Full Description
A sweeping history of the American health care state that reveals the public has been intentionally misled about the true role of government.
The US government has always invested federal, state and local dollars in public health protection and prevention. Despite this public funding, however, Americans typically believe the current system is predominantly comprised of private actors with little government interference. In Grow & Hide, Colleen M. Grogan details the history of the American health care state and argues that the public has been intentionally misled about the true role of government.
The US created a publicly financed system while framing it as the opposite in what Grogan terms the "grow-and-hide regime." Today, the state's role is larger than ever, yet it remains largely hidden because stakeholders-namely, private actors and their allies in government-have repeatedly, and successfully, presented the illusion of minimal government involvement. The consequences of this narrative are scarce accountability and a highly unequal distribution of benefits.
In the wake of a pandemic that has killed over one million Americans--with the highest death rates among minorities and lower-income people--the time has come for an honest discussion about the health care system. As Grogan reveals, America has never had a system that resembles a competitive, free-market model. Given how much the government already invests in the health care system, means how these funds are distributed and administered are fundamental political questions for the American public, not questions that should be decided by the private sector. If we want to fix care in America, we need to reimagine the way it is organized, prioritized, funded, and, perhaps most importantly, discussed. Grow & Hide is an important contribution to this reimagining.
Contents
Introduction: America's Expanding, Unequal and Hidden Health Care State
Part I: The Emergence of a Public Health Care State: 1860-1930
Chapter 1: A Conspicuous Public Health Care State
Chapter 2: Expanding the Boundaries of Public Health
Chapter 3: Public Health Planning: Hope for a Unified Public-Private System
Part II: The Rise of Grow & Hide: 1930-1965
Chapter 4: The New Public Health Deal
Chapter 5: The Voluntary Way Hides the Role of Government
Chapter 6: Solidifying the Grow and Hide Approach
Part III: The Consequences of Grow & Hide: 1965-2020
Chapter 7: Fragmentation: The Failure of Health Care Planning
Chapter 8: Profiteering: The Hidden Financial Industry Takeover
Chapter 9: Inequality: How Medicaid is Designed to Grow and Hide
Chapter 10: The ACA Embraces Grow & Hide
Conclusion: Possibilities for Change
Notes
Index
