I appreciate the United States Justice
Department’s decision of filing a civil lawsuit against the top tobacco
companies of the country. They aim to recover millions of dollars spent by the
government on addicts coming to hospitals and seeking free care or medical
assistance. The lawsuit alleges that tobacco smoking causes various diseases
like lung cancer and an estimated $24 billion are spent annually, which is a
matter of great concern. I strongly believe that all of the tobacco firms
should be closed permanently and those who have become addict should be
provided with quick and efficient care so that they can live a normal life.
The government is already paying utmost
attention to public health, and I think that more and more facilities need to
be provided in the hospitals (Frumkin et al. 2015). There should be no
discrimination in this regard. By every measure, Americans are now living
longer, are healthier and are enjoying better lives. The situation was not the
same some years ago when diseases like stroke, cardiovascular disease, cancer,
and HIV/AIDS were considered incurable. It should be noticed that the public’s
health has a lot of room to improve, so the government can implement better
strategies to eliminate all of the health-related problems inside and outside
the hospitals.
Lobby groups or interest groups can influence
the public health policy to an extent. For example, they can educate people
regarding how to ask for their rights (Laurell & Giovanella, 2018). In
addition, citizens who cannot access Congress can join a lobby group or
interest group to get their voices heard. In other words, we can say that their
most important role is to bring innovation to the healthcare industry.
References
Frumkin, H., Hess, J., &
Luber, G. (2015). Public Health Policies and Actions. Climate Change
and Public Health, 231-254. doi:10.1093/med/9780190202453.003.0012
Laurell, A. C., &
Giovanella, L. (2018). Health Policies and Systems in Latin America. Oxford
Research Encyclopedia of Global Public Health.
doi:10.1093/acrefore/9780190632366.013.60
