Health Care Politics and Policy in America

Fully updated in this new edition, Health Care Politics and Policy in America combines a historical overview of U.S. health policy and the origins of the Medicare and Medicaid programs with analysis of current trends and reform efforts. The authors:
-- show how health policy fits into the larger social, economic, and political environment of the United States;
-- identify the roles played by both public and private, institutional and individual actors in shaping the health care system at all levels;
-- take account of the dynamic impact of technological change on health care capacities, costs, and ethics.

The book equips readers with the basic tools for drawing more informed judgments in the ongoing debate about health care policy in the United States.