Introduction
The main function of a legislator is participating in decision-making; thus, legislators are constantly engaged in activities that focus on finding solutions to the nation’s social and political problems. In making the decisions, legislators can use the guidance of their belief system or utilize their constituents’ approach to the issue.
Main body
However, considering that the main challenge in a legislator’s job is running for reelection, many legislators tend to base their decisions on the voters’ views. For example, repealing the Affordable Care Act (ACA) was one of the main priorities for Congressional Republicans and President Trump’s administration (Gusmano et al., 2020). ACA significantly expanded health coverage for the population and allowed protection for people with pre-existing conditions. Before ACA, nearly 16% of the U.S. population did not have insurance, as insurance companies were allowed to deny insurance to people with pre-existing conditions (Yera & Cuevas, 2022). ACA reduced the number of uninsured people by 13.3 million and reduced income inequality among the population (Buettgens et al., 2021).
However, the measure ultimately increased the government’s and patients’ spending on health care (Yera & Cuevas, 2022). Despite the cost-benefit analysis in efforts to repeal/replace the ACA Affordable Care Act, legislators had to consider the morality aspect and listen to the opinion of voters who were afraid of losing insurance coverage. Similarly, analyses of the voters’ views may affect decisions by legislative leaders in recommending or positioning national policies regarding such programs as Medicaid.
Conclusion
Thus, in abandoning their views in favor of the constituents’ interest, legislators face the risk of becoming less objective in decision-making. Therefore, prioritizing the desire to be re-elected can affect legislators’ perception of difficult yet necessary decisions.
References
Buettgens, M., Blavin, F., & Pan, C. (2021). The Affordable Care Act reduced income inequality in the US. Health Affairs, 40(1), 1-9. Web.
Gusmano, M., Sparer, M., & Brown, L. (2021). Trump v. The ACA. Health Economics, Policy and Law, 16(3), 251-255. Web.
Yera, A., & Cuevas, T. (2022). Money then & now: The Affordable Care Act and the rising cost of health. Money. Web.