Healthcare vs. Health Care

Well, it’s finally happened.  Mr. HisTalk and I violently disagree.  His note today includes: Re: journalistic style. Is it ‘health care’ or ‘healthcare?’” I use the rules of the “AP Stylebook” for journalists with few exceptions, but one of those is that I write “healthcare” as a single word. I don’t have a strong feeling either way , but the one-word variant saves space without sacrificing (although I acknowledge that (“medicalcare” or “hospitalcare” don’t work).  For reference – see the HHS web Style Guide: Health CareNot healthcare, except on an agency or organization title. And in this insightful note from Jodi Amendola (with which I mostly agree): Healthcare versus health care The difference between these two terms is about more than house style or personal preference. The term healthcare–one word–refers to an industry and the system of providers within it. But health care–two words–is about improving health and caring for people, especially when it comes to treating populations. The current trend toward population health is about making communities healthier by supporting preventive care and wellness. The goal is to provide health care–in order to keep people out of the healthcare system. And while I can’t deep-link to the AP Style Guide (paywall) … they offered a tweet about this almost exactly two years ago: We've changed our style to one word for “homepage.” W...
Source: Docnotes - Category: Primary Care Authors: Tags: Uncategorized health care healthcare Source Type: blogs