actions, behaviors and decisions of others to ensure that public objectives are met. Five main categories of regulatory policies 
1) Social Regulations 
2) Quality controls on the provision of health services 
3) Market entry decisions 
4) Rate or price setting controls on health service providers 
5) Market preserving 
Price programming for health services
Social Regulations
Established in order to achieve socially desirable outcomes and to reduce socially undesriable outcomes 
1) Environmental Protection 
2) Childhood Immunization requirements 
3) No smoking
Quality Controls
These regulations are intended to ensure that health services providers adhere to acceptable levels of quality in the services they provide and that producers of health related products meet safety and efficacy standards
1) FDA Regulations of phamaceuticals 
2) New Pay for Performance (P4P) regulations. Market Entry Restrictions
Focus on Licensing of practitioners and organizations 
1) Certificate of Need programs (Hospitals to be accredited) 
2) Physician credentialing
Rate or Price setting Controls
These regulations are designed to control the growth of prices 
1) The federal government's control of the rates of reimbursement to hospitals that participate. Executive Branch
President is responsible for implementing and enforcing the laws written by Congress 
President appoints 15 federal executive departments who must be confirmed by the senate
Known as the cabinet (Department of Defense, Dep Health and Human Services, Dep Env Protection
Legislative Branch
Consists of the House of Representatives and the Senate (Forms U.S Congress) 
Can make new laws or amend existing laws
Judicial Branch
Nominated and confirmed by the senate 
Federal offices hold under life tenure 
No re election 
Remain in office until resignation, death, impeached, or conviction
Congress establishes District Courts and 13 US courts
Supreme Court is the highest court in the land
Parties must petition the court for a writ of certiorari, may file such a petition asking the Supreme Court to review the case
House of Representatives
435 elected members divided among the 50 states in proportion to their total population. THERE are SIX NONVOTING members representing Washington D.C , Puerto Rico and other territories. Speaker of the house elected by representatives
Elected every two years and must be at least 25 and a citizen for seven years and resident of their state
Senate
100; 2 per state. Elected for six year terms by the people of each state.