Our Unsystematic Health Care System

This book presents readers with a comprehensive overview of the U.S. health care delivery system. The third edition has been significantly revised throughout to explain the Patient Protection and Health Care Affordability Act as it unfolds. Other key updates include more detailed discussions of health insurance, expanded information on health systems in other countries, and new case studies.

Table of Contents:
Preface Chapter 1: An Interdisciplinary Overview of the Health Care System Chapter 2: Health Reform - Why Now Chapter 3: Hospitals and Other Health Care Organizations Chapter 4: Health Care Occupations Chapter 5: Private Health Insurance Chapter 6: Public Health Insurance Chapter 7: Opinions on the Health Care Reform Act Chapter 8: The Health Care Systems in Other Countries Chapter 9: Health Policy - Making the Right Choices

About the Author :
Grace Budrys is professor of sociology at DePaul University, where she chaired the committee that created the new Masters of Public Health Program. She is the author of several books, including Unequal Health: How Inequality Contributes to Health or Illness.

Review :
The 2010 Patient Protection and Health Care Affordability Act still remains a bit of a mystery to most people, and it is hard to tell just exactly where the US is headed with health care. Budrys (sociologist, DePaul Univ.) has done a remarkable job in providing a 10,000-foot snapshot of the system as of June 2011. In two previous editions (2nd ed., 2005; 1st ed., CH, Dec'01, 39-2219), the author rendered images of the forces that helped to shape US health care. Building on those prior descriptions, this work focuses on the origins of reform legislation and subsequent changes. The book begins with an overview across an array of disciplines and then discusses effects on various components of the system including hospitals, health care professions, and public/private insurance. One chapter focuses on opinions regarding the new legislation. The last two chapters review health systems in other countries and provide case studies on the dilemmas of reform. Budrys captures the plenum nature of the system across economic and political landscapes, and the policy choices that the country faces. The text is clearly written and indexed with chapter references. A valuable resource for academic readers and health professionals, especially those in the social sciences. Summing Up: Highly recommended. CHOICE The 3rd edition of Our Unsystematic Health Care System maintains the accessibility to undergraduate, interdisciplinary audiences from the previous editions. What's new to this edition is a fantastic introduction to recent health care reform legislation. Grace Budrys explains health care reform in a very understandable way without sacrificing the complexity and continued debate around the implementation of the legislation. -- Lara Foley, University of Tulsa 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. The detailed explanation and analysis of the Affordable Care Act, placed in historical context, is among the valuable additions in the third edition. Budrys's book explains not only where we are but how we got here. -- Michael Ash, University of Massachusetts, Amherst If you would like to better understand healthcare delivery in the United States and how the Affordable Care Act (ACA) impacts this system, then Grace Budrys' new 3rd edition, Our Unsystematic Health Care System, is a must read. It is a timely and comprehensive review of the healthcare delivery system in the United States and how it continues to evolve in light of the new healthcare law. It provides readers with the facts about the ACA and the context to make every reader a more informed participant in the discussion on current and future healthcare in this country. -- Kimberly R. Barber, PhD, director of research, Genesys Regional Medical Center; professor of health sciences, University of Michigan