Essentials of Health Policy and Law - Fourth Edition

The fourth edition of Essentials of Health Policy and Law is a textbook that describes and analyzes the transformations taking place across the healthcare delivery and public health systems in the United States. Building on the core content and engaging style of earlier editions, this edition is by necessity influenced by the shifts (both proposed and actual) occurring as a result of the 2016 election cycle, including of course how the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (commonly known as the ACA) is being interpreted and implemented.

Professors Sara Wilensky and Joel Teitelbaum are
both experienced in analyzing and communicating about the ACA and many other health policy and law aspects, and this edition benefits from their expertise. Beyond the issue of national and state health reform, Essentials of Health Policy and Law, Fourth Edition takes a broad approach to the study of health
policy and law and provides a coherent framework for grappling with important healthcare, public health, and bioethical issues in the United States.
Health policies and laws are an inescapable and critical component of our everyday lives. The accessibility, cost, and quality of health care; the country’s preparedness for natural and human-caused disasters; the safety of the food, water, and medications we consume; the right to make individual decisions about one’s own health and well-being; and scores of other important issues are at the heart of health policy and law, and in turn at the heart of individual and commu-
nity health and well-being. Health policies and laws have a strong and lasting effect on the quality of our lives as individuals and on our safety and health as a
nation.

Professors Wilensky and Teitelbaum do a marvelous job of succinctly describing not only the nation’s policy- and law-making machinery and the always-evolving healthcare and public health systems, but also the ways in which policy and law affect health care and public health, and vice versa. They have a unique ability to make complex issues accessible to various readers, including those without a background in health care or public health. Their training as policy analysts and lawyers shines through as they systematically describe and analyze the complex field of health policy and law and provide vivid examples to help make sense of it all.
Equally apparent is their wealth of experience teaching health policy and law at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. Between them, they have designed and taught many different health policy and/or law courses, supplemented the content of health policy and law by integrating writing and analytic skills into their courses, designed and directed a bachelor of science degree program in public health, and received teaching awards for their efforts.

Readers of this textbook are the beneficiaries of their experience, enthusiasm, and commitment, as you will see in the pages that follow. Essentials of Health Policy and Law, Fourth Edition stands on its own as a text. Even so, the accompanying
Essential Readings in Health Policy and Law provides abundant illustrations of the development, influence, and consequences of health policies and laws. The
carefully selected articles, legal opinions, and public policy documents in the supplemental reader allow students to delve deeper into the topics and issues
explored in this book.

We are confident that you will enjoy reading and greatly benefit from Essentials of Health Policy and Law. Whether you are studying public health, public policy, healthcare administration, or a field within the clinical health professions, this textbook is a key component of your education.