Political polarization among ‘red’ and ‘blue’ states in the United States is reflected in major divides that exist along social, economic, educational, geographic, and demographic lines, but nowhere is polarization and political divide more evident than in the field of American healthcare. This book examines the healthcare divide between the red and blue states.

In this book, authors Kant Patel and Mark Rushefsky analyze how political polarization at the state level has impacted state health policymaking, policy outputs, and policy outcomes and led red and blue states to create vastly different healthcare and health policies. And, as state governments enjoy a considerable amount of authority and discretionary power, the authors further examine how polarization has influenced the implementation of national health policies by the red and blue states. The book begins with an exploration of the origins and evolution of political polarization and the factors that have contributed to it at the national level. This is followed by an analysis of how political polarization separates red and blue states and how they differ from each other in political, economic, demographic, and racial dimensions. It then considers how the health profiles of red and blue states differ in health indicators such as the uninsured or underinsured population, healthcare spending, and healthcare access. The book analyzes how political polarization has produced vastly different sets of health policies on issues including the Affordable Care Act (ACA), Medicaid, reproductive rights, and the COVID-19 pandemic. The book concludes with a critical examination of proposed solutions to political polarization and the dangers of our current deeply divided political climate.

Written in an accessible and jargon-free style, The Divided State of American Healthcare is vital reading for undergraduate and graduate courses on health policy, public policy, political science, and public health. It will also be of keen interest to healthcare professionals in the public and private sectors.