Today’s Health Care Issues: Democrats and Republicans

Access to health care is a major political and social issue in the United States, and one that’s been made even more pressing by the COVID-19 pandemic. This volume provides an excellent, balanced overview of the issues facing the country, with clear summaries of Republican and Democratic viewpoints. The book begins with a chronology from 1905 (when the Supreme Court approved vaccine mandates) to 2020 (when COVID-19 first appeared in the United States). The introduction by Hackey and Olszewski (both, health policy and management, Providence Coll., RI) explains that Democrats view health care as a basic right and see the government playing a significant role in providing it for all, while Republicans view it as something for which individuals are responsible. Each chapter covers a facet of health care: children’s health insurance; guns and public health; health insurance marketplaces; coverage of immigrants, reproductive health; physician-assisted death; and more. The chapters begin with an “At a Glance” summary, followed by detailed coverage of the major points of each topic. Sidebars highlight prominent issues, and each chapter has a list of resources for further reading.