Longest's Health Policymaking in the United States, Seventh Edition

  • 13h 21m
  • Michael R. Meacham
  • Health Administration Press
  • 2021

Future healthcare leaders: Do you have an obligation to serve the common good? If your answer to this ethical question is yes, then you need a working knowledge of health policy.

An understanding of how policy decisions are made gives healthcare leaders a knowledge base from which they can turn what once appeared to be limitations or obstacles into opportunities to facilitate better access to care, improve the quality of care, and more effectively manage costs. Leaders who have a firm grasp on the policymaking process can advocate for their patients, organizations and their communities.

This revamped edition of the classic textbook originally authored by Beaufort B. Longest, Jr., links policy concepts to practical applications and real healthcare outcomes. It covers formulation, implementation, and modification of health policymaking at both the federal and state levels, while giving readers insight into real-life political results and details of on-the-ground policy decisions. Highlights include:

  • A new chapter on federalism and the role of the states
  • Policy Snapshots at the beginning of each of the book’s sections that offer brief, true stories of a significant policy event or an opportunity for students to envision their future selves as advocates
  • A thoroughly revised and updated chapter on how the courts shape health policy
  • A rich array of new or updated examples drawn from real life, in addition to new graphics and sidebars
  • Updated appendixes reorganized to provide easy access to examples germane to the topic at hand
  • A postscript highlighting federal and state policy challenges posed by the coronavirus pandemic of 2020

Let author Michael R. Meacham guide you through health policy as a process. With a background in policy, law, healthcare leadership, and academia, he helps students understand both the big picture and the small, but important, details.

About the Author

Michael R. Meacham, JD, MPH, is associate professor in the Department of Healthcare Leadership and Management at the Medical University of South Carolina and serves on the board of directors and executive committee of the Association of University Programs in Health Administration (AUPHA). Previously, he served as director of health system development for Connecticut’s Office of Health Care Access, as vice president for integrated health services at Eastern Connecticut Health Network, and as associate professor and director of the master of health administration (MHA) program at The Pennsylvania State University. He was also elected to serve in the Kansas House of Representatives for four terms and was a fellow of the Commission on the Accreditation of Healthcare Management Education. He serves as a consultant to MHA programs on the accreditation process and advises healthcare organizations and leaders on strategic planning, health policy, career development, and change-oriented leadership. He is the author of a professional development book, coauthor of two healthcare management textbooks, and editor of a recently published history of AUPHA.

In this Book

  • Acronyms and Abbreviations
  • The Affordable Care Act—A Cauldron of Controversy
  • Health and Health Policy
  • The Context of Health Policymaking
  • Federalism—The Changing Contexts of State and Federal Health Policy
  • Overview of the Affordable Care Act
  • Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Summaries of Its Programs
  • Summaries of Selected Federal Legislation by Category
  • Legislative Cunning—The Birth of Medicare and Medicaid
  • The Overview of Health Policymaking
  • Policy Formulation—Agenda Setting
  • Policy Formulation—Development of Legislation
  • Types of Advocacy Groups
  • National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering Establishment Act
  • Statement of the American Hospital Association for the Committee on Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health of the U.S. House of Representatives “Proposals to Achieve Universal Health Care Coverage,” December 10, 2019
  • Conference Committees
  • Introduction to the Federal Budget Process
  • Challenging Administrative Regulations—Another Example of Policymaking Litigation
  • Policy Implementation
  • Role of the Judicial Branch in Health Policy and Policymaking
  • Typical Plan for Legislative Oversight
  • Some Mission-Critical Centers of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
  • Transparency in Coverage—A Proposed Rule
  • Executive Order on Improving Price and Quality Transparency in American Healthcare to Put Patients First
  • Example of Public Response to Notice of a Federal Proposed Rule
  • Position Statement Promoting Interoperability of Patient Data
  • Position Statement on Interoperability of Patient Data—Concerns
  • The Role of the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
  • Operation of Medicare Parts A and B
  • Example of Challenges Faced by the Office of Inspector General at Health and Human Services
  • Engaging the Future
  • Policy Modification
  • Building Policy Competence for Health Professionals
  • Opening Statement—Hearing on “Where Have All the Patients Gone? Examining the Psychiatric Bed Shortage”
  • Example of Modifications to Rules in Response to New Information and Operational Changes
  • Postscript—The Coronavirus Pandemic—Executive Branch Policy Implementation and Ramifications
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