The story of Medicaid comes alive for readers in this strong narrative, including detailed accounts of important policy changes and extensive use of interviews. A central theme of the book is that Medicaid is a "weak entitlement," one less established or effectively defended than Medicare or Social Security, but more secure than welfare or food stamps. In their analysis, the authors argue that the future of Medicaid is sound. It has the flexibility to be adapted by states as well as to allow for policy innovation. At the same time, the program lacks an effective mechanism for overall reform. They note Medicaid has become a source of perennial political controversy as it has grown to become the largest health insurance system in the country. The book's dual emphasis on politics and policy is important in making the arcane Medicaid program accessible to readersand in distinguishing policy grounded in analysis from partisan ideology. This second edition features a new preface, three new chapters accounting for the changes to the Affordable Care Act, and an updated glossary.

Cast iron cookware is an increasingly hot item in the antique marketplace. Collectors are scouring antique shops, shows, and flea markets searching for treasures to add to their collections; and hunting for more information about the products' history and manufacturers. In response to this growing demand, David Smith and Chuck Wafford have created another authoritative guide to collectible cast iron. This book continues where The Book of Griswold & Wagner left off-illustrating hundreds of items not included in the previous book. With over 845 photographs of cast iron pieces from the Wagner, Griswold, Lodge, Vollrath, Excelsior, and Martin manufacturing companies, this book delves into the histories and products produced by these manufacturers. Complete with pattern numbers, catalog list numbers, price guide, index, and much more; this book is a must-have for all cast iron cookware collectors.

The Prospective Payment System and the Medicare Fee Schedule, two of the most effectively sustained and successful efforts at policy innovation in history continue to shape decisions about Medicare and cost containment efforts. Smith shows how particular policy alternatives were developed; why chosen or rejected; and how provider interests and American political institutions have shaped their design and implementation. David G. Smith is professor of political science at Swarthmore College. He has been a board member on many health-related organiations. His main teaching areas include health policy, Constitutional law and jurisprudence, American government and politics, and political theory.

"Entitlement Politics" describes partisan attempts to shrink the size of government by targeting two major federal health care entitlements. Efforts to restructure or eliminate entitlements as such, and to privatize and decentralize programs, along with more traditional attempts to amend and reform Medicare and Medicaid have radically transformed policymaking with respect to these programs. However, they have failed to achieve fundamental or lasting reform.

Smith combines historical narrative and case studies with descriptions of the technical aspects and dynamics of policymaking to help the consumer understand how the process has changed, evaluate particular policies and outcomes, and anticipate future possibilities. His account intentionally goes at some length into the substance of the programs, the policies that are involved, and the views of different protagonists about the major issues in the dispute.

One unhealthy consequence of politicizing Medicare and Medicaid policy has been to separate public debate from the technical and organizational realities underlying issues of cost containment or program structure. Smith considers this development unfortunate, since it leaves even informed citizens unable to evaluate the claims being made. Ironically, strife over Medicare has complicated the political and policy issues in American life. Only a serious and genuine bipartisan effort bringing forth the best efforts of both political parties--and some of the best industry leaders and policy experts in the field--is likely to achieve genuine reform. The more people and parties know about the history, politics, and policies of these programs, the better our prospects for devising workable, equitable, and lasting solutions. This volume leads the way toward that understanding.

The Children's Health Insurance Program was crafted in a period of intense partisan and ideological controversy over health care entitlements to provide "creditable coverage" for American children below 200 percent of the Federal Poverty Level. This objective was widely supported, though achieved only by a compromise between the structural alternatives of a block grant, similar to the Maternal and Child Health Block Grant or an entitlement resembling Medicaid.According to David G. Smith, the CHIP compromise has been a successful experiment that far exceeded expectations, both in identifying and enrolling "targeted low-income children" and in earning political capital. He argues that beyond this core mission, the reauthorization of CHIPRA (Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2009) invites a larger mission: going beyond enrollment of children to include assuring access, improving quality, and containing costs of health care for them. Extending this thrust, the author notes that CHIP could be used to establish children's health as a niche - much like care for the elderly - within the larger scheme of health care insurance for all.Several areas of successful performance needed for the program to be adjudged a success as well as its limitations are discussed in the book. These areas include initial implementation, enrolling kids, federal-state relations, and the uses and misuses of waivers to modify the program. A description of changes made by the CHIPRA reauthorization and the new Patient Protection Affordable Care Act (PPACA) is also included. This is followed by a consideration of lessons learned from CHIP's evolution and recommendations for future development. In short, this is a valuable and readable account for those interested in the current and future trends of health care for the young.

Lead Like an Ally facilitates positive change by including six leadership strategies, such as clean up the culture, stretch talent equally, establish ally networks, manage meeting behavior, promote belonging, and measure success. Leaders, now more than ever, are wrestling with how to attract and retain diverse talent and be inclusive leaders. Despite the best of intentions, very few organizations are reaching their equality goals, even those deeply committed to diversity and inclusion. Leaders have the biggest impact on culture, yet they need tools to do this. Lead Like an Ally provides proven strategies, teaching leaders how to be inclusive with its companion manager tool kit to facilitate sustained success. Within its pages, Lead Like an Ally: Teaches leaders how to be inclusive through an entertaining fable Provides a window into the woman's journey through Corporate America and the unique challenges women face Facilitates inclusive cultures with proven strategies for positive change Includes a manager tool kit and checklist to take action right away

The Book of Griswold & Wagner, referred to as the "blue book" by collectors, is the most complete, accurate, and widely used reference guide and is coveted by collectors. This revised 5th edition features more pictures, updated values for cast iron cookware and kitchen collecting enthusiasts, and expanded charts. This definitive, encyclopedic guide details durable cast-iron antiques, including cornstick pans, griddles, Dutch ovens, gem pans, coffee grinders and roasters, trivets, molds, broilers, teapots, and much more. Over 1,000 photographs document variations of shape, size, dates, moldings, finishes, hardware types, catalog numbers, and markings. There are comprehensive histories of the manufacturers Griswold, Wagner, Sidney Hollow Ware, Favorite, and Wapak, as well as patent lists for meticulous researchers. This is an essential reference for anyone wishing to invest in these timeless treasures.

The key to advancing gender equality? Men. Women are at a disadvantage. At home, they often face an unequal division of household chores and childcare, and in the workplace, they deal with lower pay, lack of credit for their contributions, roadblocks to promotion, sexual harassment, and more. And while organizations are looking to address these issues, too many gender-inclusion initiatives focus on how women themselves should respond, reinforcing the perception that these are "women's issues" and that men&#8212often the most influential stakeholders in an organization&#8212don't need to be involved. Gender-in-the-workplace experts David G. Smith and W. Brad Johnson counter this perception. In this important book, they show that men have a crucial role to play in promoting gender equality at work. Research shows that when men are deliberately engaged in gender-inclusion programs, 96 percent of women in those organizations perceive real progress in gender equality, compared with only 30 percent of women in organizations without strong male engagement. Good Guys is the first practical, research-based guide for how to be a male ally to women in the workplace. Filled with firsthand accounts from both men and women, and tips for getting started, the book shows how men can partner with their female colleagues to advance women's leadership and equality by breaking ingrained gender stereotypes, overcoming unconscious biases, developing and supporting the talented women around them, and creating productive and respectful working relationships with women.

When it comes to mentoring, women face more barriers than men. Here's how men can help change that. Increasingly, new employees and junior members of any profession are encouraged--sometimes stridently--to "find a mentor!" Four decades of research reveals that the effects of mentorship can be profound and enduring; strong mentoring relationships have the capacity to transform individuals and entire organizations. But the mentoring landscape is unequal. Evidence consistently shows that women face more barriers in securing mentorships than men, and when they do find a mentor, they may reap a narrow range of both professional and psychological benefits. Athena Rising is a book for men about how to eliminate this problem by mentoring women deliberately and effectively. Traditional notions of mentoring are modeled on male-to-male relationships, yet women often report a desire for mentoring that addresses their interpersonal needs. Women want mentors who not only understand this, but truly honor it. Coauthors W. Brad Johnson and David G. Smith present a straightforward, no-nonsense manual for men working in all types of institutions, organizations, and businesses to become excellent mentors to women, because as women succeed, lean in, and assume leading roles in any organization or work context, the culture will become more egalitarian, effective, and prone to retaining top talent.

The Fishes of the Western North Atlantic series, which began publication in the 1940s by Yale University's Sears Foundation for Marine Research, was from its beginnings conceived to synthesize and make accessible the wealth of information in widely scattered published accounts of the fish fauna of the region for both the layman and the specialist, presenting critical reviews rather than compilations. These reference works are still considered valuable and of interest today to both general audiences and the academic community. As described in the Preface to the first volume, the series was "written on the premise that it should be useful to those in many walks of life-to those casually ... interested ..., to the sportsman ..., to the fisherman ..., as well as to the amateur ichthyologist and the professional scientist." These books remain authoritative studies of the anadromous, estuarine, and marine fishes of the waters of the western North Atlantic from Hudson Bay southward to the Amazon, ranking as primary references for both amateurs and professionals interested in fishes, and as significant working tools for students of the sea.

The Fishes of the Western North Atlantic series, which began publication in the 1940s by Yale University's Sears Foundation for Marine Research, was from its beginnings conceived to synthesize and make accessible the wealth of information in widely scattered published accounts of the fish fauna of the region for both the layman and the specialist, presenting critical reviews rather than compilations. These reference works are still considered valuable and of interest today to both general audiences and the academic community. As described in the Preface to the first volume, the series was "written on the premise that it should be useful to those in many walks of life-to those casually ... interested ..., to the sportsman ..., to the fisherman ..., as well as to the amateur ichthyologist and the professional scientist." These books remain authoritative studies of the anadromous, estuarine, and marine fishes of the waters of the western North Atlantic from Hudson Bay southward to the Amazon, ranking as primary references for both amateurs and professionals interested in fishes, and as significant working tools for students of the sea.

An engagingly written, meticulously documented study of antislavery ferment just north of the Mason-Dixon line in a region of geographical, economic, cultural, and historical "edges."
In On the Edge of Freedom, David G. Smith breaks new ground by illuminating the unique development of antislavery sentiment in south central Pennsylvania-a border region of a border state with a complicated history of slavery, antislavery activism, and unequal freedom. During the antebellum decades every single fugitive slave escaping by land east of the Appalachian Mountains had to pass through the region, where they faced both significant opportunities and substantial risks. While the hundreds of fugitives traveling through south central Pennsylvania (defined as Adams, Franklin, and Cumberland counties) during this period were aided by an effective Underground Railroad, they also faced slave catchers and informers. "Underground" work such as helping fugitive slaves appealed to border antislavery activists who shied away from agitating for immediate abolition in a region with social, economic, and kinship ties to the South.
And, as early antislavery protests met fierce resistance, area activists adopted a less confrontational approach, employing the more traditional political tools of the petition and legal action.
Smith traces the victories of antislavery activists in south central Pennsylvania, including the achievement of a strong personal liberty law and the aggressive prosecution of kidnappers who seized innocent African Americans as fugitives. He also documents how their success provoked Southern retaliation and the passage of a strengthened Fugitive Slave Law in 1850. The Civil War then intensified the debate over fugitive slaves, as hundreds of escaping slaves, called "contrabands" sought safety in the area, and scores were recaptured by the Confederate army during the Gettysburg campaign.
On the Edge of Freedom explores in captivating detail the fugitive slave issue through fifty years of sectional conflict, war, and reconstruction in south central Pennsylvania and provocatively questions what was gained by the activists' pragmatic approach of emphasizing fugitive slaves over immediate abolition and full equality. Smith argues that after the war, social and demographic changes in southern Pennsylvania worked against African Americans achieving equal opportunity, and although local literature portrayed this area as a vanguard of the Underground Railroad, African Americansstill lived "on the edge of freedom." By the 1920s, the Ku Klux Klan was rallying near the Gettysburg battlefield, and south central Pennsylvania became, in some ways, as segregated as the Jim Crow South. The fugitive slave issue, by reinforcing images of dependency, may have actually worked against the achievement of lasting social change.