Essentials of the U.S. Health Care System

Essentials of the U.S. Health Care System, 5th Edition, is a textbook that distills essential concepts from the authors' comprehensive volume, Delivering Health Care in America. The text introduces the basic structures, operational characteristics, and overarching foundations of medical services in the United States.

The work clarifies the complexities of health care finance and organization, demonstrating how different components of the delivery system connect. It addresses critical issues surrounding insurance coverage, service access, and cost containment, while assessing the direction of reform initiatives within the framework of the Affordable Care Act.

Designed for students in undergraduate and graduate programs throughout the health disciplines, this volume helps readers evaluate national health system dynamics within a broader global context.