Understanding Health Policy (Lange)

"This highly readable text gives a broad but detailed picture of how health care is organized and dispensed in the United States." -Annals of Internal Medicine, on the First Edition

The #1 text on health policy, this well-known book provides a short introduction to U.S. health care policy by two leading experts who are themselves practicing physicians. The Fourth Edition features the latest information on cost containment, health insurance, managed care, hospital payment, and the new two-tier model of physician reimbursement.

---

All Customer Reviews
Average Customer Review:
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

Good overview, but only half the story, 2007-11-14
As another reviewer noted, this book starts from the premise that health care is a right. As a result of this perspective, the first several chapters feature "sob stories" on nearly every page detailing hypothetical examples of people who are put in a bad situation in our current system. Now, our current system is deeply flawed and any unbiased observer would concede this point, but it struck me as odd that the authors would commenti so heavily on the shortfalls of the American system, and so little on the shortfalls of "universal models" of the type they advocate (long waiting time for the majority of procedures, crowded emergency rooms, less use of advanced technologies, health care rationing, and many of the best doctors leaving the country).

In summary, this is a very well researched book and there is little if anything stated here that isn't true. There is, however, a great deal that is deemphasized or simply unsaid because it does not support the authors preconceived ideas of what an idea health care model ought to look like.


0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

Everything You Want To Know, 2007-11-07
This book turned out to be worth more than I paid for. It's an easy read - and gives you fictional stories explaining the concepts behind health care issues and scenarios to help you put into perspective what the author is talking about. The stories are extremely helpful if you are a newbie to public health and health care issues. Should be one of the books you keep on the shelf to refer to from time to time. You cant go wrong with this book.


3 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

Should health care be a right?, 2007-08-22
Beware: This is an highly ideological text that starts with the assumption that health care is a right! It than goes on to say that in order to fulfill that right it is necessary to control the costs of health care. Obviously, cost control is a very problematic economic proposition that calls for state intervention and that sometimes has consequences that are the opposite of what is desired.
In the UK, where health care is a right, cost control has led to shortages, waiting lists and an overall degradation of health care. The UK, currently, has the highest mortality rates for oncological problems of all the EU countries and British people got used to flying to France and India for medical care. Canadians also have shortages and Canadians resort to the US.
Sometimes a "right" can easily turn into a "wrong"!



1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

Easy to read, 2007-07-15
I got this book for a graduate class that I am taking. This book uses clear language when presenting the material and has many mini "case studies" for examples, which makes it easy to read. Though I am required to read this book, it is not the standard, wall-of-text, that I am use to reading.


4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

Outstanding overview of healthcare system in USA, 2007-07-05
This is probably the best single text I have read on healthcare policy issues in the USA. The books addresses every relevant aspect of our system. Unlike other excellent books, such as Dr. Arnold Relman's book, A Second Opinion, which analyzes the system, then makes recommendations on how to reform it, the authors here mainly explicate. The format of the book includes brief, usually fictitious, vignettes about physicians, patients or administrators that illustrate the points the authors present. That format - combined with the simply-presented, clear narrative and analysis - works very well. I also find the references to be excellent. Aside from Dr. Relman's book, I recommend any of the books by Prof. Victor Fuchs, in particular Who Shall Live?, books by Prof. Theodore Marmor and the classic by Prof. Paul Starr, The Social Transformation of American Medicine. There are many other excellent books and articles by a wide range of insightful analysts. These kinds of books are invaluable for understanding the issues in healthcare. So much of the information that filters through to the average person via news reports, propaganda issued by parties with vested interests to protect and superficial proposals from polticians is inaccurate and misleading, usually grossly so. Reading a book such as this goes a very long way towards cutting through that clutter regardless of one's personal experiences and prejudices.

Price is accurate as of the date/time indicated. Prices and product availability are subject to change. Any price displayed on the Amazon website at the time of purchase will govern the sale of this product.