What Broke American Health Care and How to Fix It

The Price We Pay: What Broke American Health Care--and How to Fix It

by Marty Makary MD

4.7 out of 5

Language	:	English
File size	:	8726 KB
Text-to-Speech	:	Enabled
Screen Reader	:	Supported
Enhanced typesetting	:	Enabled
X-Ray	:	Enabled
Word Wise	:	Enabled
Print length	:	283 pages
Lending	:	Enabled

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American health care is in crisis. Costs are skyrocketing, access to care is declining, and the quality of care is suffering. What are the root causes of this crisis, and how can we fix it?

The Root Causes of the Crisis

There are a number of factors that have contributed to the crisis in American health care. These include:

• The rise of insurance-based care. In the early 20th century, most Americans paid for their health care out-of-pocket. However, the rise of employer-sponsored health insurance plans after World War II led to a shift towards insurance-based care. This shift has led to a number of problems, including:
• Increased costs. Insurance companies have a profit motive, and they pass the cost of their profits on to consumers in the form of higher premiums. In addition, insurance companies often require patients to pay deductibles and co-pays, which can further increase the cost of care.
• Decreased access to care. Insurance companies often have narrow networks of providers, which can make it difficult for patients to find a doctor who accepts their insurance. In addition, insurance companies often require patients to get pre-authorization for care, which can delay or even deny access to necessary treatment.
• Reduced quality of care. Insurance companies often pressure doctors to provide care that is less expensive, even if it is not the best care for the patient. This can lead to lower quality of care and worse health outcomes.
• The fragmentation of the health care system. The American health care system is fragmented into a number of different sectors, including hospitals, doctors' offices, and nursing homes. This fragmentation can make it difficult for patients to navigate the system and get the care they need.
• The lack of transparency in the health care system. Patients often do not know how much their care will cost or what the quality of care will be. This lack of transparency makes it difficult for patients to make informed decisions about their health care.

How to Fix the Crisis

There are a number of steps that we can take to fix the crisis in American health care. These include:

• Moving to a single-payer system. A single-payer system is a health care system in which the government is the only insurer. This would eliminate the profit motive from health care and would lead to lower costs, increased access to care, and improved quality of care.
• Expanding Medicaid. Medicaid is a government health insurance program for low-income Americans. Expanding Medicaid would provide health insurance to millions of Americans who currently do not have it. This would improve access to care and would lead to better health outcomes.
• Regulating the private health insurance industry. The private health insurance industry should be regulated to protect consumers. This regulation should include measures to:
• Control costs
• Increase access to care
• Improve the quality of care
• Making the health care system more transparent. Patients should have access to information about the cost and quality of care. This information would help patients make informed decisions about their health care.

The crisis in American health care is a serious problem, but it is not insurmountable. We can fix the crisis by taking steps to move to a single-payer system, expand Medicaid, regulate the private health insurance industry, and make the health care system more transparent. These steps would lead to lower costs, increased access to care, and improved quality of care for all Americans.

The Price We Pay: What Broke American Health Care--and How to Fix It

by Marty Makary MD

4.7 out of 5

Language	:	English
File size	:	8726 KB
Text-to-Speech	:	Enabled
Screen Reader	:	Supported
Enhanced typesetting	:	Enabled
X-Ray	:	Enabled
Word Wise	:	Enabled
Print length	:	283 pages
Lending	:	Enabled

FREE