The Wages of Sickness

The Politics of Health Insurance in Progressive America

Nonfiction, Social & Cultural Studies, Political Science, Government, Local Government, Health & Well Being, Health, Health Care Issues, History, Americas, United States, 20th Century
Cover of the book The Wages of Sickness by Beatrix Hoffman, The University of North Carolina Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Beatrix Hoffman ISBN: 9780807860724
Publisher: The University of North Carolina Press Publication: June 19, 2003
Imprint: The University of North Carolina Press Language: English
Author: Beatrix Hoffman
ISBN: 9780807860724
Publisher: The University of North Carolina Press
Publication: June 19, 2003
Imprint: The University of North Carolina Press
Language: English

The Clinton administration's failed health care reform was not the first attempt to establish government-sponsored medical coverage in the United States. From 1915 to 1920, Progressive reformers led a spirited but ultimately unsuccessful crusade for compulsory health insurance in New York State. Beatrix Hoffman argues that this first health insurance campaign was a crucial moment in the creation of the American welfare state and health care system. Its defeat, she says, gave rise to an uneven and inegalitarian system of medical coverage and helped shape the limits of American social policy for the rest of the century.

Hoffman examines each of the major combatants in the battle over compulsory health insurance. While physicians, employers, the insurance industry, and conservative politicians forged a uniquely powerful coalition in opposition to health insurance proposals, she shows, reformers' potential allies within women's organizations and the labor movement were bitterly divided. Against the backdrop of World War I and the Red Scare, opponents of reform denounced government-sponsored health insurance as "un-American" and, in the process, helped fashion a political culture that resists proposals for universal health care and a comprehensive welfare state even today.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

The Clinton administration's failed health care reform was not the first attempt to establish government-sponsored medical coverage in the United States. From 1915 to 1920, Progressive reformers led a spirited but ultimately unsuccessful crusade for compulsory health insurance in New York State. Beatrix Hoffman argues that this first health insurance campaign was a crucial moment in the creation of the American welfare state and health care system. Its defeat, she says, gave rise to an uneven and inegalitarian system of medical coverage and helped shape the limits of American social policy for the rest of the century.

Hoffman examines each of the major combatants in the battle over compulsory health insurance. While physicians, employers, the insurance industry, and conservative politicians forged a uniquely powerful coalition in opposition to health insurance proposals, she shows, reformers' potential allies within women's organizations and the labor movement were bitterly divided. Against the backdrop of World War I and the Red Scare, opponents of reform denounced government-sponsored health insurance as "un-American" and, in the process, helped fashion a political culture that resists proposals for universal health care and a comprehensive welfare state even today.

More books from The University of North Carolina Press

Cover of the book The Religion of Chiropractic by Beatrix Hoffman
Cover of the book Solidarity Blues by Beatrix Hoffman
Cover of the book Classical Rhetoric and Its Christian and Secular Tradition from Ancient to Modern Times by Beatrix Hoffman
Cover of the book Anetso, the Cherokee Ball Game by Beatrix Hoffman
Cover of the book Staging Depth by Beatrix Hoffman
Cover of the book The Red Atlantic by Beatrix Hoffman
Cover of the book Eating Puerto Rico by Beatrix Hoffman
Cover of the book Allende’s Chile and the Inter-American Cold War by Beatrix Hoffman
Cover of the book Rome, the Greek World, and the East by Beatrix Hoffman
Cover of the book Abortion after Roe by Beatrix Hoffman
Cover of the book Congo Love Song by Beatrix Hoffman
Cover of the book Catholic and Feminist by Beatrix Hoffman
Cover of the book Unruly Women by Beatrix Hoffman
Cover of the book William Lowndes and the Transition of Southern Politics, 1782-1822 by Beatrix Hoffman
Cover of the book Legal Realism at Yale, 1927-1960 by Beatrix Hoffman
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy