US Health Policy and Health Care Delivery

Carl F. Ameringer's analysis of the relationship between health policy and healthcare delivery offers a fresh perspective on the current configuration of the US healthcare system, its historical roots, and its major differences with systems in other countries, particularly in the provision of primary and specialty care.

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The unique composition and configuration of doctors and hospitals in the US is leading to a crisis in primary care provision. There are significantly more specialists than generalists, and many community hospitals and outpatient facilities are concentrated in affluent areas with high rates of comprehensive insurance coverage. These particular features present difficult challenges to policymakers seeking to increase access to care. Carl F. Ameringer shows why the road to universal healthcare is not built on universal finance alone. Policymakers in other countries successfully align finance with delivery to achieve better access, lower costs, and improved population health. This book explains how the US healthcare system developed, and why efforts to expand insurance coverage in the absence of significant changes to delivery will fuel higher costs without achieving the desired results.