Essentials of the U.S. Health Care System: .

by Leiyu Shi, Douglas A. Singh

Essentials of the U.S. Health Care System, Fifth Edition is a clear and concise distillation of the major topics covered in the best-selling Delivering Health Care in America by the same authors. Written with the undergraduate in mind, Essentials of the U.S. Health Care System is a reader-friendly, well organized resource that covers the major characteristics, foundations, and future of the U.S. health care system. The text clarifies the complexities of health care organization and finance and presents a solid overview of how the various components fit together. The Fifth Edition examines the challenges of coverage, access, and the cost of health care, as well as the future of health care reform―including prospects for a single-payer system―in the context of the Affordable Care Act. Readers will gain the necessary tools to understand the unique dynamics of the U.S. health care system within the larger context of global health care. This thorough revision offers the latest health statistics and coverage of industry trends and changes such as: • The current status of managed care and our integrated delivery system under the Affordable Care Act • Progress on the implementation of Healthy People 2020 and preparation for Healthy People 2030 • Health care workforce challenges driven by the shift from patient-centered care to population health and the need for chronic disease managers • New policies and laws such as The Drug Supply Chain Security Act, the 21st Century Cures Act, and the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act • Recent quality initiatives from government and private sectors and programs to contain health care costs • Racial and socioeconomic disparities in terms of access to care, quality of care, and health outcomes and national, regional, and local programs that address those disparities

Genres: Nonfiction, College, Health Care, Read For School

390 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2004

Reviews

[Rae (semi-hiatus) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've never given a textbook 5 stars, but this one deserves it in my opinion. This does such a great job of introducing you to the intricacies of the US Healthcare system, in an understandable and interesting way.
I read it cover to cover, every word. And I wasn't really bored. Like what? 🤯 There are several terms that can interrupt the flow of the text, but all textbooks do that.
This gives you a pretty extensive look into the Affordable Care Act that is pretty much fact-forward with limited bias. Something my numerous research couldn't do. The healthcare system changes rapidly, so even though this was published relatively recent, you will see some outdated information.
This textbook also taught me the most important thing- we need to scrap the entirely fucked system and start from scratch. Start over so it wasn't built only for doctors and insurances profits. Because WTF America.

[Mark Hite · Rating 2 out of 5]

redundant after a while

[Iralia Figueroa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Is the textbook from a class I took. We read all 14 chapters very informative about how health care started.

[Violeta · Rating 3 out of 5]

super helpful in understanding the basics of healthcare. and i actually enjoyed reading through this textbook.

[adri♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

helpful book about basics of the united states healthcare system

[Steven Peterson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Is the prospective reader interested in a quick survey of the American health care system? Then this book would probably be of value to you. Does one want a detailed exposition of that system? This would not work so well for that purpose.

This volume covers the waterfront.

The first set of chapters provides a good background: characteristics of the healthcare system, general perspectives on health care delivery (including cultural vales and what we mean by health), a history of the system, and so on.

Other central issues are covered chapter by chapter. Examples of the coverage: the role of technology, healthcare finance, managed care, long-term care, cost-access-quality (all three covered in one chapter leaves actual details thinly covered, but it does provide an entree to these linked concerns), health policy, and the future of the healthcare system. Other issues are covered as well.

All in all, a helpful volume if you want a quick overview of the complexity of the healthcare system.

[David Little · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice overview of the US health system. I wouldn't recommend for folks who already have a basic understanding of the structure and current problems. The chapter on healthcare reform is rudimentary. Too basic.

[Elena]

Very informative, but a little outdated (this only included information up to 2017)

[Logan · Rating 3 out of 5]

written in corporate-speak, i.e.

"To obtain recognition, programs must submit an application with adequate documentation of evidence that specific processes and policies are in place"

[Carly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have the final for this class in one hour!

I think this book was very good for my class on the Health Care System of the United States and provided material that was really relevant and useful for my assignments. It was a little dense at the beginning, mainly because I have little background knowledge about the health care system, but the background was eventually provided in class.

Overall I definitely recommend it for anyone who is interested in learning more about health care here in the United States.

[Lara · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a somewhat shallow overview of the US health care system, with some references to systems in other countries. It does a good job of introducing terminology and current issues, but does not provide any information on the federal agencies that provide regulations other than mentioning them. In addition, the history is so brief, that one does not get a true understanding of how things developed or why. This book is more appropriate to an undergraduate audience than a graduate one.

[المعلوماتية الصحية · Rating 5 out of 5]

Introduction to U.S. H.C System

[V. · Rating 5 out of 5]

A well researched book regarding the U.S. Health Care System. The text was engaging and interesting.

[Amanda W. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like this textbook. It was really relevant to today's discussion on health care and offered an unbiased approach to the ACA.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this as a textbook for my class this semester. It was very informative and not as boring as other texts I have been required to read.