Essentials of Health Policy and Law provides students of public health with a firm foundation of the basics of American health policy and law. Given the prominent role played by policy and law in the health of all Americans, the aim of this book is to help readers understand the broad context of health policy and law, the essential policy and legal issues impacting and flowing out of the health care and public health systems, and the way health policies and laws are formulated. Think of this textbook as an extended manual-introductory, concise, and straightforward-to the seminal issues in U.S. health policy and law, and thus as a jumping off point for discussion, reflection, research, and analysis. Features: Chapters are structured to allow for the teaching of policy and law in tandem or separately. Includes a chapter on analytic skills for public health students, including how to write a policy analysis. Each chapter includes discussion questions to engage student reflection. Accompanied by Essential Readings in Health Policy and Law (available in 2008)-a compilation of carefully selected readings meant to allow for deeper analysis of issues covered in this textbook. Table of Contents PART I-Overview of Policy and Law in the United States Chapter 1. Introduction: Understanding the Role of and Conceptualizing Health Policy and Law A. Introduction B. The Role of Policy and Law in Health Care and Public Health C. Conceptualizing Health Policy and Law D. Conc