Jonas' Introduction to the U.S. Health Care System

Praise for the Seventh Edition:

"There are many books on the U.S. healthcare system, but few have the longevity of this one. It is easy to read and straightforward in its approach to difficult subjects such as the rise of the Tea Party and how that movement has impacted healthcare. This update is certainly needed as the landscape has changed dramatically since the previous edition was published."

--Doody's Medical Reviews

The eighth edition of this best-selling text, valued for its concise and balanced introduction to the U.S. health care system, is entirely updated to reflect alterations to health care services, delivery, and financing resulting from the Affordable Care Act. The text describes how our health care system currently functions, the key forces that led to it structure, and the influences likely to shape the industry during the next five to ten years. With an emphasis on policy development, the authors underscore the fluidity of the system and examine the debates and conflicts that have structured health care changes and influenced American values and belief systems. Other new areas of focus include an assessment of who uses health care and in what way, health care trends, and a forecast for the health care system of the future.

The text elucidates the basic building blocks of the health care system including its structures, organization, financing, and performance assessment. It describes the ongoing evolution of the system since the passage of the ACA, uneven acceptance of the Medicaid expansion by states, and the development of ACOs. Organized to facilitate understanding of concepts at work, the text provides health care students with a clear roadmap of the field in which they will practice, and how they can position themselves to navigate the upcoming changes.

New to the eighth edition:

• Entirely updated to address changes wrought by the ACA in health care services, delivery, and financing

• Describes influences that will shape the industry in years to come

• Emphasizes policy development

• Assesses current consumers of health care and how they use it

• Examines the debates and conflicts that have structured health care change

• Monitors health care trends

• Discusses the continuing evolution of our system since the ACA

• Explores the development of ACOs

• Reinforces information with illustrative tables and figures

Key Features:

• Remains the most concise and balanced introduction to the U.S. health care system

• Ideal for use in undergraduate courses, in graduate survey courses, and in courses introducing the subject to medical students

• Includes review questions concluding each chapter

• Provides a full suite of ancillary materials for the educator including Instructor Manual, Power Points, and test bank