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Abstract

For more than 200 years, policy makers and policy analysts have struggled to determine an appropriate division of labor between local governments, the states, the federal government, and the private sector. This issue will be considered through the lens of health care policy. What does privatization mean in the context of health care? Is the federal government delegating to the states increased authority over the nation's health care system? The conclusion is that health policy is a particularly slippery lens through which to view these issues. The substance of privatization and devolution does not match the rhetoric. On the contrary, both intergovernmental division of labor and public-private partnership have become increasingly blurred.

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References

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Myths and Misunderstandings

Abstract

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