Over 300,000 copies of this authoritative text sold. Now fully updated and revised! Plus, more accessible for students and professors. How do we understand and also assess the health care of America? Where is health care provided? What are the characteristics of those institutions which provide it? Over the short term, how are changes in health care provisions affecting the health of the population, the cost of care, and access to care? These core issues regarding our health policy are answered in this text. Under the editorship of Dr. Kovner and with the addition of Dr. James Knickman, Senior VP of Evaluation, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the contributors examine emerging and recurrent issues from wide perspectives of health policy and public health. Fully revised, this updated edition features new chapter coverage on The Role of Government in Health Care, Chronic Care, Health-Related Behaviors, Information Management, The Complexity of Healthcare Quality, and more.