Essentials of the U.S. Health Care System, Fifth Edition is a clear and concise distillation of the major topics covered in the same authors' best-selling Delivering Health Care in America. Written with the undergraduate in mind, Essentials of the U.S. Health Care System is a reader-friendly, well-organized resource covering the U.S. healthcare system's major characteristics, foundations, and future. The text clarifies the complexities of healthcare organization and finance and presents a solid overview of how the various components fit together. The Fifth Edition examines the challenges of coverage, access, and the cost of health care, as well as the future of healthcare reform―including prospects for a single-payer system―in the context of the Affordable Care Act. Readers will gain the necessary tools to understand the unique dynamics of the U.S. healthcare system within the larger context of global healthcare. This thorough revision offers the latest health statistics and coverage of industry trends and changes such as:

• The current status of managed care and our integrated delivery system under the Affordable Care Act

• Progress on the implementation of Healthy People 2020 and preparation for Healthy People 2030

• Healthcare workforce challenges driven by the shift from patient-centered care to population health and the need for chronic disease managers

• New policies and laws such as The Drug Supply Chain Security Act, the 21st Century Cures Act, and the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act

• Recent quality initiatives from government and private sectors and programs to contain health care costs

• Racial and socioeconomic disparities in terms of access to care, quality of care, and health outcomes, and national, regional, and local programs that address those disparities.