Student Resources (click here for access)

Instructor Resources: Course lesson plans, PowerPoint slides, answer guides to end-of-chapter discussion questions and application activities, links to current legislation and regulations, teaching notes, and a sample syllabus.

New! Comprehensive course lesson plans are designed to promote an active classroom. Use the lesson plans to set up a new course or adapt your current syllabus to this edition of the text. Activities have been designed to enhance critical-thinking and problem-solving skills, as well as information retention and retrieval capacity. Designed for either an online or on-ground environment.

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) is the most comprehensive attempt to improve the American healthcare system in the past 50 years. This one-of-a-kind book walks through the evolution of the ACA and helps readers better understand its history, fundamental aspects, and implementation to date.

For this book, the author has assembled the most relevant readings from a wide variety of books, journals, and magazines. Tapping into his experience as a former healthcare executive, policy analyst, and lobbyist, McLaughlin shares his professional insight on the ACA through an analysis of the key theories that underlie the law, discussion of the significant impact of the new policies, and commentary on the readings.

Together, the readings and commentary allow readers to understand:

• The principles that were used to create the ACA
• Major elements of the ACA that support:
• Population health and wellness
• Chronic disease management
• Improved quality and productivity
• A sustainable safety net
• Health insurance expansion and improvement
• Payment policies to achieve these goals
• The ACA as a part of the health policy development and advocacy process
• Current examples of the implementation of ACA policies in healthcare delivery
• Future possibilities

This book is suitable for courses on the US healthcare system, health policy, health economics, and strategy. It is also valuable for healthcare professionals who seek to expand their understanding of the healthcare system, especially in light of the changes brought by the ACA. Practical strategy implementations based on many of the policies contained in the ACA will appeal to both students and professionals.