National Health Insurance in the United States and Canada: Race, Territory, and the Roots of Difference (American Governance and Public Policy) Review

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(More customer reviews)Boychuk's National Health Insurance is an excellent description of the development of Medicare and Medicaid through the lens of racial politics, and the events leading up to the Canada Health Act vis-a-vis federal/ provincial relations, especially with respect to Quebec.
Boychuk's writing is clear and accessible, and at times humorous (much appreciated). His argument is consistent and focused, and the sources he draws from are numerous and well respected. The book reads very much like a text though, which at times made it difficult to keep dates, players and information straight. I found it helpful to outline some of the chapters for easy reference. He packs a ton into this relatively short book.
I would recommend this book to anyone interested in the impact of outside social movements on national health insurance/ health care reform.

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After World War II, the United States and Canada, two countries that were very similar in many ways, struck out on radically divergent paths to public health insurance. Canada developed a universal single-payer system of national health care, while the United States opted for a dual system that combines public health insurance for low-income and senior residents with private, primarily employer-provided health insurance - or no insurance - for everyone else.In "National Health Insurance in the United States and Canada", Gerard W. Boychuk probes the historical development of health care in each country, honing in on the most distinctive social and political aspects of each country - the politics of race in the U.S. and territorial politics in Canada especially the tensions between the national government and the province of Quebec. In addition to the politics of race and territory, Boychuk sifts through the numerous factors shaping health policy, including national values, political culture and institutions, the power of special interests, and the impact of strategic choices made at critical junctures.Drawing on historical archives, oral histories, and public opinion data, he presents a nuanced and thoughtful analysis of the evolution of the two systems, compares them as they exist today, and reflects on how each is poised to meet the challenges of the future.

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