Introduction to US Health Policy

The fourth edition of the essential guide to the contemporary US health care system._x000d_
Winner of the CHOICE Outstanding Academic Title of the Choice ACRL_x000d_
Health care reform has been a dominant theme in public discourse for decades now. The passage of the Affordable Care Act was a major milestone, but rather than quell the rhetoric, it has sparked even more heated debate. In the latest edition of Introduction to US Health Policy, 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._x000d_
Barr’s comprehensive analysis explores the various organizations and institutions that make the US health care system work―or fail to work. He describes in detail the paradox of US health care―simultaneously the best in the world and one of the worst among developed countries―while introducing readers to broad cultural issues surrounding health care policy, such as access, affordability, and quality. Barr also discusses specific elements of US health care with depth and nuance, including insurance, especially Medicare and Medicaid. He scrutinizes the shift to for-profit managed care while analyzing the pharmaceutical industry, issues surrounding long-term care, the plight of the uninsured, the prevalence of medical errors, and the troublesome issue of nursing shortages.