A thought-provoking and evocative account that considers both the policies we think of as "health policyand those that we don't, The Political Determinants of Health provides a novel, multidisciplinary framework for addressing the systemic barriers preventing the United States from becoming the healthiest nation in the world.

As a consultant for healthcare associations working on all the healthcare laws from Medicare, the Health Manpower Act, Budget Reconciliation, Clinton healthcare efforts and the Affordable Healthcare Act, Donald Lavanty had a front-row seat from which to witness the politics and policies motivating each action. This volume was written from that experience, which was first documented in the course on the Political Aspects of Healthcare, employing the analogy that these various legislative actions to connect the system are like attempting to build a canal connecting the Amazon and Nile rivers: a long and difficult process. The title examines ongoing efforts to create and maintain a workable solution to the conflicts inherent in the US healthcare system from all angles, conflicts that arise due to the nature of our democratic government in which healthcare policies change based on the position of the voting majority in Congress at the time any action is taken.

Provides an international, unifying perspective, based on the 'public choice' tradition, to explain how patient-citizens interact with their country's political institutions to determine health policies and outcomes. This volume will appeal to undergraduate and graduate students studying health economics, health policy and public policy.

Designated a Doody's Core Title! Winner of an AJN Book of the Year Award! Who Has a Right to Health Care? What Is the Government's Role in Providing Accessible Health Care? How Are Corporations, Insurance Companies, and Health Care Providers Affecting the Quality of Health Care? And, Most Importantly, Can We Reform the U.S. Health Care System? We often debate these issues in health care policy or public health courses, yet we do so without the proper knowledge of the underlying structure of the U.S. health care system--or a framework by which it can be judged. Many health care workers entering the system are ill-equipped to address the issues faced in direct health care practice, in part because they have no ability to evaluate it. In this innovative text, Gunnar Almgren provides all the tools necessary to understand and critique a health care policy in dire need of change. First, he describes the historical evolution of U.S. health care, explaining how the early roles of hospitals, doctors, and nurses still influence today's system. He explains the complex financial aspects of health care, including the concerns of all its major stakeholders. He looks at the government's role in regulating and funding health care, and how that role has expanded and contracted through various political administrations. An entire chapter describes the facilities and services available for the elderly--an issue that will continue to rise in importance as America ages. Finally, he examines the many causes of disparities in the U.S. health care system. In addition, Almgren offers a unique social justice analysis as a framework by which the current system--and proposed reforms--can be judged. By analyzing the health care system through various models of social justice, we can begin to understand and address the urgent issues of economic, racial, and geographic disparities that plague our current system. With its clear, thorough, and comprehensive coverage of U.S. health care, this unique text is accessible to all those in public health, nursing, social work, public policy, or public administration. No other book addresses the underlying issues of the U.S. health care system alongside a variety of social justice models that we can use to evaluate, and perhaps eventually, change it.

Fully updated in this new edition, Health Care Politics and Policy in America combines a historical overview of U.S. health policy and programs with analysis of current trends and reform efforts. The book -- shows how health policy fits into the larger social, economic, political, and ideological environment of the United States; -- identifies the roles played by both public and private, institutional and individual actors in shaping the health care system at all levels; -- considers the trade-offs inherent in various policy choices and their impacts on different social groups; -- takes account of the dynamic impact of technological change on health care capacities, costs, and ethics. This edition includes expanded discussion of equity issues and whether there is a "right" to health care, and a new chapter on the issue of medical liability. The concluding chapter brings the story of health care policy up to the end of the millennium, with particular attention to the managed care revolution and reaction to it. 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.

In the United States, some populations suffer from far greater disparities in health than others. Those disparities are caused not only by fundamental differences in health status across segments of the population, but also because of inequities in factors that impact health status, so-called determinants of health. Only part of an individual's health status depends on his or her behavior and choice; community-wide problems like poverty, unemployment, poor education, inadequate housing, poor public transportation, interpersonal violence, and decaying neighborhoods also contribute to health inequities, as well as the historic and ongoing interplay of structures, policies, and norms that shape lives. When these factors are not optimal in a community, it does not mean they are intractable: such inequities can be mitigated by social policies that can shape health in powerful ways. Communities in Action: Pathways to Health Equity seeks to delineate the causes of and the solutions to health inequities in the United States. This report focuses on what communities can do to promote health equity, what actions are needed by the many and varied stakeholders that are part of communities or support them, as well as the root causes and structural barriers that need to be overcome.

Featuring analysis of healthcare issues and first-person stories, Policy & Politics in Nursing and Health Care helps you develop skills in influencing policy in today’s changing health care environment. 145 expert contributors present a wide range of topics in policies and politics, providing a more complete background than can be found in any other policy textbook on the market. Discussions include the latest updates on conflict management, health economics, lobbying, the use of media, and working with communities for change. The revised reprint includes a new appendix with coverage of the new Affordable Care Act. With these insights and strategies, you’ll be prepared to play a leadership role in the four spheres in which nurses are politically active: the workplace, government, professional organizations, and the community. Up-to-date coverage on the Affordable Care Act in an Appendix new to the revised reprint. Comprehensive coverage of healthcare policies and politics provides a broader understanding of nursing leadership and political activism, as well as complex business and financial issues. Expert authors make up a virtual Nursing Who's Who in healthcare policy, sharing information and personal perspectives gained in the crafting of healthcare policy. Taking Action essays include personal accounts of how nurses have participated in politics and what they have accomplished. Winner of several American Journal of Nursing "Book of the Year" awards! A new Appendix on the Affordable Care Act, its implementation as of mid-2013, and the implications for nursing, is included in the revised reprint. 18 new chapters ensure that you have the most up-to-date information on policy and politics. The latest information and perspectives are provided by nursing leaders who influenced health care reform with the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010.