, Instructor Manual: Morone/James, Health Politics and Policy, 6e, 2025, 9780357359150;
Chapter 1: “You Are Out of Your Minds”: A Brief History of Health Policy
Instructor Manual
Morone/James, Health Politics and Policy, 6e, 2025, 9780357359150;
Chapter 1: “You Are Out of Your Minds”: A Brief History of Health Policy
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Purpose and Perspective of the Chapter .................................................................................. 2
What’s New in This Chapter ........................................................................................................ 2
Chapter Outline ............................................................................................................................. 2
,and insurance for older and disabled adults since the early 1900s. The chapter also
considers how various payment systems, the increasing cost of health care, and the
COVID-19 epidemic have affected our health care system.
[return to top]
WHAT’S NEW IN THIS CHAPTER
The following elements are improvements in this chapter from the previous edition:
• This chapter is new to this edition and provides an overview of the history of
health politics and policy.
[return to top]
CHAPTER OUTLINE
The following outline organizes activities (including any existing discussion questions
in PowerPoints or other supplements) and assessments by chapter (and therefore by
topic), so that you can see how all the content relates to the topics covered in the
text.
This chapter describes the history of health politics and policy. Politics are
steeped in history and the past constantly shapes the future (PPT Slide 2).
Social scientists call the historical weight of political changes path
dependence. Political events such as new programs can have enormous
political implications down the line and many important political events have
affected health care (PPT Slide 2).
I. 1912: The Great Divide (PPT Slide 3)
i. Prior to 1912 a patient would likely be harmed or killed by treatments
given by a physician.
ii. After 1912 a patient stood a better than 50-50 chance of benefiting
from an encounter with a physician.
, Instructor Manual: Morone/James, Health Politics and Policy, 6e, 2025, 9780357359150;
Chapter 1: “You Are Out of Your Minds”: A Brief History of Health Policy
II. 1912–1919: National Health Insurance (I) (PPT Slide 4)
i. Theodore Roosevelt promoted national health insurance when he ran
for President in 1919, but he lost the election.
ii. The American Association for Labor Legislators (AALL) drafted a
model for a national health insurance. but the model was denounced
as “socialist” and “un-American.”
iii. The American Medical Association (AMA) was a fierce opponent of
national health insurance.
III. 1921–1929: The Origins of Private Health Insurance (PPT Slide 5)
i. Two insurance companies were selling individual health insurance by
1925.
ii. The first employee health benefits were offered by General Motors in
1929.
iii. Private insurance companies avoided insuring African Americans and
this racial bias continued to affect the private insurance industry for
years.
IV. 1935: The Social Security Act (PPT Slide 6)
i. The Social Security Act is the second most important piece of
domestic legislation passed in the 20thth century (second only to the
Civil Rights Act of 1965).
ii. The act was very controversial and made only one reference to
“health insurance” that called for further study.
iii. The act included:
• Old Age Insurance
• Aid to Dependent Children
V. National Health Insurance (II) (Slide 7)
i. The concept of national health insurance was reintroduced by
President Franklin D. Roosevelt after he won a fourth term.
ii. The concept was supported and reintroduced by President Truman,
but it did not make it out of Congressional committees.
iii. The American Medical Society (AMA) denounced the idea as “the
final irrevocable step to socialism.”
VI. 1946: The Hospital Construction Act (Hill-Burton) (Slide 8)
i. “The Argentina Model” was used to build up American medicine by
funding hospital construction.
ii. The federal government financed hospital infrastructure but left all
decisions to the health care industry.
iii. Over 35 years the program distributed $3.7 billion in federal funds
and drew more than $9 billion more in state and local matching
funds.
iv. The program contributed to almost one third of all hospital
construction in the nation.
Chapter 1: “You Are Out of Your Minds”: A Brief History of Health Policy
Instructor Manual
Morone/James, Health Politics and Policy, 6e, 2025, 9780357359150;
Chapter 1: “You Are Out of Your Minds”: A Brief History of Health Policy
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Purpose and Perspective of the Chapter .................................................................................. 2
What’s New in This Chapter ........................................................................................................ 2
Chapter Outline ............................................................................................................................. 2
,and insurance for older and disabled adults since the early 1900s. The chapter also
considers how various payment systems, the increasing cost of health care, and the
COVID-19 epidemic have affected our health care system.
[return to top]
WHAT’S NEW IN THIS CHAPTER
The following elements are improvements in this chapter from the previous edition:
• This chapter is new to this edition and provides an overview of the history of
health politics and policy.
[return to top]
CHAPTER OUTLINE
The following outline organizes activities (including any existing discussion questions
in PowerPoints or other supplements) and assessments by chapter (and therefore by
topic), so that you can see how all the content relates to the topics covered in the
text.
This chapter describes the history of health politics and policy. Politics are
steeped in history and the past constantly shapes the future (PPT Slide 2).
Social scientists call the historical weight of political changes path
dependence. Political events such as new programs can have enormous
political implications down the line and many important political events have
affected health care (PPT Slide 2).
I. 1912: The Great Divide (PPT Slide 3)
i. Prior to 1912 a patient would likely be harmed or killed by treatments
given by a physician.
ii. After 1912 a patient stood a better than 50-50 chance of benefiting
from an encounter with a physician.
, Instructor Manual: Morone/James, Health Politics and Policy, 6e, 2025, 9780357359150;
Chapter 1: “You Are Out of Your Minds”: A Brief History of Health Policy
II. 1912–1919: National Health Insurance (I) (PPT Slide 4)
i. Theodore Roosevelt promoted national health insurance when he ran
for President in 1919, but he lost the election.
ii. The American Association for Labor Legislators (AALL) drafted a
model for a national health insurance. but the model was denounced
as “socialist” and “un-American.”
iii. The American Medical Association (AMA) was a fierce opponent of
national health insurance.
III. 1921–1929: The Origins of Private Health Insurance (PPT Slide 5)
i. Two insurance companies were selling individual health insurance by
1925.
ii. The first employee health benefits were offered by General Motors in
1929.
iii. Private insurance companies avoided insuring African Americans and
this racial bias continued to affect the private insurance industry for
years.
IV. 1935: The Social Security Act (PPT Slide 6)
i. The Social Security Act is the second most important piece of
domestic legislation passed in the 20thth century (second only to the
Civil Rights Act of 1965).
ii. The act was very controversial and made only one reference to
“health insurance” that called for further study.
iii. The act included:
• Old Age Insurance
• Aid to Dependent Children
V. National Health Insurance (II) (Slide 7)
i. The concept of national health insurance was reintroduced by
President Franklin D. Roosevelt after he won a fourth term.
ii. The concept was supported and reintroduced by President Truman,
but it did not make it out of Congressional committees.
iii. The American Medical Society (AMA) denounced the idea as “the
final irrevocable step to socialism.”
VI. 1946: The Hospital Construction Act (Hill-Burton) (Slide 8)
i. “The Argentina Model” was used to build up American medicine by
funding hospital construction.
ii. The federal government financed hospital infrastructure but left all
decisions to the health care industry.
iii. Over 35 years the program distributed $3.7 billion in federal funds
and drew more than $9 billion more in state and local matching
funds.
iv. The program contributed to almost one third of all hospital
construction in the nation.
