Our Unsystematic Health Care System Fourth edition

Marc Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index. Table of Contents: List of Acronyms Preface 1. The Health Care System: An Overview 2. Opinions on Health Care Reform 3 Hospitals and Other Health Care Organizations 4. Health Care Occupations 5. Private Health Insurance 6. Public Health Insurance 7. The Health Care Systems in Other Countries 8. Health Care Reform: Is it Working? 9. Provocative Questions and Challenging Exercises NotesReview Quotes: This fourth edition of Our Unsystematic Health Care System maintains the accessibility to undergraduate, interdisciplinary audiences from the previous editions. Grace Budrys explains health care reform in a very understandable way without sacrificing the complexity and continued debate around the implementation of the legislation. New to this edition is a well-balanced assessment of whether health care reform is working. Budrys asks readers to consider what they want reform to accomplish, then lays out the empirical findings related to access, cost containment, and quality, and leaves it for the reader to decide what is working and what is left unresolved.--Lara Foley, University of Tulsa"Review Quotes: Our Unsystematic Health Care System provides a comprehensive and critical introduction to the institutions of the U. S. health care system. It is an indispensable resource for advanced students in economics or politics embarking on the study of health and health care (as well as for sociologists, its primary audience). Throughout Budrys poses thoughtful questions and identifies interesting paradoxes and conflicts in the arena of health care. Budrys's book explains not only where we are but how we got here.--Michael Ash, University of Massachusetts, AmherstReview Quotes: This fourth edition ofOur Unsystematic Health Care Systemis a concise yet comprehensive review of the health care delivery system in the United States. In it, Budrys presents all of the critical elements of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and explains what each means for health care users, providers, and policymakers. This book is a must-read for those who want to understand the current status of the ACA, how health care got to this point, and how it continues to evolve. It provides readers with the facts about the ACA and its political, economic, and social context to make every reader a more informed participant in the discussion on current and future health care in this country.--Kimberly R. Barber, PhD, director of research, Genesys Regional Medical Center; professor of health sciences, University of Michigan"Biographical Note: Grace Budrys is professor emerita at DePaul University. She chaired the committee that created the Master of Public Health program and served as director for one year, directed the Public Services Master Program, and was a professor in the Department of Sociology. Her books include Unequal Health: How Inequality Contributes to Health or Illness and How Nonprofits Work: Case Studies in Nonprofit Organizations. Publisher Marketing: Our Unsystematic Health Care System presents readers with a comprehensive overview of the U. S. health care delivery system. Significantly revised and updated, the fourth edition explores the implementation of the Affordable Care Act, or "Obamacare," as it unfolds including both challenges and successes. Grace Budrys traces how dissatisfied Americans have been with the country s health care arrangements and the continuing changes of health care reforms. The fourth edition examines the impact the Affordable Care Act has had on the U. S. health care system since it was enacted in 2010, including efforts to identify the appropriate indicators to gauge the law s effects. As in previous editions, the book introduces readers to health insurance arrangements in the United States, including private and public health insurance plans, then compares our health care system to those in other countries, which often have better patient outcomes and lower cost. The fourth edition points out the factors outside of the health care system that might play a role in explaining why Americans do not enjoy better health and longer life expectancy. Our Unsystematic Health Care System is an ideal book for introducing readers, especially students in courses such as medical sociology, public health, or health policy and administration, to the basics of the complex U. S. health care system in an accessible way."

Contributor Bio:  Budrys, Grace Grace Budrys is a professor of sociology DePaul University in Chicago.