Research Resources: Class Guides

ECO 275: Political Economy of Health Care

LAWS AND REGULATIONS

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act

Ref. Balcony KF 50 .U55
This is the complete text of the controversial helath care reform legislation passed by Congress in 2010. The text of the law is 906 pages. It is also available on online

United States Statutes at Large

Ref. Balcony KF 50 .U52 (1893 - )
This is the first permanent form of federal laws. One or more volumes are compiled for each legislative session. Recent laws are issued in "slip" format, arranged by Public Law number. Public Laws from 1995 to the present are available on GPO Access.

United States Code

Ref. Balcony KF 62 1992 .A2
This is the official codification of all federal laws, divided into 50 subject areas (or titles). Specific subject indexing is included, as well as a listing of the laws by popular names. Title 21 is Food and Drugs; Title 42 is Public Health and Welfare. Also available on GPO Access.

Code of Federal Regulations (CFR)

Ref. Balcony KF 70 .A34
This is a subject accumulation of rules currently in force, also divided into 50 titles (most of which correspond to the United States Code). It is nothing less than "a codification of the general and permanent rules published in the Federal Register by the Executive departments and agencies of the Federal Government." There is a separate index volume to the CFR. Title 21 is Food and Drugs (9 vols.) and Title 42 is Public Health and Welfare )4 vols.). The current edition is also available on GPO Access.

Federal Register

U.S. Doc. AE 2.106, Ground Floor
Published five days a week, this contains news of Executive rules and all presidential proclamations, rules and regulations of the various bureaus and departments of the federal government, decisions of fact-finding bodies, and all proposed regulations. Material from 1994 to the present is available on GPO Access. Only the most recent two years of the FR are retained in paper copy by the library.

Federal Register (online)

The official site from the National Archives. This is where all proposed and final federal regulations are first posted, with information on how to submit comments.

Congressional Committee Hearings

U.S. Doc. Y4 ....
Printed transcripts of hearings before House and Senate committees on a variety of topics. Recent hearings are also available online through GPO Access.

Pennsylvania Laws

The text of all Pennsylvania laws enacted since 1975, from the General Assembly.

Pennsylvania Code

This is the official compilation of Pennsylvania Commonwealth regulations.

ADDITIONAL REFERENCE SOURCES

Encyclopedia of Public Health

Sci Ref RA 423 .E53 2002
This 4-volume encyclopedia provides a solid overview of medical and policy issues.

Encyclopedia of Federal Agencies and Commissions

Ref. Balcony JK 9 .H536 2004
Good brief background, access and contact information.

Federal Regulatory Directory, 14th Edition

Ref. Balcony KF 5406 .A15F4 2010
Profiles of the major (and lesser) regulatory agencies, as well as the agencies affiliated with the cabinet-level departments. Each profile gives historical background on the agency, a review of important regulations, recent developments, and an outlook for the near future.

The Book of the States, 2009

Ref. Balcony JK 2403 .B6 2009
An annual directory, published by the Council of State Governments, that provides an administrative overview of state government. Contains data on state finances, programs, regulations, and intergovernmental affairs. With supplements.

ELECTRONIC RESOURCES

GPO Access

A service of the US Government Printing Office and the Superintendent of Documents, this provides access to a wealth of current government information. It includes online access to Presidential documents, public laws, Supreme Court opinions, and federal regulations.

USA.Gov

A service that provides access to web pages of government agencies and to government services in general.

Regulations.Gov

Easy access to proposed federal regulations.

Department of Health and Human Services

The main government web site for all things health-related.

HealthCare.gov

How to understand the new law, find insurance options, and more.

U.S. Food and Drug Administration

Updated daily with announcements, reports, regulations. The Center for Drug Evaluation and Research is an important component of the FDA.

National Institutes of Health

The home page of the NIH provides links to 27 specialized institutes and centers.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Contains news items, statistics, and links to publications.

Dartmouth Atlas of Health Care

Data and reports to help understand the efficiency and effectiveness of the health care system

Thomas (Library of Congress)

The Library of Congress' electronic access to legislative information: bills, public laws, and committees.

CQ Weekly Reports

This publication updates the CQ Almanac with a weekly reporting and analysis of congressional activity. Provides text and summaries of major legislation. This is the best source for tracking the progress of a bill in congress and contains charts for "Bills to Watch" and "Status of Appropriations").

Social Sciences Full Text

Indexes and abstracts over 400 English-language periodicals in all areas of the social sciences, including politics and economics.

General Science Full Text

Journals and magazines from the U.S. and Great Britain, covering all major scientific fields. Good coverage of health topics. Indexing from 1984 to present, abstracting from 1993 to present.

Lexis-Nexis

Connections to full-text newspaper articles (including the New York Times), business information, and legal resources.

Catalog of Government Publications

An index of all federal government publications from 1976 to the present.