The Politics of Health Legislation: An Economic Perspective

by Feldstein, Paul J.

• ISBN13: 9781567931594
• ISBN10: 1567931596
• Edition: Map
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2001-10-01
• Publisher: Foundation of the Amer College

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	xi
Introduction	1	(22)
The Public Interest View of Government	5	(3)
The Economic Theory of Regulation	8	(5)
Contrasts Between the Public Interest and Economic Theories	13	(2)
Criteria for Evaluating Alternative Theories	15	(2)
Types of Legislation to be Examined	17	(6)
An Economic Version of the Interest Group Theory of Government	23	(30)
The Demanders of Legislative Benefits	23	(6)
The Suppliers of Legislative Benefits	29	(15)
Concluding Comments	44	(9)
The Relative Success of Health Associations	53	(22)
Similarity of Members' Interests	53	(7)
The ``Free Rider'' Problem	60	(5)
Costs of Organizing a Group	65	(1)
Size of the Potential Benefits	66	(1)
Uncertainty	66	(2)
Concluding Comments	68	(7)
The Demand for Legislation by Health Associations	75	(46)
The Motivation of Health Associations	76	(2)
Framework for Analyzing Legislative Behavior	78	(33)
Implications of the Legislative Success of Health Associations	111	(2)
Concluding Comments	113	(8)
The Reasons for Deregulation	121	(28)
Examples of Deregulated Industries	122	(18)
The Reasons for Deregulation	140	(4)
Concluding Comments	144	(5)
The Emergence of Market Competition in the U.S. Healthcare System	149	(26)
U.S. Medical System Before Market Competition	149	(5)
Emergence of Market Competition	154	(9)
Implications of Market Competition in Medical Care	163	(6)
Concluding Comments	169	(6)
The Control of Externalities: Medical Research, Epidemics, and the Environment	175	(34)
Political Support Maximization as a Basis for Government when There Are Externalities	177	(2)
Federal Support for Medical Research	179	(5)
Public Crises as a Cause for Government Intervention	184	(15)
Concluding Comments	199	(10)
Redistributive Programs	209	(34)
A Theory of Broad Redistributive Programs	210	(5)
Examples of Charitable Redistributive Programs	215	(5)
Examples of Universal Redistributive Programs	220	(9)
Political Power of the Elderly	229	(4)
Concluding Comments	233	(10)
Medicare	243	(32)
The Passage of Medicare	245	(1)
Economic Interests	245	(9)
The Redistributive Effects of Medicare and Medicaid	254	(11)
Concluding Comments	265	(10)
Healthcare Reform	275	(22)
The Objectives of National Health Insurance	275	(10)
The Defeat of President Clinton's Healthcare Plan	285	(5)
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) of 1996	290	(3)
Concluding Comments	293	(4)
The Self-Interest Paradigm and the Politics of Health Legislation	297	(18)
Producer Regulation	301	(2)
Legislation Providing for Medical Research, Protection Against Epidemics, and a Clean Environment	303	(2)
Redistributive Legislation	305	(2)
The Legislative Outlook	307	(8)
Index	315