Introduction to U.S. Health Policy: The Organization, Financing, and Delivery of Health Care in America (Hardcover)

~ Donald A. Barr MD PhD (Author)
Key Phrases: managed care revolution, other managed care plans, nonprofit plans, United States, Census Bureau, World War (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"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

"A lucid and informative overview of the U.S. health system and the dilemmas policy makers currently face... Even those knowledgeable about the U.S. health care system are likely to find much to stimulate their thinking." -- Audrey R. Chapman, Philosophy, Ethics, and Humanities in Medicine

Product Description

Home to the world's most advanced medical practices, the United States spends more on health care than any other country. At the same time, treatment is harder to get in the United States than in most other industrialized nations. Benchmark statistics such as infant mortality and life expectancy reveal a society that is not nearly as healthy as it could be.

This comprehensive analysis introduces the various organizations and institutions that make the U.S. health care system work -- or fail to work, as the case may be. It identifies historical, social, political, and economic forces that shape this system and create policy dilemmas that are all too familiar.

Donald A. Barr examines the structure of American health care and insurance, including Medicare and Medicaid. He addresses the shift to for-profit managed care and how it may affect the delivery of care; the pharmaceutical industry and the impact of pharmaceutical policy; issues of long-term care; and the plight of the uninsured. The new edition also covers recent developments in areas such as prescription drugs, medical errors, and nursing shortages.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: The Johns Hopkins University Press; 2nd edition (May 30, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0801885744
• ISBN-13: 978-0801885747
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 7 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,315,662 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars The basics of understanding health care, November 29, 2009

By	Thomas K. Neill (Lexington, KY) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Introduction to U.S. Health Policy: The Organization, Financing, and Delivery of Health Care in America (Paperback)

In these days of intense debate over health care reform, this should be a non-fiction best-seller. Written as a textbook to inform medical students in the area of health policy, Dr. Barr integrates issues of culture, economics, and medicine in a highly readable overview of our current U.S. healthcare system. He illustrates a number of problems by contrasting the evolution of our healthcare system, and the strongly held political/cultural assumptions that underlie it, with the evolution and values underlying the Canadian system. He is realistic about the struggles of both systems. A number of U.S. practices and assumptions don't make for better medicine. This text goes a long way towards helping the reader understand the problems in ways that are necessary before tackling solutions. Dr. Barr offers several critical options (some implicit and others explicit) for improving U.S. health care.

5.0 out of 5 stars health policy book, November 21, 2009

By	C. Pelayo - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Introduction to U.S. Health Policy: The Organization, Financing, and Delivery of Health Care in America (Paperback)

I ended up returning this book since I no longer needed it for my class. The seller was amazing in this process. I returned my book right away and got my refund in FULL right away. I had no problems asking the seller if I could return this book and without even mentioning if I can get a full refund, the seller replied my message and mentioned I would get a full refund once I return the book. Great service.