Health Policy Issues: An Economic Perspective

Health Policy Issues: An Economic Perspective uses concise, topical chapters to provide a comprehensive overview of the forces influencing healthcare financing and delivery. Concerns over health equity and the rise in healthcare costs are just a few of the timely and vital issues that are discussed through the lens of economics. Each chapter includes a clear explanation of the topic, diagrams, and charts to aid comprehension, and a summary and discussion questions at the end. This eighth edition has been revised to reflect the most recent research and data, as well as changes in laws and government policies. A new chapter compares the US health system to those of five European countries.

New and updated content includes coverage of:

• Current Medicare proposals
• COVID’s effect on medical services delivery
• Medicaid effectiveness
• Strategies for addressing the physician shortage
• Affordable Care Act updates

Health Policy Issues shows how the economic approach to healthcare policy is important not only for understanding the structural and dynamic forces pressing for change in healthcare but also for explaining why the health system has evolved to its current state.