Anyone interested in how our current healthcare dilemma came to be will be fascinated by the tales told in Health Policy--The Hard Way, for this book not only traces the inside story of the development of Blue Cross and Blue Shield through the 1956 adoption and implementation of Medicare and Medicaid, but also analyzes the medical malpractice tort reform crisis of 1975, up to and including the shift to managed care. It is an important document for those who want to track what has happened to healthcare during these decades as well as providing an important springboard for all those interested in addressing the predicament of current healthcare needs. This is a wonderful resource to add to the discussion of the public heal th issues and for those trying to understand how the United States, albeit one of the wealthiest nations in all history, cannot provide an adequate national health policy program for its citizens. The author, a founder of the specialty of health-care law, is especially well-suited to assess this vital issue, having provided legal and policy counsel to more than 100 hospitals and healthcare organizations.

A one-stop resource covering American health care and the challenges it faces In the newly revised Second Edition of Health Care in the United States: Organization, Management, and Policy, distinguished health and organizational researcher Dr. Howard P. Greenwald delivers a comprehensive exploration of the US health care system and the challenges its practitioners, professionals, and consumers face. From organization to management, financing, and evaluation, this book discusses the critical concepts, trends, and features of this sprawling set of interlocking systems. It also examines the historical origins of modern health care and how it delivers services to over 300 million Americans. Readers will discover: Modern controversies in American health care that animate political debate and discussion, including the Affordable Care Act. Discussions of the health care labor force, as well as its history, background, and crucial challenges. Possible future directions for US health care, including preventive medicine, new policy initiatives, and proposals for reform. Written for students and professionals working in or studying health care management, health policy, public health, medical sociology, or anthropology, social work, or political science, this latest edition of Health Care in the United States is also a fascinating read for members of the general public curious about one of the most important services they'll ever interact with.

This book takes bioethics and health policy to a new level of integration. Moving beyond principles and normative frameworks, bioethicsists writing in the volume consider the actual policy problems faced by health care systems, while policy-makers reflect on the moral values inherent in both the process and content of health policy. Together, they explore the goals and processes involved in developing health policy and examine the roles of various stakeholders as well as the thorny ethical issues that arise.

In our rapidly advancing scientific and technological world, many take great pride and comfort in believing that we are on the threshold of new ways of thinking, living, and understanding ourselves. But despite dramatic discoveries that appear in every way to herald the future, legacies still carry great weight. Even in swiftly developing fields such as health and medicine, most systems and policies embody a sequence of earlier ideas and preexisting patterns. In History and Health Policy in the United States, seventeen leading scholars of history, the history of medicine, bioethics, law, health policy, sociology, and organizational theory make the case for the usefulness of history in evaluating and formulating health policy today. In looking at issues as varied as the consumer economy, risk, and the plight of the uninsured, the contributors uncover the often unstated assumptions that shape the way we think about technology, the role of government, and contemporary medicine. They show how historical perspectives can help policymakers avoid the pitfalls of partisan, outdated, or merely fashionable approaches, as well as how knowledge of previous systems can offer alternatives when policy directions seem unclear. Together, the essays argue that it is only by knowing where we have been that we can begin to understand health services today or speculate on policies for tomorrow.

Many Americans believe that people who lack health insurance somehow get the care they really need. Care Without Coverage examines the real consequences for adults who lack health insurance. The study presents findings in the areas of prevention and screening, cancer, chronic illness, hospital-based care, and general health status. The committee looked at the consequences of being uninsured for people suffering from cancer, diabetes, HIV infection and AIDS, heart and kidney disease, mental illness, traumatic injuries, and heart attacks. It focused on the roughly 30 million-one in seven-working-age Americans without health insurance. This group does not include the population over 65 that is covered by Medicare or the nearly 10 million children who are uninsured in this country. The main findings of the report are that working-age Americans without health insurance are more likely to receive too little medical care and receive it too late; be sicker and die sooner; and receive poorer care when they are in the hospital, even for acute situations like a motor vehicle crash.