ABSTRACT
Healthcare policymakers and providers must deal with a host of issues, ranging from jurisdictional authority, financing, organization, and administration of health policy and delivery to issues of vested interests, ideological and partisan conflicts, and justice, access to healthcare and quality of care, and questions of life and death. Policymaking in healthcare is often more art than science since policymaking involves struggles over ideas and values. Healthcare is the largest single industry in the United States. Federalism has played a major role in the piecemeal evolution of healthcare policy in the United States. The chapter examines the role of the key health policy actors. The key policy actors in the healthcare system include a variety of public and private institutions and groups such as healthcare providers, healthcare practitioners, healthcare purchasers, and health insurers. The chapter also presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in this book.
