Hospital City, Health Care Nation: Race, Capital, and the Costs of American Health Care

Hospital City, Health Care Nation emphasizes the economic, social, and medical importance of urban hospitals and academic medical centers in American communities. It argues that high health care spending has constrained possibilities for comprehensive reform but has also contributed to racial health disparities. Guian A. McKee's book explores these issues through a historical case study of Baltimores Johns Hopkins Hospital and traces their connections across governmental scales. It suggests that health care spending and its consequences are core issues in the struggle over the American health care system and offers ideas for the next steps in reform.

Format: Hardback
Length: 392 pages
Publication date: 11 April 2023
Publisher: University of Pennsylvania Press

Hospital City, Health Care Nation is a groundbreaking book that reimagines the narrative of the U.S. healthcare system by highlighting its profound economic, social, and medical significance within American communities. By focusing on urban hospitals and academic medical centers, the book argues that the country's high level of healthcare spending has transformed these institutions into vital, yet often problematic, economic anchors for their respective communities. However, this spending has also hindered comprehensive healthcare reform efforts over numerous decades, even after the passage of the Affordable Care Act in 2010.

At the same time, hospitals have played a significant role in urban renewal, community health provision, and the employment of low-wage workers, contributing to racial health disparities. Guian A. McKee, in this detailed historical case study of Baltimore's Johns Hopkins Hospital, explores these complex issues while tracing their connections across governmental scales. He demonstrates that healthcare spending and its consequences, rather than insurance coverage alone, are central to the ongoing struggle over the American healthcare system.

Hospital City, Health Care Nation specifically highlights the increased role of financial capital after the 1960s in shaping not only hospital growth but also the fundamental character of these vital institutions. The book reveals how hospitals' pursuit of capital has intersected with structural racism and inequality, shaping and constraining the U.S. healthcare system in profound ways. By reassessing the hospital system, its politics, and its financing, the book offers valuable insights and proposals for the next phases of healthcare reform.

In conclusion, Hospital City, Health Care Nation is a must-read for anyone interested in understanding the complex dynamics of the U.S. healthcare system. Through its comprehensive analysis and thoughtful proposals, the book provides a valuable roadmap for shaping a more equitable and sustainable healthcare system for all Americans.

Dimension: 229 x 152 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781512823936