The American governmental system provides the legal regulation for interest groups which can influence the legislation passage. The interest groups have influenced the legislation many times throughout history. These groups were created thanks to the constitutional amendments and guarantees of freedoms for every citizen. Interest groups mainly aim to represent people’s interests in the governmental process. Thus, interest groups are essential for American legislation system bodies, which influence the political process transferring the ordinary people’s will to the government.
The interest groups act based upon the first amendment to the Constitution. The Bill of Rights guarantees the freedom of speech and allows the citizens to seek governmental support and legislation change through the petitions to redress complaints (McMichael 301). Even though the interest groups have no mention in the Constitution, the Supreme Court recognizes the creation of such unities based on the First Amendment. In general, the interest groups aim to change political decisions or affect the law passing process.
In the United States, the influence of interest groups is realized mainly through lobbying, which is the term used for the unities of the members of regulatory agencies who strive for particular legal changes (LiPuma and Robichaud 266). Even though such groups are considered to protect the interests of citizens, there are some problems that they create. The fundamental problem is that lobbyism can disturb the structure of governmental policy. Some researchers believe that today’s American lobbyism contradicts the democracy itself (LiPuma and Robichaud 265). This is conditioned by the fact that commercial organizations often seek profits forgetting about the citizens’ interests. The government can solve this problem by limiting the individual organizations’ activities.
Even though such groups have non-legal status, society perceives them as an additional instrument of democracy in the country. Such groups are considered a positive notion due to their democracy-oriented activity. The interest groups achieved tremendous results in the healthcare legislators’ area. For example, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act was performed by such a group and had significantly modified the insurance structure, nurse informatics, clinicians’ certifications (McMichael 303). Another example of the influence of interest groups on the healthcare system is the American Hospital Association.
The organization strived for lowing the medical and insurance costs. It addressed the problem of affordable healthcare law, punting out that upcoming healthcare pricing change will lead to a worse quality of treatment (McMichael 299). Even though the organization had a rational and logical strategy opposing the affordable healthcare law, such activity caused severe problems interpreting and understanding the healthcare value and governmental ruling. Thus, the treatment costs have come to a contradictory state due to the organizational activities. This point of view should also have the right to exist because equaling the Medicare costs for private and public centers will cause a significant shift in clinical providers’ priorities. As a result, the worsening of the treatment quality may appear.
Interest groups are the unity of people or organizations trying to achieve the common aim influencing the governmental strategy. Despite being non-registered officially, interest groups have significantly influenced US policy throughout the time. The key purpose of such groups is to create a dialogue between the government and people in the law-making process. There were examples when interest groups created complicated political situations and opposed centralized governing. However, mainly such groups are perceived as an equality instrument regulating the governmental policy in different spheres such as healthcare.
Works Cited
LiPuma, Samuel, and Robichaud, Allyson. “Deliver Us from Injustice: Reforming the U.S. Healthcare System.” Bioethical Inquiry, vol. 17, 2020, pp. 257-270.
McMichael, Benjamin. “The Demand for Healthcare Regulation: The Effect of Political Spending on Occupational Licensing Laws.” Southern Economic Journal. vol. 84, no. 1, 2017, pp. 297-316.