Comparative Studies and the Politics of Modern Medical Care

Description

This book offers a timely account of health reform struggles in developed democracies.  The editors, leading experts in the field, have brought together a group of distinguished scholars to explore the ambitions and realities of health care regulation, financing, and delivery across countries. These wide-ranging essays cover policy debates and reforms in Canada, Germany, Holland, the United Kingdom, and the United States, as well as separate treatments of some of the most prominent issues confronting policy makers.  These include primary care, hospital care, long-term care, pharmaceutical policy, and private health insurance. The authors are attentive throughout to the ways in which cross-national, comparative research may inform national policy debates not only under the Obama administration but across the world. Contents Preface Acknowledgments 1. Comparative Policy Analysis and Health Care. An Introduction 2. The United States Risks for Americans and Lessons for Abroad 3. Canada: Health Care Reform in Comparative Perspective 4. Germany Evidence, Policy, and Politics in Health Care Reform 5. The Netherlands: From Polder Model to Modern Management 6. The United Kingdom: Health Policy Learning in the National Health Service 7. Primary Care and Health Reform: Concepts, Confusions, and Clarifications 8. Hospital Care in the United States, Canada, Germany, the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands 9. Pharmaceutical Policy and Politics in OECD Countries 10. Comprehensive Long- Term Care in Japan and Germany: Policy Learning and Cross- National Comparison 11. Regulating Private Health Insurance Markets 12. Learning from Others and Learning from Mistakes: Reflections on Health Policy Making Appendix. National Health Accounts: A Tool for International Comparison of Health Spending Contributors Index