The fourth edition of the essential guide to the contemporary US
health care system.
Winner of the CHOICE Outstanding Academic Title of the Choice ACRL
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.
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.
The thoroughly updated edition of this widely adopted text focuses on
the Affordable Care Act. It explains the steps taken to carry out the
Act, the changes to the Act based on recent Supreme Court decisions, the
success of the Act in achieving the combined goals of improved access to
care and constraining the costs of care, and the continuing political
controversy regarding its future. Drawing on an extensive range of
resources, including government reports, scholarly publications, and
analyses from a range of private organizations, Introduction to US
Health Policy provides scholars, policymakers, and health care
providers with a comprehensive platform of ideas that is key to
understanding and influencing the changes in the US health care system.
