The Truth About Health Care: Why Reform Is Not Working in America (Critical Issues in Health and Medicine) | 
| Author: David Mechanic
Publisher: Rutgers University Press
Category: Book
List Price: $26.95
Buy New: $17.95
You Save: $9.00 (33%)
New (9) Used (10) from $14.35
Avg. Customer Rating:  2 reviews
Sales Rank: 743289
Media: Hardcover
Edition: 1
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 228
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.1
Dimensions (in): 9 x 6.1 x 0.8
ISBN: 0813538874
Dewey Decimal Number: 362.10425
EAN: 9780813538877
ASIN: 0813538874
Publication Date: September 25, 2006
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Condition: New in new dust jacket. Sewn binding. Cloth over boards. With dust jacket. 228 p. Contains: Illustrations. Critical Issues in Health and Medicine. Audience: General/trade.
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| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
The United States spends greatly more per person on health care than any other country but the evidence shows that care is often poor and inappropriate. Despite expenditures of 1.7 trillion dollars in 2003, and growing substantially each year, services remain fragmented and poorly coordinated, and more than 46 million people are uninsured. Why cant America, with its vast array of resources, sophisticated technologies, superior medical research and educational institutions, and talented health care professionals, produce higher quality care and better outcomes? PIn The Truth about Health Care, David Mechanic explains how health care in America has evolved in ways that favor a myriad of economic, professional, and political interests over those of patients. While money has always had a place in medical care, "big money" and the quest for profits has become dominant, making meaningful reforms difficult to achieve. Mechanic acknowledges that railing against these influences, which are here to stay, can achieve only so much. Instead, he asks whether it is possible to convert what is best about health care in America into a well functioning system that better serves the entire population. PBringing decades of experience as an active health policy participant, researcher, teacher, and consultant to the public and private sectors, Mechanic examines the strengths and weaknesses of our system and how it has evolved. He pays special attention to areas often neglected in policy discussions, such as the loss of public trust in medicine, the tragic state of long-term care, and the relationship of mental health to health care. PFor anyone who has been frustrated by uncoordinated health networks, insurance denials, and other obstacles to obtaining appropriate care, this book will provide a refreshing and frank look at the systems current and future dilemmas. Mechanics thoughtful roadmap describes how health plans, healthcare professionals, policymakers, and consumer groups can work together to improve access, quality, fairness, and health outcomes in America.
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| Customer Reviews:
 Critical Analysis by an Expert on Health Care September 14, 2007
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
A slim volume, this book is critical reading for anyone who wants to understand and improve health care for everyone--by making the system work better for those who currently have access and helping to craft workable solutions to the millions left out. David Mechanic has been writing about health care for decades. Mechanic's incisive analysis gets at the fundamental conflicts of values and cash behind the intractable problem of health and health care in the United States.
 Not an easy read. March 15, 2007
You need a magnifying glass to read the incredibly small print - which reads like a textbook. Not an easy read.
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