Scenario: You are an advisor to a politician from your state (e.g., state senator, governor, US
representative or senator) who has asked you to write a memo assessing increasing health care
costs in your specific state and identifying solutions to drive down health care costs. Specifically,
you will address the following question: What feasible solutions could we use from other states
to drive down healthcare costs? To do this you will want to:
1. Identify approaches to healthcare cost containment that have been used in other states,
describe them, and explain why they will work in your state; and
2. Select, from the approaches identified, the approach that has the best chance of
successful implementation and explain why it is recommended.
Formatting: (1 point)
• One-page Executive Summary plus a three-page Policy Memo (not including references,
charts/tables, etc.)
• Font must be 12 point Times New Roman
• Single- spaced with 1 inch margins and numbered pages
• Section headings should be bolded
Style: (2 points)
• Write in third person
• You will be judged for clarity in thought and readability
• Aim for short sentences (12 words or less) and paragraphs (7 lines or less)
• Short memos generally do not use quotations (ideas and facts/figures from other
sources should still be cited though—see References below)
• Ensure correct syntax, grammar, capitalization, and spelling
Structure: Your paper should include the following elements:
1. Executive Summary (4 points)
• Length: one page exactly
• Include a memo block at the top of the page (see description below)
• Briefly describe all elements (Problem Statement, Background, etc.)
• Use sub-headings for each section (Problem Statement, Background, etc.)
• Write this part last (after completing your analysis), but place it first
2. Policy Memo (18 points –see below for breakdown)
Format of Initial Memo Block (1 point)
• This appears in the Executive Summary and again in the full Policy Memo
To: Decision maker name, Position (must be a real person)
From: Your name
Subject: Subject of memo
Date: Month Day, Year
Last updated 1/7/18
Problem Statement (4 points)
• Recommended length: three or four sentences
• State briefly the problem being examined
• Explain why the problem exists and for whom this is a problem
• Consider the interests of your chosen politician
Background (3 points)
• Recommended length: about ½ page
• Present relevant background information about your state. You are giving
evidence of the problem and describing the environment in which it exists.
Consider what needs to be presented in order to make your case. Examples of
background information that may be relevant include:
o The current state of Medicaid and of health care priorities in your state
o Projected demographic trends or changes
o The relevant political climate of your state
Options (5 points)
• Recommended length: about 1.5 pages
• Identify two policy options that are in place or being considered in other states
• Explain how these policy options may solve your problem
• Explain why these policy options are feasible in your state (consider economic
and political feasibility, including stakeholder interests)
Recommendation (4 points)
• Recommended length: about 1 page
• Recommend one options:
§ Consider feasibility, cost, effectiveness, etc.
§ Explain why this option would be preferable to the other option and
preferable to doing nothing (mention these specifically)
• End with a very brief concluding paragraph that ties back to the problem
statement
References (1 point)
• Cite all source materials in MLA or APA format. Here are resources for formatting
citations.
o https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/02/
o https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/01/
• Please review The George Washington University policy on academic integrity
prior to writing your paper.
