ABSTRACT
This chapter introduces common misconceptions about health care. It explores how health care systems, health providers, and individual consumers contribute to an individual's health status. The chapter deals with an overview of the structure of health care systems in the United States because the system regulates access to care for many people. It briefly reviews the new Affordable Care Act, the health policy reforms that aim to make health care more accessible to the uninsured and underinsured in the United States. The chapter examines frequently cited problems encountered by individuals when interacting with their health care system. It describes the research on consumer-provider communication, sometimes called patient-physician communication, and consumer satisfaction to explore their effects on individual health status. The chapter discusses the health system from the perspective of the health care provider. It also reviews research that examines the impact of health care systems and health policies on an individual's health status.
