Our Unsystematic Health Care System presents readers with a comprehensive overview of the U.S. healthcare system with an emphasis on change. It opens with a comparison of U.S. life expectancy and national expenditures with those of other economically advanced countries. The chapters that follow outline the different sectors of the healthcare system including public health, physician and hospital networks, private and public health insurance plans, and the pharmaceutical industry. The book's conclusion considers forces outside of the healthcare system that play a role in determining Americans' health status and longevity. Our Unsystematic Health Care System is the ideal book for introducing readers to the basics of the complex U.S. health care system in an accessible way. New to this Edition: New chapter on public health outlines public health origins, workings, and achievements to give students the background needed to discuss current crises such as COVID-19 and the overturning of Roe v Wade (Chapter 2) New chapter on the pharmaceutical industry explores drug development, advertising, and legislation to explore why the cost of drugs is so high (Chapter 7) New chapter on the social determinants of health considers the World Health Organization's view that neither behavior nor healthcare arrangements are primarily responsible for people's health (Chapter 9)
Grace Budrys is Professor Emerita of Sociology at DePaul University in Chicago. She is the author of numerous books, including Market-Based Health Care: All Myth, No Reality, Unequal Health: How Inequality Contributes to Health or Illness, Third Edition, and How Nonprofits Work. In addition to teaching, she chaired the Department of Public Services and the Masters of Public Health programs at DePaul University.
With a writing style that encourages an active learning environment, Budrys offers students from a range of academic backgrounds in-depth exposure to the complexities of the American health care system.--Duane Matcha, Siena College Budrys' Our Unsystematic Health Care System is timely, informative, logical, and strikes a perfect balance between conversational and academic writing. Useful to students, professors, and the broader public, it is my favorite text for medical sociology classes, and it should be required reading for policy makers.--Eric Vogelsang, California State University: San Bernardino Our Unsystematic Health Care System is a must-read for anyone interested in how the organizational structure of the health care system affects the health of the people it is intended to serve. I've used this book since I started teaching. It is comprehensive, yet accessible to a wide audience.--Mitchell Peck, University of Oklahoma
