The Politics of Health Legislation

by Feldstein, Paul J.

• ISBN13: 9781567930450
• ISBN10: 156793045X
• Edition: 2nd
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1996-07-01
• Publisher: Health Administration Pr

Author Biography

Paul J. Feldstein, Ph.D., has been Professor and Robert Gumbiner Chair in Health Care Management at the Graduate School of Management, University of California, Irvine, since 1987. Professor Feldstein has written six books and numerous articles on health economics. When on leave from the university, Professor Feldstein has worked for the Office of Management and Budget, the Social Security Administration, and the World Health Organization

Table of Contents

Preface	vii
Introduction	1	(16)
Which Theory of Legislation?	4	(4)
Types of Legislation Examined	8	(9)
An Economic Version of the Interest Group Theory of Legislation	17	(28)
The Demanders of Legislative Benefits	18	(4)
The Suppliers of Legislative Benefits	22	(15)
Concluding Comments	37	(8)
The Relative Success of Health Associations	45	(22)
Similarity of Members' Interests	46	(6)
The ``Free Rider'' Problem	52	(5)
Costs of Organizing a Group	57	(1)
Size of the Potential Benefits	58	(1)
Uncertainty	58	(2)
Concluding Comments	60	(7)
The Demand for Legislation by Health Associations	67	(44)
The Motivation of Health Associations	68	(3)
Framework for Analyzing Legislative Behavior	71	(31)
Implications of the Legislative Success of Health Associations	102	(9)
The Reasons for Deregulation	111	(26)
Examples of Deregulated Industries	112	(16)
The Reasons for Deregulation	128	(9)
The Emergence of Market Competition in the U.S. Healthcare System	137	(26)
U.S. Medical System Before Market Competition	138	(4)
Emergence of Market Competition	142	(9)
Implications of Market Competition in Medical Care	151	(6)
Concluding Comments	157	(6)
The Control of Externalities: Medical Research, Epidemics, and the Environment	163	(32)
Political Support Maximization as a Basis for Government Intervention When There Are Externalities	165	(2)
Federal Support for Medical Research	167	(6)
Public Crises as a Cause for Government Intervention	173	(13)
Concluding Comments	186	(9)
Redistributive Programs	195	(34)
A Theory of Broad Redistributive Programs	197	(4)
Examples of Charitable Redistributive Programs	201	(6)
Examples of Universal Redistributive Programs	207	(7)
Political Power of the Elderly	214	(5)
Concluding Comments	219	(10)
Medicare	229	(28)
The Passage of Medicare	231	(1)
Economic Interests	232	(8)
The Redistributive Effects of Medicare and Medicaid	240	(4)
Concluding Comments	244	(13)
Healthcare Reform	257	(18)
The Objectives of National Health Insurance	258	(9)
The Defeat of President Clinton's Healthcare Plan	267	(4)
The Prospects for National Health Insurance	271	(4)
The Self-Interest Paradigm and the Politics of Health Legislation	275	(16)
Producer Regulation	279	(2)
Legislation Providing for Medical Research, Protection Against Epidemics, and a Clean Environment	281	(2)
Redistributive Legislation	283	(2)
The Legislative Outlook	285	(6)
Index	291	(11)
About the Author	302