As a contribution to the search for suitable and sustainable solutions to finance rising medical care expenditures, the book proposes a typology of healthcare financing and insurance schemes, based on the dimensions of basic vs. supplementary services and mandatory vs. voluntary coverage, to analyse the design and the complex interactions between various financing and insurance arrangements in several OECD countries. This study provides a better understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the financial and organisational structures of different countries’ healthcare financing and insurance schemes. Its main contributions are the development of a novel and rigorous theoretical framework analysing the economic rationales for the optimal design of healthcare financing and insurance schemes, and an empirical and institutional analysis investigating the consequences for efficiency and affordability of the complex interactions between basic and supplementary sources of financing.
Examining the ways and extent to which systemic factors affect health outcomes with regard to quality, affordability and access to curative healthcare, this explorative book compares tax-funded Beveridge systems and insurance-based Bismarck systems. Containing contributions from national experts, The Law and Policy of Healthcare Financing charts and compares the merits of healthcare systems throughout 11 countries, from the UK to Colombia.
What are public health services? Countries across Europe understand what they are or what they should include differently. This study describes the experiences of nine countries detailing the ways they have opted to organize and finance public health services and train and employ their public health workforce. It covers England France Germany Italy the Netherlands Slovenia Sweden Poland and the Republic of Moldova and aims to give insights into current practice that will support decision-makers in their efforts to strengthen public health capacities and services. Each country chapter captures the historical background of public health services and the context in which they operate; sets out the main organizational structures; assesses the sources of public health financing and how it is allocated; explains the training and employment of the public health workforce; and analyses existing frameworks for quality and performance assessment. The study reveals a wide range of experience and variation across Europe and clearly illustrates two fundamentally different approaches to public health services: integration with curative health services (as in Slovenia or Sweden) or organization and provision through a separate parallel structure (Republic of Moldova). The case studies explore the context that explain this divergence and its implications. This study is the result of close collaboration between the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies and the WHO Regional Office for Europe Division of Health Systems and Public Health. It accompanies two other Observatory publications Organization and financing of public health services in Europe and The role of public health organizations in addressing public health problems in Europe: the case of obesity alcohol and antimicrobial resistance (both forthcoming).
The Oxford Handbook of U.S. Health Law covers the breadth and depth of health law, with contributions from the most eminent scholars in the field. The Handbook paints with broad thematic strokes the major features of American healthcare law and policy, its recent reforms including the Affordable Care Act, its relationship to medical ethics and constitutional principles, how it compares to the experience of other countries, and the legal framework for the patient experience. This Handbook provides valuable content, accessible to readers new to the subject, as well as to those who write, teach, practice, or make policy in health law.
Given the prominent role played by policy and law in the health of all Americans, the aim of this book is to help readers understand the broad context of health policy and law. The essential policy and legal issues impacting and flowing out of the health care and public health systems, and the way health policies and laws are formulated. Think of this textbook as an extended manual.introductory, concise, and straightforward.to the seminal issues in U.S. health policy and law, and thus as a jumping off point for discussion, reflection, research, and analysis.
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.
Essentials of Health Care Finance stands firmly in its place as the leading textbook on healthcare finance. No other text so completely blends the best of current finance theory with the tools needed in day-to-day practice. Useful for all course levels as well as a professional reference, this text offers a comprehensive introduction to the field. The Seventh Edition has been thoroughly revised to reflect the current economic environment in the healthcare industry, with thoughtful descriptions and ‘real-world’ examples. As the not-for-profit health care sector has increasingly come under attack by legislators seeking new sources of tax revenue, this edition also features a new chapter on assessing community benefits including an examination of the new Schedule H of the IRS 990 form. Ancillary instructor materials for the Seventh Edition have been significantly expanded and updated. PowerPoint lecture slides now include selected examples from the chapters. Electronic versions of many of the charts and tables in the chapters are provided to enable the instructor to re-create and modify existing examples. An expanded set of test questions with detailed answers will be provided for each chapter. New excel spreadsheets for selected chapters will be created to help both the students and the instructors perform a variety of financial analysis tasks with spreadsheet templates. The instructor’s manual has been revised to include key learning points, chapter overviews, and guidelines for class discussion.
Ensuring that members of society are healthy and reaching their full potential requires the prevention of disease and injury; the promotion of health and well-being; the assurance of conditions in which people can be healthy; and the provision of timely, effective, and coordinated health care. Achieving substantial and lasting improvements in population health will require a concerted effort from all these entities, aligned with a common goal. The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) requested that the Institute of Medicine (IOM) examine the integration of primary care and public health. Primary Care and Public Health identifies the best examples of effective public health and primary care integration and the factors that promote and sustain these efforts, examines ways by which HRSA and CDC can use provisions of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to promote the integration of primary care and public health, and discusses how HRSA-supported primary care systems and state and local public health departments can effectively integrate and coordinate to improve efforts directed at disease prevention. This report is essential for all health care centers and providers, state and local policy makers, educators, government agencies, and the public for learning how to integrate and improve population health.
The complexities of health care finance, economics, and policy today are inextricably intertwined with traditional nursing practice. This undergraduate nursing text distills these challenging topics into an engaging, easy-to-read format that facilitates ready application to any practice setting. Written specifically for RN to BSN and second-degree nursing programs, the book is the only such text grounded in nurses’ own understanding and experience. Concise and practical, it supports foundational concepts with real-life case studies and clinical applications and reinforces information with interactive quizzes and multimedia materials. The book’s content fulfills one of the AACN’s key Essentials of Baccalaureate Education. Written by a health economics and policy expert, former dean, and award-winning teacher, the text synthesizes the vast scope of health economics to create an easily understandable guide for nursing action from bedside to boardroom. The text describes the relationship between nursing and health care economics and traces the history of our health care system from the early 1900s through today. It contrasts the economics of health care with that of classic free markets and discusses the intersection of ethics and economics, providing nurses with the ethical tools to thoughtfully consider dilemmas arising from today’s focus on the bottom line. The book describes how to use economic principles to shape organizations and public policy and includes a step-by-step, skillbuilding guide to enhancing professional influence through participation on governing boards. Complex financial principles are broken down to facilitate understanding for nurses with no prior knowledge of this discipline. The book also includes relevant information on the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and is compatible with online teaching and coursework. Faculty resources include PowerPoint slides, a test bank, comprehensive review questions, and sample syllabi. KEY FEATURES: Fulfills one of the key Essentials of Baccalaureate Education Addresses the specific needs of RN to BSN courses with a concise, easy-to-read format Illuminates complex principles with specific, engaging case examples relevant to nursing practice Authored by a leading nurse expert, health policy leader, former dean, and award-winning teacher Guides readers in using economic principles to shape organizations and public policy
