14.9: Summary
Healthcare in America is complicated, and fraught with corporate and political agendas. While public health is focused mostly on primary prevention at the population level, the healthcare industry meets the needs of individuals and communities for primary, secondary, and tertiary care. Access, cost, and quality of healthcare are all important factors for population health. Public health professionals may work within or adjacent to the medical field, or on policymaking at the local, state, or national level, and so should understand the history, current needs and political climate surrounding healthcare.