Description
Book SynopsisHealth care reform has been a dominant theme in public discourse for decades now. The passage of the Affordable Care Act was a major milestone, but rather than quell the rhetoric, it has sparked even more heated debate. In the latest edition of Introduction to US Health Policy, Donald A. Barr reviews the current structure of the American health care system, describing the historical and political contexts in which it developed and the core policy issues that continue to confront us today. Barr's comprehensive analysis explores the various organizations and institutions that make the US health care system work-or fail to work. He describes in detail the paradox of US health care-simultaneously the best in the world and one of the worst among developed countries-while introducing readers to broad cultural issues surrounding health care policy, such as access, affordability, and quality. Barr also discusses specific elements of US health care with depth and nuance, including insurance,
Trade ReviewAn important part of the literature examining health care delivery systems. Now in its fourth edition, it continues to be one of the most comprehensive and insightful works focusing on achieving equitable health care for all.
—
Journal of Health Care for the Poor and UnderservedTable of ContentsPreface 1 The Affordable Care Act and the Politics of Health Care Reform 2 Health, Health Care, and the Market Economy 3 Health Care as a Reflection of Underlying Cultural Values and Institutions 4 The Health Professions and the Organization of Health Care 5 Health Insurance, HMOs, and the Managed Care Revolution 6 Medicare 7 Medicaid and the State Children's Health Insurance Program 8 The Uninsured 9 The Increasing Role of For-Profit Health Care 10 Pharmaceutical Policy and the Rising Cost of Prescription Drugs 11 Long-Term Care 12 Factors Other Than Health Insurance That Impede Access to Health Care 13 Key Policy Issues Impacting Direction of Health Care Reform 14 Epilogue/Prologue to Health Care Reform in AmericaAppendix: Summary of the Changes Contained in the Affordable Care Act On-Line Data Sources References Index
