"This book presents readers with a comprehensive overview of the U.S. health care delivery system. The third edition has been significantly revised throughout to explain the Patient Protection and Health Care Affordability Act as it unfolds. Other key updates include more detailed discussions of health insurance, expanded information on health systems in other countries, and new case studies"--Provided by publisher.
Our Unsystematic Healthcare System presents readers with a comprehensive overview of the U.S. healthcare system with an emphasis on change. It opens with a comparison of U.S. life expectancy and national expenditures with those of other economically advanced countries. The chapters that follow outline the different sectors of the healthcare system including public health, physician and hospital networks, private and public health insurance plans, and the pharmaceutical industry. The book’s conclusion considers forces outside of the healthcare system that play a role in determining Americans’ health status and longevity. Our Unsystematic Healthcare System is the ideal book for introducing readers to the basics of the complex U.S. healthcare system in an accessible way. New to this Edition: New chapter on public health outlines public health origins, workings, and achievements to give students the background needed to discuss current crises such as COVID-19 and the overturning of Roe v Wade (Chapter 2) New chapter on the pharmaceutical industry explores drug development, advertising, and legislation to explore why the cost of drugs is so high (Chapter 7) New chapter on the social determinants of health considers the World Health Organization's view that neither behavior nor healthcare arrangements are primarily responsible for people’s health (Chapter 9)
The aim of this book is to present the reader with a comprehensive overview of the U.S. health care delivery system. A central theme running through the book revolves around the fact that Americans have expressed a high level of dissatisfaction with the country's health care arrangements for many years, yet have been unable to come up with reforms that would address the main point of dissatisfaction: the steadily rising cost of care. One of the primary objectives of the book is to provide a clear explanation of the health insurance arrangements operating in this country; both public, such as Medicare, and private, which is generally employment-based. The workings of structures that combine payment and provision of health care services, namely HMOs (Health Maintenance Organizations), are described in detail. The health care systems developed by other countries are examined to illustrate how this country's 'unsystematic system' differs from those in most other highly industrialized countries. Special attention is directed to hospital and health occupational trends. Statistics gathered by government agencies and researchers associated with various nonprofit organizations are used to illustrate points of discussion. The final chapters of the book address attempts to control costs and changes promoted by sponsors of the most recent reform plans.
This book presents readers with a comprehensive overview of the U.S. health care delivery system. The third edition has been significantly revised throughout to explain the Patient Protection and Health Care Affordability Act as it unfolds. Other key updates include more detailed discussions of health insurance, expanded information on health systems in other countries, and new case studies.
Unequal Health asks why some individuals are living longer and enjoying better health than others. By contrasting popular beliefs about the relevance of such factors as sex, race, poverty, and health habits, Grace Budrys moves beyond factors that receive a great deal of media attention, such as smoking, diet, exercise, even genetic inheritance, and examines those factors that are far more difficult to identify and track, such as relative income and relative social status.
Health professionals’ interest in social and behavioral science is rapidly increasing due to the growing recognition that social factors such as income, education, race, gender, and age all impact individuals’ health. These and other social conditions also shape patients’ illness experiences, the ways that they interact with health care providers, and the effectiveness of with which health professionals provide care. Understanding these social determinants and applying them to clinical practice is a major challenge for healthcare providers, which is why programs and accrediting bodies have been including more social and behavioral science content into the curricula for medical, nursing, and allied health programs. Social and Behavioral Science for Health Professionals provides in-depth coverage of the social determinants of health and how to directly apply these insights in clinical practice, thereby enhancing clinicians’ ability to engage their patients and more effectively render care. Broken into four parts, the book opens with the foundations of social science and health, including the shifting landscape of health and healthcare. The authors then cover the way in which social determinants of health shape large-scale features of health and illness in society, how they influence interactions between patients and providers in clinical settings, and how they shape health care systems and policies. Threshold concepts in each chapterfocus on conceptual and transformative learning while learning objectives, activities, and discussion questions provide instructors and students with robust sets of learning aids that intentionally focus on practical clinical, epidemiological, and policy issues. Ideal for students, educators, and professionals in health care, medical sociology, public health, and related fields, Social and Behavioral Science for Health Professionals is the only introduction available that clearly articulates why social and behavioral science matter in clinical care. New to This Edition: New Chapter 13 on Comparative Health Care Systems covers four models of health care systems and expands the global focus of the book Greater emphasis on the LGBTQ+ community provides coverage of how gender expression and sexual orientation influence health and quality of care received New coverage of current issues such as the opioid crisis and vaccine hesitancy that have been rendered especially important by the COVID-19 pandemic Added discussion questions at the end of every chapter strengthen students’ critical thinking skills and abilities to apply new insights to practical, real-world examples.
Health policy in the United States has been shaped by the political, socioeconomic, and ideological environment, with important roles played by public and private actors, as well as institutional and individual entities, in designing the contemporary American healthcare system. Now in a fully updated fifth edition, this book gives expanded attention to pressing issues for our policymakers, including the aging American population, physician shortages, gene therapy, specialty drugs, and the opioid crisis. A new chapter has been added on the Trump administration's failed attempts at repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act and subsequent attempts at undermining it via executive orders. Authors Kant Patel and Mark Rushefsky address the key problems of healthcare cost, access, and quality through analyses of Medicare, Medicaid, the Veterans Health Administration, and other programs, and the ethical and cost implications of advances in healthcare technology. Each chapter concludes with discussion questions and a comprehensive reference list. This textbook will be required reading for courses on health and healthcare policy, as well as all those interested in the ways in which American healthcare has evolved over time.
This valuable handbook makes the U.S. health care system understandable, reviews the Affordable Care Act (ACA) or "Obamacare," describes past health care reform efforts, and covers the important organizations and people involved in U.S. health care reform. Why does the United States produce poorer outcomes for Americans in terms of health care than most other developed countries that spend a lower percentage of their Gross Domestic Product (GDP) on health care? Should health insurance be private or should it be managed by the government? The second edition of Healthcare Reform in America: A Reference Handbook addresses these complex and difficult questions and many more in its thorough treatment of one of the most controversial issues in contemporary American discourse. The work provides a broad introduction to the history and key issues in the development and reform of the U.S. health care system. It then addresses the recent passage of the Affordable Care Act and the myriad of significant expected changes due to the Act, thereby providing readers with information essential to understanding the current issues regarding health care reform. This work serves as a valuable resource to high school and college students as well as to general readers wanting to learn about the history and current focus of health care reform in the United States.
Today, as never before, healthcare has the ability to enhance the quality and duration of life. At the same time, healthcare has become so costly that it can easily bankrupt governments and impoverish individuals and families. Health services research is a highly multidisciplinary field, including such areas as health administration, health economics, medical sociology, medicine, , political science, public health, and public policy. The Encyclopedia of Health Services Research is the first single reference source to capture the diversity and complexity of the field. With more than 400 entries, these two volumes investigate the relationship between the factors of cost, quality, and access to healthcare and their impact upon medical outcomes such as death, disability, disease, discomfort, and dissatisfaction with care. Key Features Examines the growing healthcare crisis facing the United States Encompasses the structure, process, and outcomes of healthcare Aims to improve the equity, efficiency, effectiveness, and safety of healthcare by influencing and developing public policies Describes healthcare systems and issues from around the globe Key Themes Access to Care Accreditation, Associations, Foundations, and Research Organizations Biographies of Current and Past Leaders Cost of Care, Economics, Finance, and Payment Mechanisms Disease, Disability, Health, and Health Behavior Government and International Healthcare Organizations Health Insurance Health Professionals and Healthcare Organizations Health Services Research Laws, Regulations, and Ethics Measurement; Data Sources and Coding; and Research Methods Outcomes of Care Policy Issues, Healthcare Reform, and International Comparisons Public Health Quality and Safety of Care Special and Vulnerable Groups The Encyclopedia is designed to be an introduction to the various topics of health services research for an audience including undergraduate students, graduate students, andgeneral readers seeking non-technical descriptions of the field and its practices. It is also useful for healthcare practitioners wishing to stay abreast of the changes and updates in the field.
This book provides a comprehensive examination of the ways that health policy has been shaped by the political, socioeconomic, and ideological environment of the United States. The roles played by public and private, institutional and individual actors in designing the healthcare system are identified at all levels. The book addresses the key problems of healthcare cost, access, and quality through analyses of Medicare, Medicaid, the Veterans Health Administration, and other programs, and the ethical and cost implications of advances in healthcare technology. This fully updated fourth edition gives expanded attention to the fiscal and financial impact of high healthcare costs and the struggle for healthcare reform, culminating in the passage of the Affordable Care Act, with preliminary discussion of implementation issues associated with the Affordable Care Act as well as attempts to defund and repeal it. Each chapter concludes with discussion questions and a comprehensive reference list. Helpful appendices provide a guide to websites and a chronology. PowerPoint slides and other instructional materials are available to instructors who adopt the book.
