A systemic look at Health Care in the US: Where we are, how we got here, and where do we go from here?

 

This program will examine the history of the health care system in the US to help us understand the development of our current system, social and economic dynamics of our current situation, where people have no or limited means to pay for their care, and where illness is a major cause of bankruptcy. And despite money invested by families, businesses and society, the US consistently has the least favorable health statistics among developed countries.  The position of women and reproductive health rights will be examined as a case study in the evolution of public policy.

 

We will examine the paradigmatic underpinnings and structures that drive system behavior, public policy intervention efforts, and popular civic engagement around health care financing. We will use systems theory and systems thinking tools to understand this complex system and how it intersects with others and to identify leverage points for change.

 

The third quarter will incorporate in-program internships focused on public policy implementation as well as expert guest speakers and field trips. 

 

Texts that will be used include Understanding Health Care Policy by Thomas Bodenheimer and Kevin Grumbach; The Social Transformation of American Medicine by Paul Starr; Narrative Matters by Fitzhugh Mullen et al; When Abortion Was a Crime by Leslie J. Reagan; Systems Thinking, a primer by Donella Meadows, Leadership without easy answers by Ron Heifetz