For students, Feldstein (health care management, U. of California, Irvine) describes the economics underlying key healthcare issues and politics. He addresses the rise of medical expenditures and whether more expenditures produce better health; rationing medical services; health insurance costs and needs; Medicare and Medicaid; the nursing shortage and potential physician shortage; the changing practice of medicine; malpractice; nonprofit hospitals; competition among hospitals and their future role; cost shifting; the effects of price controls; long-term and managed care; the difficulty of getting into medical school; the high costs of healthcare and prescription drugs; organ donation; the Canadian system; national health insurance; and other topics. This edition has updated chapters, figures, and tables, and a new chapter on comparative effectiveness research. A rewritten final chapter includes new information on healthcare reform. A summary of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 appears in the appendix. Annotation ©2011 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com) Read Less