Forward to Economics of Health Law (Economic Approaches to Law Series)

Abstract

The editors selected the articles for inclusion in this two-volume collection through a combination of crowd-sourcing and editorial judgment. The crowd-sourcing component involved emails to roughly 20 scholars working in health economics, health law or bioethics, asking for suggestions. The authors consolidated all of the suggestions they received, added some of their own and then held several marathon meetings to identify the articles best suited for inclusion in this collection. We hope readers will find them as interesting and provocative as we did.

Volume I Part I: Access to Health Care, Mortality and Other Clinical Outcomes

Individuals living without health insurance may face not only increased health risks but also elevated health care costs when inevitable medical treatment is required. Access to health care - the subject of Part I of Volume I - can have a profound impact on both the health and financial security of individuals. Yet, before the enactment of the Affordable Care Act, better known as ObamaCare, some 40 million Americans were without coverage. The exact impact of the lack of health insurance on mortality and health status as well as the health care marketplace is frequently disputed. Part I contains research discussing possible health advantages to insurance coverage and medical care access as well as the financial difficulties experienced by the uninsured.