Used across the public health field, this is the leading text in the area, focusing on the context, participants and processes of making health policy.

"This comprehensive and practical text... is widely recognised as an essential text of international relevance, for students and practitioners alike. I highly recommend it to the new generation of activist-scholars in the field." Lucy Gilson, Professor of Health Policy and Systems, University of Cape Town, South Africa Part of the Understanding Public Health series, this bestselling book is the leading text in the field. It focuses on how health policy is made nationally and globally, clearly explaining the key concepts from political science with a wide array of engaging examples. This edition is fully updated to reflect new research and ways of thinking about the health policy process. Written by leading experts, this clear and accessible book addresses the "how" of health policy making in a range of international settings. The book provides an accessible approach to understanding: • Health policy analysis • Power and policy making • Public and private sector • Agenda setting • Government roles in policy • Interest groups and policy • Policy implementation • Globalization and policy process • Policy research and evaluation • Doing policy analysis Making Health Policy 2nd edition is an ideal resource for students of public health and health policy, public health practitioners and policy makers. Understanding Public Health is an innovative series published by Open University Press in collaboration with the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. It provides self-directed learning covering the major issues in public health affecting low, middle and high-income countries. Series Editors: Rosalind Plowman and Nicki Thorogood. "This book is excellent and unique in the way it addresses complexity within the field of global health and policies in a simplified and practical way. I highly recommend it." Göran Tomson, Professor of International Health Systems Research, Karolinska Institutet, Sweden "This is an excellent and accessible introduction to the politics of health policy-making by three of the world’s leading scholars on the subject." Jeremy Shiffman, Associate Professor of Public Administration and Policy, American University, USA. "Making Health Policy is a must-read for those studying and working in global health. It provides a unique introduction to core concepts in global health policy and brings politics to the core of public health." Devi Sridhar, James Martin Lecturer in Global Health Politics, Oxford University, UK "Having used the earlier edition of this book, I would highly recommend it. It's a great resource for teaching." Sara Bennett, Associate Professor, Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, USA "This book is an excellent teaching tool on policy making in the field of public health. It is very clearly structured and written, and provides a wealth of concrete examples to illustrate new concepts." Chantal Blouin, Associate Director, Centre for Trade Policy and Law, Carleton University/University of Ottawa, Canada "This book unravels the complex world of health politics and decision-making, making it comprehensible for many who have difficulty understanding the system they work in, or aspire to enter the world of health policy to make a difference." Professor Vivian Lin, School of Public Health, La Trobe University, Australia

The Handbook of Global Health Policy provides a definitive source of the key areas in the field. It examines the ethical and practical dimensions of new and current policy models and their effect on the future development of global health and policy. Maps out key debates and policy structures involved in all areas of global health policy Isolates and examines new policy initiatives in global health policy Provides an examination of these initiatives that captures both the ethical/critical as well as practical/empirical dimensions involved with global health policy, global health policy formation and its implications Confronts the theoretical and practical questions of ‘who gets what and why’ and ‘how, when and where?’ Captures the views of a wide array of scholars and practitioners, including from low- and middle-income countries, to ensure an inclusive view of current policy debates

The United States spends billions of dollars annually on social and economic policies aimed at improving the lives of its citizens, but the health consequences associated with these policies are rarely considered. In Making Americans Healthier, a group of multidisciplinary experts shows how social and economic policies seemingly unrelated to medical well-being have dramatic consequences for the health of the American people. Most previous research concerning problems with health and healthcare in the United States has focused narrowly on issues of medical care and insurance coverage, but Making Americans Healthier demonstrates the important health consequences that policymakers overlook in traditional cost-benefit evaluations of social policy. The contributors examine six critical policy areas: civil rights, education, income support, employment, welfare, and neighborhood and housing. Among the important findings in this book, David Cutler and Adriana Lleras-Muney document the robust relationship between educational attainment and health, and estimate that the health benefits of education may exceed even the well-documented financial returns of education. Pamela Herd, James House, and Robert Schoeni discover notable health benefits associated with the Supplemental Security Income Program, which provides financial support for elderly and disabled Americans. George Kaplan, Nalini Ranjit, and Sarah Burgard document a large and unanticipated improvement in the health of African-American women following the enactment of civil rights legislation in the 1960s. Making Americans Healthier presents ground-breaking evidence that the health impact of many social policies is substantial. The important findings in this book pave the way for promising new avenues for intervention and convincingly demonstrate that ultimately social and economic policy is health policy. A Volume in the National Poverty Center Series on Poverty and Public Policy

The contentious passage of the Affordable Care Act in 2010 highlighted the incredible complexity and controversy surrounding health care in the United States. While the U.S. federal government does not provide universal health care, it has an extremely wide reach when it comes to the health of its citizenry. From important scientific and medical research funding to infectious disease control and health services for veterans and the elderly, the pathway to legislation and execution of health policies is filled with competing interests and highly varied solutions. The Guide to U.S. Health and Health Care Policy provides the analytical connections showing researchers how issues and actions are translated into public policies and institutions for resolving or managing healthcare issues and crises. The Guide highlights the decision-making cycle that requires the cooperation of federal and state governments, business, and an informed citizenry in order to achieve a comprehensive approach to advancing the nation’s healthcare policies. Through 30 topical chapters, the book addresses the development of the U.S. healthcare system and policies, the federal agencies and public and private organizations that frame and administer those policies, and the challenges of balancing the nation’s healthcare needs with the rising costs of medical research, cost-effective treatment, and adequate health insurance. Additionally, the book comprehensively addresses significant disparities that exist in the U.S. system and the challenges to public health posed by our increasingly connected world. Taking a comprehensive approach, the Guide traces policy initiatives across time and takes into account the most recent scholarship: Part One: Evolution of American Health Care Policy Looks at the emerging and expanding role of government in the health care sector and the position the U.S. occupies today as the only advanced industrial nation without universal health care. Part Two: Government Organizations that Develop, Fund, and Administer Health Policy (1789-Today) Examines the role each branch of government plays in the forming, executing, and regulating health care policies. The authors examine the origins, organization, budget, and function of major government organizations including the FDA, CDC, and VA. An exploration of legal oversight and the roles states play in the health sector round out this section. Part Three: Contemporary Health Policy Issues: Goals and Initiatives (1920s-Today) Explores the wide range of players in the health care sphere and the role the government plays, particularly in funding them. Special attention is paid to policy issues surrounding medical research and medical professions. This section also looks at the ethical issues in play when making health policy and the inequalities that have plagued the U.S. health care system. Part Four: Contemporary Health Policy Issues: People and Policies (1960s-Today) This part of the book looks in-depth at health disparities in the U.S., health challenges particular to specific groups, mental health, obesity, and the influence of interest groups. Part Five: U.S. Response to Global Health Challenges (1980s-Today) The last section of the book looks beyond the borders of the United States and the serious challenges posed by our increasingly connected world.

Health care reform has dominated public discourse over the past several years, and the recent passage of the Affordable Care Act, rather than quell the rhetoric, has sparked even more debate. Donald A. Barr reviews the current structure of the American health care system, describing the historical and political contexts in which it developed and the core policy issues that continue to confront us today. This comprehensive analysis introduces the various organizations and institutions that make the U.S. health care system work—or fail to work, as the case may be. A principal message of the book is the seeming paradox of the quality of health care in this country—on the one hand it is the best medical care system in the world, on the other it is one of the worst among developed countries because of how it is organized. Barr introduces readers to broad cultural issues surrounding health care policy, such as access, affordability, and quality. He discusses specific elements of U.S. health care, including insurance, especially Medicare and Medicaid, the shift to for-profit managed care, the pharmaceutical industry, issues of long-term care, the plight of the uninsured, medical errors, and nursing shortages. The latest edition of this widely adopted text updates the description and discussion of key sectors of America’s health care system in light of the Affordable Care Act.

The evidence-based medicine movement has been one of the most important influences on medicine in the latter half of the 1990s. This textbook on evidence-based decision-making--basing clinical decisions on the best available evidence from systematic research--is ideal for healthcare, medical, and nurse managers. It explains how evidence-based decision making can be applied to health policy and management decisions about groups of patients and populations, rather than decisions about the treatment of individuals. Its first edition was well reviewed and highly successful, and this new edition builds upon the success of the first.