U.S. Hospitals and the Civil Rights Act of 1964

This case is based on an article written by Emily Friedman (2014) and is reproduced with her permission. As noted in the introductory paragraph to the case in the book, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (P.L. 88-352) is a landmark civil rights policy in the United States. It is also important health policy because it addresses an important determinant of health: discrimination. This case study of the act's emergence and subsequent impact provides vivid examples of many of the concepts and features of health policymaking presented in the book. For example, the case illustrates the formulation, implementation, and modification phases of policymaking. It illustrates both public- and private-sector policy. It also illustrates the various forms that public policy takes: laws, rules and regulations, implementation decisions, and judicial decisions. The case includes examples of health policy emerging from the work of legislative bodies, executive branch employees, and the courts. It shows how policy is influenced by and, in turn, influences the larger environment in which policymaking occurs. Most important, the case illustrates the extraordinary role that policy can play in human health as well as the sometimes equally extraordinary difficulties policies face in achieving their intended impact. Written in the summer of 2014, this case looks back 50 years and more.

1. From the case study, provide one example of each of the forms that public policies can take: laws, rules or regulations, other implementation decisions, and judicial decisions.

2. From the case, provide one example of each of the categories of health policies.