| Course | BUSI 304 Introduction to Health Policy (BUSI304) |
|---|---|
| Module/Week | 7 |
| Assignment | Group Blog 3 |
| Paper type | Group blog entry with legislator email template |
| Length | about 643 words, 2 double-spaced pages plus title page and references. Course guide: a group blog entry of 400 to 500 words on an issue related to a specific legislative policy affecting healthcare, citing at least 2 peer-reviewed journal articles and integrating a biblical worldview, plus a 200- to 250-word email template to the appropriate legislator, in current APA format |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| Points | 100 |
| School | Liberty University Online |
| Program | BS in Healthcare Administration |
| Where it sits | Module/Week 7 in Liberty's published BUSI 304 course guide; current sections can differ |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for BUSI 304 Week 7
Same Service, Different Price: A Group Blog on Site-Neutral Payment and an Email to a Senator
[Student Name]
School of Business, Liberty University
BUSI 304: Introduction to Health Policy
Group Blog 3
[Instructor Name]
[Date]
The group, the patient example and the senator are composites; the textbook, Scripture and the peer-reviewed studies cited are real.
Same Service, Different Price: A Group Blog on Site-Neutral Payment and an Email to a Senator
Blog Entry: Why Should the Same Infusion Cost More Across the Street?
Last year, a retired teacher in our community received the same monthly infusion she had always received from the same oncologist in the same office. The only change was that the local hospital had bought the practice and converted the office into a hospital outpatient department. Her share of the bill rose by hundreds of dollars a month. Nothing about her care changed except the sign on the door and the way it was billed.
That is the problem site-neutral payment legislation aims to fix. Medicare and most commercial insurers pay a hospital-owned outpatient site more than an independent office or surgery center for an identical routine service. The higher rate encourages hospitals to buy physician practices and bill under hospital rates, which raises costs for patients and payers without improving care. Medicare has already applied site-neutral rates to some off-campus departments acquired after 2015, but many services and older sites remain exempt, and commercial insurers are not bound by Medicare's rules at all. That leaves most of the gap in place.
The potential savings are large. Murray et al. (2025) estimated that capping prices for 2,561 routine services at 150% of Medicare rates in every setting would save commercial purchasers and patients $10.8 billion a year, with only modest declines in hospital margins. For individual Medicare patients, Mehta and Mansell (2025) estimated that extending site-neutral payment to the services recommended by Medicare's advisory commission would cut some cancer patients' out-of-pocket costs by more than $1,000 in their first year of treatment. The incentive to integrate is also tied to other programs; Odouard et al. (2026) found that 340B hospitals delivered a growing share of outpatient services at off-campus hospital departments.
Hospitals argue that higher outpatient rates pay for emergency departments and standby capacity that physician offices do not provide. That cost is real, but it should be funded openly, not hidden in the price of a routine infusion. Paying for standby capacity directly, through targeted payments to hospitals that run emergency departments, would let policymakers see what they are buying and direct it where it is needed most. McLaughlin and McLaughlin (2015) describe how payment rules shape organizational behavior, and this rule rewards acquisition rather than value.
Scripture says that a just weight and balance belong to the Lord (English Standard Version Bible, 2001/2016, Proverbs 16:11). The same service should carry the same price, whatever name is on the door. Our group supports expanding site-neutral payment to routine outpatient services, with targeted support for rural and safety-net hospitals, and we encourage readers to share their own billing stories with their senators.
Email Template to the Legislator
Dear Senator [Name],
As residents of [town] studying healthcare administration at Liberty University, we would like to share our view on Medicare site-neutral payment, an issue before the Senate Finance Committee, on which you serve.
At present, Medicare frequently pays a higher rate for a routine infusion or scan simply because a hospital department, rather than an independent office, sends the bill. Peer-reviewed research estimates that paying the same rate across settings could save commercial purchasers and patients about $10.8 billion a year, and could save some Medicare cancer patients more than $1,000 in out-of-pocket costs in their first year of treatment.
We respectfully ask you to support legislation extending site-neutral payment to routine outpatient services, paired with direct support for rural and safety-net hospitals that rely on outpatient revenue to keep emergency services open.
We understand the concern hospitals raise, which is why we ask that any savings be partly reinvested in emergency and rural care. Several of us work in hospitals and physician offices, and we have seen patients pay more simply because of where their care was billed. We would welcome a chance to share the studies with your health policy staff. Thank you for your attention and for your service to our state.
Respectfully,
[Names], [Town], [Email]
References
English Standard Version Bible. (2016). Crossway. (Original work published 2001)
McLaughlin, C. P., & McLaughlin, C. D. (2015). Health policy analysis: An interdisciplinary approach (2nd ed.). Jones & Bartlett Learning.
Mehta, S., & Mansell, L. (2025). Estimating out-of-pocket savings from Medicare site-neutral payments on colon, lung, ovarian, and prostate cancer patients. Inquiry, 62, 469580251401460. https://doi.org/10.1177/00469580251401460
Murray, R. C., Janjua, H., & Whaley, C. M. (2025). Site-neutral payment for routine services could save commercial purchasers and patients billions. Health Affairs Scholar, 3(12), qxaf241. https://doi.org/10.1093/haschl/qxaf241
Odouard, I. C., Thome, J. C., & Buntin, M. B. (2026). Changes in service delivery following site-neutral payment reforms by hospital 340B status. Medical Care Research and Review. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1177/10775587261453476
What the BUSI 304 Week 7 instructions ask
The third group blog arrives in Module/Week 7, a busy week that also holds Discussion Board Forum 6 and McLaughlin and McLaughlin's chapters 14 and 15 with one presentation. The rules are unchanged from the earlier entries: a public post that runs from 400 to 500 words, is supported by two or more peer-reviewed studies and shows a biblical outlook, plus a message to a lawmaker of 200 to 250 words. What changes is the topic, since this law must differ from both earlier blogs. Payment policy is a natural choice at this point in the course, and a group that has already covered staffing and drug pricing could turn, as this sample does, to how Medicare pays for outpatient services.
How this BUSI 304 Week 7 example is built
This sample opens with one retired teacher whose infusion bill jumped after a hospital bought her oncologist's office, so readers see the problem before the policy. It then explains why payers reward hospital outpatient departments over physician offices and how that difference drives acquisitions, cites two studies estimating what equal payment would save commercial payers and Medicare cancer patients and adds a third on how 340B status strengthens the pull toward acquisition. After answering the hospitals' standby-cost argument, the group backs broader equal payment, citing a proverb about just weights. The closing email goes to a Senate Finance Committee member. The message cites only two figures and asks for a single vote.
BUSI 304 Week 7 grading rubric: where the points go
For the final blog, instructors look first at whether the post stays inside its 400 to 500 word window and tackles a law the group has not covered before. They then judge how well two or more peer-reviewed articles support the argument, how naturally Scripture informs it and how clearly a technical subject is made understandable to ordinary readers, often through a single example. The email is scored on tone, length, accuracy about which committee handles the issue and the clarity of its request. Because this is the third entry, faculty also notice whether the group's writing and use of evidence have improved since the first.
BUSI 304 Week 7 help: mistakes that cost points
Start from a patient's bill or a similar concrete case, since payment rules are hard to grasp in the abstract. Locate two peer-reviewed studies that put numbers on the policy's effects for patients, payers or providers, and be accurate about what each measured. Explain the rule, give the evidence, respond fairly to the strongest objection and let a biblical principle guide the conclusion. Look up the committee with jurisdiction, for Medicare payment the Senate Finance Committee, and make one specific request of your member. Measure the blog and the email separately, and compare the law with your first two blogs before submitting.
Related BUSI 304 sample papers
Other BUSI 304 weeks
- BUSI 304 Week 1: Discussion Board Forum 1
- BUSI 304 Week 2: Group Blog 1 and Legislator Email
- BUSI 304 Week 3: Discussion Board Forum 3
- BUSI 304 Week 4: Case Study 1 Medicaid Expansion
- BUSI 304 Week 5: Group Blog 2 and Legislator Email
- BUSI 304 Week 6: Discussion Board Forum 5
- BUSI 304 Week 8: Case Study 2 Rural Hospital
More BS in Healthcare Administration sample papers
BUSI 304 Week 7 questions, answered
What is BUSI 304 Group Blog 3?
The third and last group blog, worth 100 points in Module/Week 7, which tackles yet another health law and adds a short email to a lawmaker.
Where can I find a free BUSI 304 Week 7 sample paper?
The finished BUSI 304 Week 7 blog on site-neutral payment, with its message to a U.S. senator and every source, is posted below for students.
What is site-neutral payment?
An approach under which Medicare or an insurer pays one rate for a routine service whether a hospital-owned department, an independent office or a surgery center provides it.
How much could site-neutral payment save?
One 2025 study estimated $10.8 billion a year for commercial purchasers and patients by capping routine service prices at 150% of Medicare rates across settings.
Which committee handles Medicare payment legislation?
In the Senate, the Finance Committee; in the House, the Ways and Means and Energy and Commerce Committees share jurisdiction over Medicare.
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