Synopses & Reviews
The fourth edition of Health Politics and Policy examines the political arena in which the nation's health care policies are actually made and provides a framework for understanding how the process works. In the last decade, important elections have been won and lost on health care issues. This text reveals why there is a fascination with health care politics, but also addresses compelling issues and challenges facing our nation's health care system and policy. Chapters are organized around five major areas. Part I introduces the key ideas, values and frameworks that are essential for understanding health politics and policy. Part II describes the political institutions that make health care policy. Part III analyzes the private players & societal forces that interact with government to shape our health care policies. Part IV shows how ideas (Part I), public institutions (Part II), and private interests (Part III) come together. Part V looks at the United States from an international perspective and helps you understand our own system, by contrasting it to others.
Synopsis
The fourth edition of Health Politics and Policy examines the political arena in which United States health care policies are made, and provides a framework for understanding how the process works. This book conveys the excitement of health care politics and covers the issues facing the American health care system. Factors that shape health policy are discussed in detail, including values, private players, and government, as well as the resulting dynamic of these forces. A comparison of the U.S. system to others offers a foundation for understanding our system within an international context.
About the Author
James Morone is Chair of the Department of Political Science and Urban Studies at Brown University where he received multiple citations for excellence in teaching. His research has been featured in the New England Journal of Medicine, The Journal of Law and Medical Ethics, Journal of Health Policy and Law, and many other publications, as well as on National Public Radio's All Things Considered. A prolific author, Dr. Morone's eight published books include Hellfire Nation: The Politics of Sin in American History, which was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize in nonfiction. The New York Times, Washington Post, and several T.V. and radio shows have featured his essays and op-ed pieces on politics, history, and morality. A Fulbright Distinguished Lecturer, Dr. Morone speaks frequently for organizations around the world, sits on the Board of Editors for several scholarly journals, and has shared his expertise through congressional testimony and on special government panels. He earned his M.A. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Chicago. Professor Division of Health Management and Policy School of Public Health at the University of Minnesota, Leonard S. Robins, Ph.D., Professor, University of Minnesota
Table of Contents
Introduction. Health Politics and Policy PART I. Ideas and Concepts Chap 1. Values in Health Policy: Understanding Fairness and Efficiency Chap 2. Markets and Politics Chap 3. Morals and Health Policy Consider This... Arenas In the Mosaic of Health Politics PART II. Political Institutions Chap 4. Congress Chap 5. The Presidents Chap 6. The Courts Chap 7. Federalism Chap 8. State Governments: E Pluribus Multa Consider This... Maine Tries Reform PART III. The Health Policy Process: Interest groups, Stakeholders, and Public opinion Chap 9. Privatizing Health Politics Chap 10. American Health Care: Inefficient, Inequitable, and Costly Chap 11. Public Opinion Chap 12. Lobbyists: Ten Myths About Power and Influence Chap 13. Employers and Health Care: A Sick Business Consider This... Adventures with Informed Consent PART IV. Outcomes: Programs, Policies, and Problems Chap 14. Medicare: The Great Transformation Chap 15. Medicaid: Health Care for You and Me? Chap 16. AIDS Chap 17. Environmental Policy and Health Chap 18. The Elderly: Health Politics Beyond Aging Consider This... 20 Classic Observations about Health Politics and Policy PART V. The United States in International Perspective Chap 19. American Health Care in International Perspective Chap 20. Taking Medicine to Market: Competition in Britain and the United States Chap 21. Devil Take the Hindmost: Private Health Insurance and the Rising Costs of American Exceptionalism Consider This... Learning about Health Care from Other Countries Epilogue Health Politics and Policy: Issues and Challenges for the Twenty-first Century