ABSTRACT
Health policies and policymaking play a central role in almost every dimension of health communication (Miller & Ryan, 2001). Sometimes the effects are direct, as when laws mandate HIV testing of pregnant women, regulations forbid providers from discussing abortion as a treatment option, or negotiated settlements in state lawsuits against tobacco companies allow those companies to veto public health messages that are excessively graphic, condemning, or potentially effective. Sometimes the effects are indirect, as when laws allow HMOs and insurance companies to impose treatment-related gag rules on providers, Medicare regulations inadvertently encourage providers to diagnose patients in ways that maximize allowable charges for their treatment, or various policies create incentives to favor acute over preventative care (Moon, 1996).
