Health Security for All: Dreams of Universal Health Care in America

by Alan Derickson

Overview

This provocative work explores the invention and reinvention of a fundamental goal of American social policy—universal health care. In Health Security for All, Alan Derickson examines the emergence of diverse proposals for all-encompassing health reform since the early twentieth century. This study discovers not only a number of imaginative arguments for extending health services but also an unexpectedly wide array of passionate advocates for universalism.

An innovative approach to one of the great unresolved social and political problems of our time, Health Security for All will be of interest to social scientists, health policy scholars, historians, and idealists across the political spectrum.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780801880810
Publisher:	Johns Hopkins University Press
Publication date:	02/09/2005
Pages:	256
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.79(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Alan Derickson is professor of history at Pennsylvania State University, University Park.

Table of Contents

Preface
Chapter 1. A Fertile and Lively Cause of Poverty
Chapter 2. One of the Most Radical Moves Ever Made
Chapter 3. No Poor-Man's System
Chapter 4. American Democratic Medicine
Chapter 5. Well on the Way
Chapter 6. As Much a Birthright as Education
Epilogue: Alone Among the Developed Nations
Acknowledgements
Notes
Index

What People are Saying About This

Adam D. Sheingate

An important contribution to our understanding of American health policy. It will reach a wide audience in history, public health, and political science.

— Adam D. Sheingate, Johns Hopkins University

From the Publisher

An important contribution to our understanding of American health policy. It will reach a wide audience in history, public health, and political science.
—Adam D. Sheingate, Johns Hopkins University

Derickson's scholarship is persuasive and refreshing. Advanced undergraduate and graduate students would highly benefit from this work, as would researchers and scholars in health policy, health services research, and public health.
—Daniel M. Fox, President, Milbank Memorial Fund

Daniel M. Fox

Derickson's scholarship is persuasive and refreshing. Advanced undergraduate and graduate students would highly benefit from this work, as would researchers and scholars in health policy, health services research, and public health.

— Daniel M. Fox, President, Milbank Memorial Fund

Editorial Reviews

This book provides an intriguing recount of health care reform's storied and often tumultuous past.
—Ronald T. Ackermann, MD, MPH, Annals of Internal Medicine

Required reading for those interested in the life and death of health policy initiatives . . . Valuable primer on health policy.
—Eric G. Campbell, PhD, JAMA

Will surely resonate in the thoughts of policymakers . . . and anyone interested in a fairer and healthier society.
—Marian E. Gornick, New England Journal of Medicine

Derickson has rendered these ideas concerning access intelligible and the disputes over them comprehensible.
—Theodore R. Marmor, Journal of American History

Derickson's book is undoubtedly an important contribution that deserves a wide readership.
—Gerald N. Grob, Psychiatric Services

Anyone who wonders whether there is anything new that can be said about the issue must read Alan Derickson's marvelous book.
—Jill Quadagno, Bulletin of the History of Medicine

This is a book that asks the right questions and contains more than its share of provocative answers.
—Edward D. Berkowitz, Journal of Social History

A fascinating intellectual and political history of reform ideologies and debates.
—Journal of Health Politics, Policy and Law

A fascinating intellectual and political history of reform ideologies and debates.
—Journal of Health Politics, Policy and Law

Beautifully readable, scholarly, and brief (for its coverage).
—Educ'l Gerontology

A valuable addition . . . The unique feature of the book is its focus on the goal of universalism, rather than the more narrow politics of national health insurance . . . grounded in discourses of needs, efficiency, and rights.
—Martin Gorsky, Medical History

From the Publisher

A fascinating intellectual and political history of reform ideologies and debates.

Policy and Law Journal of Health Politics

This is a book that asks the right questions and contains more than its share of provocative answers.

Journal of Social History - Edward D. Berkowitz

Anyone who wonders whether there is anything new that can be said about the issue must read Alan Derickson's marvelous book.

Bulletin of the History of Medicine - Jill Quadagno

Derickson's book is undoubtedly an important contribution that deserves a wide readership.

Psychiatric Services - Gerald N. Grob

Derickson has rendered these ideas concerning access intelligible and the disputes over them comprehensible.

Journal of American History - Theodore R. Marmor

A valuable addition . . . The unique feature of the book is its focus on the goal of universalism, rather than the more narrow politics of national health insurance . . . grounded in discourses of needs, efficiency, and rights.

Medical History - Martin Gorsky

Will surely resonate in the thoughts of policymakers . . . and anyone interested in a fairer and healthier society.

New England Journal of Medicine - Marian E. Gornick

This book provides an intriguing recount of health care reform's storied and often tumultuous past.

Annals of Internal Medicine - Ronald T. Ackermann

Beautifully readable, scholarly, and brief (for its coverage).

Educ'l Gerontology

Required reading for those interested in the life and death of health policy initiatives . . . Valuable primer on health policy.

JAMA - Eric G. Campbell

A valuable addition... The unique feature of the book is its focus on the goal of universalism, rather than the more narrow politics of national health insurance... grounded in discourses of needs, efficiency, and rights.

— Martin Gorsky

Medical History

This is a book that asks the right questions and contains more than its share of provocative answers.

— Edward D. Berkowitz

Journal of Social History

Anyone who wonders whether there is anything new that can be said about the issue must read Alan Derickson's marvelous book.

— Jill Quadagno

Bulletin of the History of Medicine

Derickson's book is undoubtedly an important contribution that deserves a wide readership.

— Gerald N. Grob

Psychiatric Services

Derickson has rendered these ideas concerning access intelligible and the disputes over them comprehensible.

— Theodore R. Marmor

Journal of American History

Will surely resonate in the thoughts of policymakers... and anyone interested in a fairer and healthier society.

— Marian E. Gornick

New England Journal of Medicine

Required reading for those interested in the life and death of health policy initiatives... Valuable primer on health policy.

— Eric G. Campbell, PhD

JAMA

This book provides an intriguing recount of health care reform's storied and often tumultuous past.

— Ronald T. Ackermann, MD, MPH

Annals of Internal Medicine