Taking Care of the Uninsured: A Path to Reform

Over the past forty years, since the enactment of Medicare and Medicaid, health care has been a hotly debated public policy issue. In the eyes of many, the U.S. health care system suffers from three major challenges: It does not cover and provide access to enough people, it functions inefficiently, and it could provide a better quality of care.In Taking Care of the Uninsured: A Path to Reform, the authors demonstrate that health care can be improved. The path to reform has four components: Collaboration, Coordination, Coverage, and Care. The authors show that by collaborating, coordinating, implementing coverage, and organizing care for the uninsured, it is possible to improve primary care utilization and decrease inappropriate ER use and hospitalizations. This ultimately produces a more cost-effective health care system and broadens access to care. The authors conclude the book by outlining lessons learned, best practices, and successful policies that have proven effective.This book is essential reading for anyone interested in health care policy and the debate on how to change and improve our U.S. health care system.

James D. Chesney, PhD, Policy Initiatives Consulting Group Ann Arbor, Michigan Herbert C. Smitherman, Jr., MD, MPH, FACP, Assistant Dean, Community and Urban Health Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine and Karmanos Cancer Institute, Wayne State University School of Medicine/Detroit Medical Center President and CEO, Health Centers Detroit Foundation, Inc. Detroit, Michigan Cynthia Taueg, BSN, MPH, DHA, Vice President for Community Health St. John Health Warren, Michigan Jennifer Mach, MD, MPH, Epidemiology and Biostatistics Voices of Detroit Initiative (VODI) Detroit, Michigan Lucille Smith, MEd, Executive Director Voices of Detroit Initiative (VODI) Detroit, Michigan