Introduction to US Health Policy (4th edition) – eBook

Health care reform has been a central theme in public discourse for decades now. The passage of the Affordable Care Act was a key milestone, but rather than repress the rhetoric; it has ignited even more heated debate. In the latest edition of Introduction to US Health Policy, 4^th edition, (PDF), Donald A. Barr reviews the present structure of the American health care system, explaining the historical and political contexts in which it developed and the critical policy issues that continue to confront us today.

Barr’s comprehensive analysis examines the various organizations and institutions that make the US health care system work—or fail to work. He explains in detail the paradox of US health care—simultaneously the best in the world and one of the poorest among developed countries—while introducing readers to broad cultural issues around health care policy, such as affordability, access, and quality. Barr also discusses particular elements of US health care with depth and nuance, including insurance, primarily Medicaid and Medicare. He studies the shift to for-profit managed care while evaluating the pharmaceutical industry, issues surrounding long-term care, the prevalence of medical errors, the plight of the uninsured, and the troublesome issue of nursing shortages.

Additional ISBNs: 978-1421420714, 978-1421420738, 978-1421420721

The comprehensively updated edition of this widely adopted textbook emphasizes the Affordable Care Act. It describes the steps taken to carry out the Act, the success of the Act in achieving the combined objectives of improved access to care, the changes to the Act based on recent Supreme Court decisions, and constraining the costs of care, and the ongoing political controversy regarding its future. Drawing on a broad range of resources, including government reports, scholarly publications, and assessments from a range of private organizations, Introduction to US Health Policy 4e provides policymakers, scholars, and health care providers with a comprehensive platform of ideas that is central to understanding and influencing the changes in the US health care system.

NOTE: The product only includes the ebook, Introduction to US Health Policy 4th edition in PDF. No access codes are included.