Health, health care, and the market economy -- Health care as a reflection of underlying cultural values and institutions -- The health professions and the organization of health care -- Health insurance, HMOs, and the managed care revolution -- Medicare -- Medicaid and the State Children's...

This paper discusses the fundamental changes in the American health care system during the past four decades. By applying a multidimensional framework, the changing role of the state in financing, service provision, and in the regulation of the health care system are scrutinized. The results...

An accidental healthcare system -- Paging doctor Welby -- Therapy for an ailing health economy -- The managed care prescription -- Self-help -- The quality revolution -- Mending the safety net -- Reviving the American healthcare system