ABSTRACT

Health policy in the United States has been shaped by the political, socioeconomic, and ideological environment, with important roles played by public and private actors, as well as institutional and individual entities, in designing the contemporary American healthcare system. Now in a fully updated fifth edition, this book gives expanded attention to pressing issues for our policymakers, including the aging American population, physician shortages, gene therapy, specialty drugs, and the opioid crisis. A new chapter has been added on the Trump administration's failed attempts at repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act and subsequent attempts at undermining it via executive orders.

Authors Kant Patel and Mark Rushefsky address the key problems of healthcare cost, access, and quality through analyses of Medicare, Medicaid, the Veterans Health Administration, and other programs, and the ethical and cost implications of advances in healthcare technology. Each chapter concludes with discussion questions and a comprehensive reference list. This textbook will be required reading for courses on health and healthcare policy, as well as all those interested in the ways in which American healthcare has evolved over time.

part Section I|78 pages

Healthcare Politics and Policy

chapter 1|38 pages

Healthcare Politics

chapter 2|38 pages

Healthcare Policy in the United States

part Section II|162 pages

Government Health Programs

chapter 3|49 pages

The Affordable Care Act

Stumbling Toward Universal Health Insurance?

chapter 4|35 pages

Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program

Healthcare for the Poor and the Disabled

chapter 5|31 pages

Medicare

Healthcare for the Elderly

part Section III|118 pages

Problems of the Healthcare System

chapter 7|40 pages

Falling Through the Safety Net

242The Disadvantaged

part Section IV|92 pages

Contemporary Challenges in American Healthcare

chapter 9|46 pages

The Role of Biomedical Technology

361The Beginning and the End of Life

part Section V|22 pages

The Continuing Struggle for Healthcare Reform in the United States

chapter 11|20 pages

Healthcare Politics and Policy in America

453Moving Toward Reform?