Introduction to US Health Policy

Donald A. Barr, MD, PhD, is professor emeritus at Stanford University in the Department of Pediatrics. He is the author of Health Disparities in the United States: Social Class, Race, Ethnicity, and the Social Determinants of Health; Introduction to Biosocial Medicine: The Social, Psychological, and Biological Determinants of Human Behavior and Well-Being; and Crossing the American Health Care Chasm: Finding the Path to Bipartisan Collaboration in National Health Care Policy.

Preface 1. The Affordable Care Act and The Politics of Health Care Reform 2. Health, Health Care, and the Market Economy 3. Health Care as a Reflection of Underlying Cultural Values and Institutions 4. The Health Professions and The Organization of Health Care 5. Health Insurance, HMOs, and the Managed Care Revolution 6. Medicare 7. Medicaid and the State Children's Health Insurance Program 8. The Uninsured 9. The Increasing Role of For-Profit Health Care 10. Pharmaceutical Policy and the Rising Cost of Prescription Drugs 11. Long-Term Care 12. Factors Other Than Health Insurance That Impede Access to Health Care 13. Key Policy Issues Affecting the Direction of Health Care Reform 14. Epilogue/Prologue to Health Care Reform in America References Index

A lucid and informative overview of the US health system and the dilemmas policy makers currently face . . . Even those knowledgeable about the US health care system are likely to find much to stimulate their thinking. --Philosophy, Ethics, and Humanities in Medicine An excellent analysis and comprehensive study of the US health-care system. --Choice An important part of the literature examining health care delivery systems. Now in its fourth edition, it continues to be one of the most comprehensive and insightful works focusing on achieving equitable health care for all. --Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved Excellent starting point for exploring the complexities of US healthcare. --Future Survey This book stands out for its emphasis on the historical roots of modern health care institutions . . . Barr's new book has much to recommend it. --JAMA