Health Care USA, Sixth Edition is an ideal text for introductory courses on the organization and delivery of U.S. health care for students in schools of public health, medicine, nursing, dentistry, health administration, and other health professions. It provides an introduction to the health care system and an overview of the professional, political, social, and economic forces that have shaped it and will continue to do so. The Sixth Edition has been thoroughly revised to reflect the most recent changes of this growing and dynamic industry. Revisions include: Updated data on the size and cost of the U.S. health care system. New information on Managed Care Organizations, PPOs, and HMOs. New information on the variety of efforts of hospitals to reduce medical errors. Developments from the Freedom Commission on Mental Health initiative. A new discussion on the hospital competition with privately owned outpatient facilities. Updated Department of Labor estimates on health care personnel and the factors that influence demand and utilization. New data on the number of un- or under-insured Americans. A new discussion of government and private insurer cost savings initiatives through education and case management. A new discussion of the effect of the influx of Iraq War causalities on VA services. Updates on federal, state, and local public health initiatives in emergency preparedness.