| I assisted on a Task Force, which was created as a result of a U.S. Senate mandate to research alternative ways of delivering health care to active duty Coast Guard members and their dependents. I participated in this capacity between November 2000 and May 2001 at Coast Guard headquarters in Washington, D.C. My practicum supervisor was Capt. Gilbert Kunken, DDM. I read, reviewed and wrote synopses of literature related to the Task Force's mission and I also proof-read, edited and checked for factual consistency in the medical actuary's report. This practicum provided me with the opportunity to see how policy is made. The Task Force chose to maintain the status quo (i.e. contracting directly with health care providers). I observed that policy is made by elites and bureaucrats; how the analyst defined and redefined the problem and how Lindbloom's root versus branch decision making process was used. |
