United States of America is a federal republic with a population of 330,222,422. The government consists of a central ruling authority and 50 individual states. The goal of this course is to provide students with an overview of the U.S. public health administration and health care system, considering its components and the challenges of current political trends. Particular attention will be given to the health reform and its implementation at the state and federal levels, considering the budgetary implications of spending on health care. The main health policy institutions under study are hospitals, outpatient centers, and their interaction with private insurers and federal/state funding programs. Disparities in access to care and diagnostic and therapeutic interventions will also be studied, and the factors that may drive the growth of the costs of such interventions