Health Care And Public Policy

Health care is absorbing an increasing share of resources in all countries. It is the task of public policy to ensure that the nation secures good quality attention at an affordable price. This book, distinguishing clearly between health status and health care, examines the ways in which governments can keep down morbidity and mortality while also ensuring that treatments are medically justifiable, economically cost-effective and socially equitable. Ignorance, uncertainty, asymmetrical information, professional monopolies, insurance and poverty all mean that the market by itself is not enough. Pragmatic intervention is also required to ensure that well-being and social justice are delivered in combination with value for money. Health Care and Public Policy is a comprehensive and intelligible cross-disciplinary account of the objectives of health care policy (medical, social, economic) and of the policy-tools that government can employ (cost benefit analysis, entry barriers, competition) in order to ensure that scarce resources are not wasted nor needy social groups deprived of basic and affordable care. Health policy is hotly debated in all countries. This cross-national book is timely and relevant. It will be of special interest to academics and students who want to deepen their understanding of health economics, social policy and administration, public policy and government, political economy and the logic of institutions.

Guide to U.S. Health and Health Care Policy provides the analytical connections showing students how issues and actions are translated into public policies and institutions for resolving or managing health care issues and crises, such as the recent attempt to reform the national health care system. The Guide highlights the decision-making cycle that requires the cooperation of government, business, and an informed citizenry in order to achieve a comprehensive approach to advancing the nation’s health care policies. Through 30 topical, operational, and relational essays, the book addresses the development of the U.S. health care system and policies, the federal agencies and public and private organizations that frame and administer those policies, and the challenges of balancing the nation’s health care needs with the rising costs of medical research, cost-effective treatment, and adequate health insurance. Key Features: The 30 topical essays investigate the fundamental political, social, economic, and procedural initiatives that drive health and health care policy decisions affecting Americans at the local, regional, and national levels Essential themes traced throughout the chapters include providing access to health care, national and international intervention, nutrition and health, human and financial resource allocation, freedom of religion versus public policy, discrimination and health care policy, universal health care coverage, private health care versus publicly funded health care, and the immediate and long-term costs associated with disease prevention, treatment, and health maintenance A Glossary of Key Health Care Policy Terms and Events, a selected Master Bibliography, and a thorough Index are included. This must-have reference for political science and public policy students who seek to understand the issues affecting health care policy in the U.S. is suitable for academic, public, high school, government, and professional libraries.

Public Policy and Canadian Nursing: Lessons from the Field is the first text to explore the structure, governance, financing, and outcomes of Canadian health systems through a nursing lens. Drawing from his years of experience as a nursing leader in Canada, Michael J. Villeneuve looks to the impending system challenges for which policy interventions by nurses would make a valuable difference to Canadians. Intended to bolster the policy leadership competency of nurses, this volume is divided into three modules that guide nurses from the basics of Canadian governance to the history and evolution of health care in Canada and the tools and strategies needed to tackle public policy work. The author introduces readers to essential topics in health policy, including system financing and costs, Canadian population health status, and performance outcomes. Citing examples of nursing action and interventions throughout, this groundbreaking text offers practical tools and strategies to support Canadian nurses taking on policy development and highlights the vital role of the nursing profession in health system transformation. Reader-friendly and highly accessible, it features brief profiles of influential public policy leaders in nursing and other disciplines, discussion questions appropriate for undergraduate and graduate nursing students, and additional policy resources.

In Health Insurance and Canadian Public Policy, Malcolm Taylor describes the emergence of Medicare, providing an interesting window into current health care debates. He discusses the seemingly endless series of federal-provincial exchanges and negotiations involving issues of jurisdiction, cost allocations, revenue transfers, and taxing authorities as well as efforts to accommodate opposition from various special interests that would eventually evolve into a system that provided access to adequate health care for all Canadians on the basis of need, irrespective of financial circumstances.

Health Policy in Canada explores the process, implementation, and outcomes of health policy in the Canadian context. This engaging text provides students with a solid foundation in the key theories and developments in health policy, while also delivering illustrative examples and case studies from across the country. Employing a strong comparative and international perspective, Toba Bryant critically compares the Canadian system to alternative models in countries such as the United States, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. With its focus on the themes of health equity and the social determinants of health, this text takes into account the role of public policy not only in providing health care, but also in shaping the health and well-being of a population. The second edition has been well updated to reflect current research and issues, including a consideration of the impact of economic globalization on health policy and health care in Canada. Featuring critical thinking questions and annotated lists of recommended readings and websites, this text was developed with the intent of making health policy accessible to students and practitioners in a wide range of disciplines, including nursing, social work, medicine, health sciences, and public policy.

Canada has been among the world leaders in recognizing the multiple factors that impact health. Focusing on Canada’s health care system, Raisa B. Deber provides brief descriptions of some key facts and concepts necessary to understand health care policy in Canada and place it in an international context. An accessible guide, Treating Health Care unpacks key concepts to provide informed discussions that help us understand and diagnose Canada’s health care system and to clarify which proposed changes are likely to improve it - and which are not. This book provides background information to clarify such concepts as: determinants of health; how health systems are organized and financed (including international comparisons); health economics; health ethics; and roles and responsibilities of different stakeholders, including government, providers, and patients. It then addresses some key issues, including equity, efficiency, access and wait times, quality improvement and patient safety, and coverage and payment models. Using analysis rather than advocacy, Deber provides a toolkit to help understand health care and health policy.

"The Nation has lost sight of its public health goals and has allowed the system of public health to fall into 'disarray'," from The Future of Public Health. This startling book contains proposals for ensuring that public health service programs are efficient and effective enough to deal not only with the topics of today, but also with those of tomorrow. In addition, the authors make recommendations for core functions in public health assessment, policy development, and service assurances, and identify the level of government--federal, state, and local--at which these functions would best be handled.