Reforming Health Care in the United States, Germany, and South Africa: Comparative Perspectives on Health (Perspectives in Comparative Politics)

How do nations address the above health policy goals and respond to current challenges? As these four cases (United States, Germany, Canada, and South Africa) demonstrate, the answer lies in the underlying politics of health policy at work. As countries confront new health care challenges in the 21st century, their health care systems reflect the problems and political settlements of an earlier age. Meeting these new challenges requires reform of existing health care system arrangements while reconciling the goals of equitable access to quality care at an affordable price. This book compares health care reforms in industrialized nations and the Global South to uncover the similarities and differences in their problems and solutions. It examines the struggle over the Affordable Care Act and its alternatives in the United States, major health care reforms in Germany in the new century, and South Africa's efforts to combat AIDS and construct a comprehensive health care system for all. These particular reforms reflect the underlying configuration of politics in each country. Front Matter....Pages i-xvii The Intersection of Health and Politics....Pages 1-34 The United States: An Ambivalent Journey toward Universal Coverage....Pages 35-94 Germany: Modernizing Social Health Insurance to Meet New Challenges....Pages 95-142 South Africa: Confronting the Legacies of Apartheid....Pages 143-182 Conclusions and Prospects....Pages 183-210 Back Matter....Pages 211-276 The Intersection Of Health And Politics -- The United States : An Ambivalent Journey Toward Universal Coverage -- Germany : Modernizing Social Health Insurance To Meet New Challenges -- South Africa : Confronting The Legacies Of Apartheid -- Conclusions And Prospects. Susan Giaimo. Includes Bibliographical References (pages 249-266) And Index.