The BJC, Unity, SSM, and Tenet health systems each rank among the fourteen largest regional employers. Health care is expected to continue to be one of the major sources of employment in the United States for the foreseeable future. All health care employers are intensely interested in health policy. Policy influences the welfare of the populations they serve as well as the ability of their patients to pay for services. The large health care systems retain lobbyists to further their policy interests.
Smaller providers join together through professional organizations to influence policy.
In addition, associations of health professionals serve their members through influencing health policy. These associations frequently formulate and promote their own health policies. They monitor legislative and regulatory activities to intervene early in the policy-making process. Health policy analysis is the process of understanding existing or proposed health policy and forecasting the influence of health policy on an organization s operations and constituents. Whereas health policy analysis is a reactive process, health policy development is proactive.