Policy and Management explores the complicated underpinnings and current develop of health policy in the United States. Policy as a concept in part is based on the premise of decisions that are made on how best to use valuable and often limited resources. This course evaluates how policy and policy decision- making are fundamentally rooted in layers of politics, overlapping spheres of influence, and cultural considerations. The course ground students with a review of political and cultural ideology in the United States and its historical and current impact on healthcare policy. Through readings, discussions and written assignments, students will develop an applied understanding of the health policy process, how best to improve healthcare quality and access to care, with the aim to improve health outcomes. Some of the topics covered in the course include unearthing the ?why and why not? of what policies are working, best strategies to use in policy development, how analysis of determinates of health can guide strategic policy, and whether the U.S. really does spend more money than other countries on healthcare.