Governing Health: The Politics of Health Policy / Edition 3

by Carol S. Weissert, William G. Weissert

Overview

Governing Health examines health care policy making from a long-term, political perspective, describing how Congress, the president, special interest groups, bureaucracy, and state governments help define health policy problems and find politically feasible solutions. The third edition of this pathbreaking book is updated to cover recent legislative efforts, including the Medicare prescription drug benefit.

Praise for previous editions of Governing Health

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780801884320
Publisher:	Johns Hopkins University Press
Publication date:	10/28/2006
Edition description:	third edition
Pages:	464
Product dimensions:	(w) x 9.00(h) x 1.19(d)

About the Author

Carol S. Weissert is Collins Eminent Scholar and chair of Civic Education and Political Science at Florida State University. William G. Weissert is a professor of political science at Florida State University and a professor emeritus at University of Michigan School of Public Health.

Table of Contents

	Acknowledgments	vii
	Introduction	1
I.	Health Policy and Institutions
1.	Congress	15
2.	The Presidency	72
3.	Interest Groups	110
4.	Bureaucracy	154
5.	States and Health Care Reform	192
II.	Health and the Policy Process
6.	The Policy Process	245
7.	Applying Theory to Reality: The Case of the Balanced Budget Act	281
	Conclusion	318
	List of Abbreviations	329
	References	331
	Index	361

Editorial Reviews

A useful textbook for those in medical care with only a passing knowledge of the patterns of federal policy making in the postwar period.

— Theodore R. Marmor

New England Journal of Medicine

One of the most important books in health care policy to have been written in years.

— Michael Harris

Perspectives on Political Science

No other book offers a better overview of what every health professional or anyone who is intensely interested in health affairs should know about the politics of policy making.

JAMA

4 Stars! from Doody

This is a political science book that presents a comprehensive synthesis and analysis of the institutions and process of healthcare policymaking. It is based on a review and assessment of the literature and on some original research on the changes in healthcare policymaking over the last 50 years, through the mid-1990s. It includes a comparison of Federal and state policymaking and concludes with a prognosis for healthcare reform. The purpose is to provide a text written by political scientists for use in health politics courses. The authors are well-qualified, having done extensive and recognized research in healthcare policymaking. The book is appropriate for many audiences interested in understanding and acting in healthcare policy arenas. The book has a moderate number of charts, tables, and boxes that synthesize the text. It also has an extensive, 23-page bibliography and a list of acronyms. The font is rather small. This text provides interested audiences with as much useable detail and insight as they would need for applied purposes in the fields of health policy analysis, action, and education. It should prove a lasting reference for several years for theoretical and practical purposes in healthcare policy arenas as they now move between Federal and state governments, between public and private sectors, between elected officials and private interest groups, both commercial and voluntary, professional and public interest. The changing impact of the AMA over 50 years is among the policy influences that are highlighted.

Nancy Milio

Presenting health care policy as the product of the American system of government, this volume provides a synthesis of political science research on the institutions of government and the policy process, and an extensive review of the policies that have governed health care for a generation or more. Paper edition (unseen), $24.95. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

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