The History of Healthcare in the United States Pre-1965 -- Medicare and Its Evolution to 2011 -- Medicaid and the State Children's Health Insurance Program -- Breaking Down Health Care Insurance from HMO to PPO and Beyond -- Understanding Quality and Cost from a Health Policy Perspective -- Prevention and U.S. Healthcare -- The Rise of Comparative Effectiveness Research -- Health Information Technology: Clinical and Policy Context -- Prescription Drug and Pharmaceuticals Policy --  Health Disparities -- The Economics of Healthcare --  The American Healthcare System: Understanding How the Pieces Come Together -- Alternative Systems of Care and Consumer-Driven Healthcare -- National Healthcare Systems: A Worldview -- Reimbursement:  Understanding How We Pay For Healthcare -- How Healthcare Policy Is Made in Washington: Understanding the Players and the Game -- Government and State Agencies:   Who Administrates Healthcare on Federal and State Levels? -- The 2006 Massachusetts Health Care Reform --    The 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act:  What Is It and How Will It Change Healthcare?.  .

With healthcare expenditures in the United States currently totaling over $3.1 trillion and the prospect that this spending will continue to increase exponentially over the next several years, an appreciation of the evolution of healthcare policy in the United States and the subsequent changes that are expected to occur in the delivery and financing of these services is critical for those in the healthcare field. An Introduction to Health Policy: A Primer for Physicians and Medical Students is the first book of its kind written by physician leaders in health policy across the United States to aid doctors and students in developing an understanding of  the key issues that have shaped health policy and the transformative nature of these changes on healthcare delivery in America.   The book includes coverage of these topics: · Historical context in which healthcare evolved in the 20th century · Origins of Medicare and Medicaid and the challenges facing these programs · Understanding quality and cost in health policy · The benefits and challenges of health information technology · The economics of healthcare · Proposed models for payment reform · International systems of care and consumer-driven healthcare · Understanding the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act