Health Care Legislation and the Implied U.S. Health Care Policy Through 1992.
Abstract
For the last twenty years, the term crisis, has consistently been used to describe the American health care system. This paper reviews the developments in US health care legislation with the intent of answering the question, Do we have a national health care policy? As preparations for another presidential election are underway, it is important to reflect back on the political importance of health care in the United States. A major tool in President Clinton's successful campaign was the pledge to reform health care in this country and make it accessible for all Americans. The Republican Revolution sought to rein in the costs of Medicare and Medicaid in order to ensure balancing the budget by 2002. Currently there is a proposal in Congress to increase the 'portability' of health care insurance when an individual is between jobs. With all of the debate that has transpired, little has been done. The country's health care expenditures continue to rise, we still have a maldistribution of health care resources, limited access for many people, and the number of uninsured continues to rise. These problems have been persistent for the last 50 years. How did this happen? In trying to explore these issues, this paper takes a historical view of health care politics from 1798 to 1992.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 07, 1996
- Accession Number
- ADA311357
Entities
People
- Gary N. Matteson
Organizations
- United States Army War College