This course provides an overview of the U.S. health care system, its internal administration, and the evolution of federal and state policy. We focus on the political dynamics of public health care, and particularly on administration and policy formulation as it affects private insurers, Medicare and Medicaid, and changes wrought by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. The course draws on lectures by experts in the public health sector and examines the growing body of administrative and public policy literature in this area. No disciplinary background is assumed, nor is any special familiarity with the field of health care required.