Health Systems Reform

The U.S. health care system accounts for over 17 percent of the GNP, yet by virtually every metric of system performance, American health care is in the middle or bottom of the pack compared to countries with similar levels of economic development. Health care reform has therefore never been more relevant or such a prominent political priority in the United States. Health Policy and Management researchers contribute to the drafting of policy and public discourse through their studies on the economics of health insurance markets and managed care, the effects of Medicaid managed care on the health and wellbeing of vulnerable populations, the role of local policy on vulnerable populations ability to connect and access health care resources, how safety-net organizations can improve health care services delivery, and the effects of changes in insurance coverage on the quality of care. They have also assessed the impact reform initiatives, including mandated health benefits, consumer assistance programs, and network requirements for managed care plans affiliated with public programs.

Related research explores how the determinants of public opinion about health and social policy shape the reform debate (e.g. better understanding why particular collective responses are seen as more or less legitimate for addressing the spread of obesity,) the role of nonprofit organizations in American medicine and the responses of nonprofit organizations to changing policy contexts, the growing importance of public perceptions of and responses to economic insecurity in shaping discourse over health policy, and assessing the impact of new genetic knowledge on health policy discourse, including the rapid expansion in the scope of newborn screening among American states.