Charles E. Phelps provides a comprehensive look at our health care system, including how the current system evolved, how the health care sector behaves, and a detailed analysis of "the good, the bad, and the ugly" parts of the system—from technological advances (the "good") to variations in treatment patterns (the "bad") to hidden costs and perverse incentives (the "ugly"). He shows that much of the cost of health care ultimately derives from our own lifestyle choices and thus that educati...

Can we really use economic thinking to understand our health care system? Health Economics, now in its sixth edition, not only shows how this is done, but also provides the tools to analyze the economic behavior of patients and providers in health care markets.Health Economics combines current economic theory, recent research, and up-to-date empirical studies into a comprehensive overview of the field. Key changes to this edition include:additional ...

Systems engineering offers a set of capabilities and competencies to design and manage complex systems as they evolve. Drawing from social choice research and systems engineering practice, Making Better Choices examines how we make decisions together and the tools we use to arrive at those decisions. It takes a critical look at the rules and methods we apply to important decisions--from how we run meetings to how we elect presidents--with an interest in how we can improve these me...

Cost-effectiveness analysis (CEA) plays an important role in health policy debates, helping to shape resource allocation and pricing decisions. Yet many economists also recognize that the current framework can offer misleading and incomplete results. Current CEA methods imply that health improvements are equally valuable to those in good health and poor health, which fails to recognize the increased value of health improvements for those with severe illness or disability. Valuing Healt...

In this book, Phelps and Parente explore the US health care system and set out the case for its reform. They trace the foundations of today’s system, and show how distortions in the incentives facing participants in the health care market could be corrected in order to achieve lower costs, a higher quality of care, a higher level of patient safety, and a more efficient allocation of health care resources.Phelps and Parente propose novel yet economically robust changes to US tax law...

"If You Don't Write Fiction" by Charles Phelps Cushing is a compelling exploration of the art and craft of writing. Cushing delves into the intricacies of storytelling, emphasizing the importance of character development and narrative structure. He provides practical advice for aspiring writers, encouraging them to find their unique voice and style. The book is filled with insightful anecdotes and examples that illustrate the challenges and triumphs of the writing process, making it an inv...

“At the end of the 1920’s the Foreign Service of the United States... introduced a program of regional specialization. It was a fortunate innovation, for, among other things, it provided the Service with a group of well‐trained Russian‐language specialists just at the time when the United States was beginning its new and troubled association with the Soviet Union.One of the first of these was Charles E. Bohlen, and for the next 40 years he was to be involved in every major developm...

National bestselling and award-winning author M. William Phelps—star of Investigation Discovery’s smash-hit TV series Dark Minds—updates his classic work of true crime in which psychological drama, passion, and murder collide in a powerful audiobook with special appeal to women listeners.In the postcard-pretty town of Pleasant Valley, New York, Susan Fassett left choir practice at her church—and was gunned down in the parking lot. An entire town reeled in shock. Susan was ...

Who the Hell Writes Fiction For a Living, Anyway?Gentlemen, my cards are face up on the table. I have declared to the publisher that nearly every American who knows how to read longs to find his way into print, and should appreciate some of the dearly bought hints herein contained upon practical journalism. And, as I kept my face straight when I said it, he may have taken me seriously. Perhaps he thinks he has a best seller.But this is just bet...

“The most disturbing and moving look at murder in rural America since In Cold Blood.” —Gregg OlsenOn a December night in 2004, a 911 operator in Nodaway County, Missouri, received a frantic call from a woman who’d found her pregnant 23-year-old daughter in a pool of blood on the living room floor. Most shocking of all, the dying woman’s unborn baby had been viciously ripped from her womb.“Get ready for some sleepless nights.” —Carlton StowersAcross the bord...

“Phelps’s writing reads like a mystery novel.” —Suspense MagazineThe crime stunned quiet Mineral Wells, Texas: 49-year-old Bob Dow shot execution-style in his own bed, his invalid mother locked in the next room—and a cache of homemade porn starring the town’s underage girls. The two accused killers—teen lovers Bobbi Jo Smith and Jennifer Jones—were on the run, intent on going out in a cross-country blaze of glory. M. William Phelps exposes a gripping tale of sexploitation,...

In "If You Don't Write Fiction," Charles Phelps Cushing explores the intricate relationship between reality and imagination, urging readers to contemplate the boundaries of storytelling and creativity. Through a rich tapestry of prose that blends reflective essays with narrative techniques, Cushing delves into the nuances of fiction writing, emphasizing its power to reshape personal and collective experiences. Positioned in the context of 20th-century literary movements, his work engages w...