This book will help your students understand the economics underlying the issues and politics of healthcare. It presents 36 short, topical chapters that focus on the financing and delivery of medical services. The fifth edition includes updated chapters, figures, and tables as well as a new chapter on comparative effectiveness research and a completely revised chapter on the new Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 (ACA). A summary of the ACA is included in the appendix.

By reading this book, your students can begin to think critically and clearly about issues involving physicians, nurses, health insurance, Medicare and Medicaid, competition, the increase of medical expenditures, prescription drugs and the pharmaceutical industry, and more.