Health Care Regulation in America

Regulation shapes all aspects of America's fragmented health care industry, from the flow of dollars to the communication between physicians and patients. While the health and lives of patients, as well as almost one-sixth of the national economy depend on its effectiveness, health care regulation in America is bewilderingly complex. Health Care Regulation in America is a guide to this regulatory maze. It succinctly recaps the past and present conflicts that have guided the oversight of each industry segment over the past hundred years and explains the structure of regulation today. Robert Field shows that health care regulation is an inexorable force that restricts as well as nurtures the enterprise of American health care. For the student, practitioner, executive, policy analyst, or concerned citizen, this book is an invaluable guide to the policy, politics, and practice of an industry that directly touches us all.