The nation¿s public health system is responsible for improving the health of Americans. However, the public health system has been chronically underfunded in the U.S. This report examines how much the federal government spends to try to keep the country well. A state-by-state review of FY 2008 spending reveals that federal funding (through the CDC) for public health varies, often significantly, with a per capital low of $12.74 to a per capita of $52.78. The national average is $17.60 per person, a fraction of what is spent on health care costs. The report also examines state funding for public health. Extensive statistical information.

Even though America spends more than $2 trillion annually on health care, tens of millions of Americans suffer every day from preventable diseases. The current public health (PH) system is broken. It is chronically underfunded and outdated. Modernizing public health is urgently needed. This Blueprint is a fed. policy guide with expert recommend. to revitalize the nation¿s ability to protect the health of all Americans. It contains: A vision statement that outlines principles to make disease and injury prevention a cornerstone of America¿s health policies; Recommend. to improve the infrastructure of America¿s PH system; Recommend. for ongoing initiatives and projects; and a Paper that defines the need and scope for a policy agenda to modernize PH. Illus.

The first attempt to integrate data from all of the National Health Care Survey (NHCS) components into one publication that examines how health care utilization is changing across multiple settings.

This text provides students a foundation in public health practice and management, focusing on developing the knowledge and skills required by the real world of public health. The authors of Transforming Public Health Practice explain the drivers of change in public health practice, key success factors for public health programs, dealing with the chronic disease burden, the impact of national health policy on public health practice, and tools for understanding and managing population health. Transforming Public Health Practice covers core leadership and management skills, covering areas such as politics, workforce, partnership and collaboration, change management, outcomes orientation, opportunities for improvement, health equity, and future challenges. Case studies highlight innovations in health education, working with people with disabilities, partnerships in response to disease outbreaks, and health programs. Learning objectives, chapter summaries, key terms, and discussion questions enhance each chapter. A downloadable instructors' supplement is available on the companion Web site for the book.

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation asked the Institute of Medicine (IOM) to examine three topics in relation to public health: measurement, the law, and funding. IOM prepared a three report series-one report on each topic-that contains actionable recommendations for public health agencies and other stakeholders with roles in the health of the U.S. population. For the Public's Health: Investing in a Healthier Future, the final book inthe series, assesses the financial challenges facing the governmental public health infrastructure. The book provides recommendations about what is needed for stable and sustainable funding, and for its optimal use by public health agencies. Building on the other two volumes in the series, this book makes the argument that adequate and sustainable funding for public health is necessary to enable public health departments across the country to inform and mobilize action on the determinants of health, to play other key roles in protecting and promoting health, and to prepare for a range of potential threats to population health. The final book in the For the Public's Health series will be useful to federal, state, and local governments; public health agencies; clinical care organizations; and community-based organizations.

Women now receive more college degrees than men, and enter the workforce with better job opportunities than ever before. Indeed, the wage gap between men and women has never been smaller. So why does the typical woman have only 36 cents for every dollar of wealth owned by the typical man? How is it that never-married women working full-time have only 16% as much wealth as similarly situated men? And why do single mothers have only 8% of the wealth of single fathers? The first book to focus on the differences in wealth between women and men, Shortchanged is a compelling and accessible examination of why women struggle to accumulate assets, who has what, and why it matters. Mariko Lin Chang draws on the most comprehensive national data on wealth and on in-depth interviews to show how differences in earnings, in saving and investing, and, most important, the demands of care-giving all contribute to the gender-wealth gap. She argues that the current focus on equal pay and family-friendly workplace policies, although important, will not ultimately change or eliminate wealth inequalities. What Chang calls the "wealth escalator"--comprised of fringe benefits, the tax code, and government benefits--and the "debt anchor" must be the targets of policies aimed at strengthening women's financial resources. Chang proposes a number of practical suggestions to address the unequal burdens and consequences of care-giving, so that women who work just as hard as men will not be left standing in financial quicksand. A comprehensive portrait of where women and men stand with respect to wealth, Shortchanged not only sheds light on why women lack wealth, but also offers solutions for improving the financial situation of women, men, and families.

Governing Health examines health care policy from a political perspective, describing how Congress, the president, special interest groups, bureaucracy, and state governments help define health policy problems and find politically feasible solutions. William G. Weissert and Carol S. Weissert provide a highly readable and comprehensive synthesis of political science research on how government and private institutions affect the policy process. Extensive reviews of the policies that have governed health care since Lyndon Johnson's administration are capped off with a prognosis for the future. Updates to the fourth edition of Governing Health include • new examples and theory perspectives• recent statistics• discussion of the 2010 Obama health reform