Kevin Ludlow
5.0 out of 5 stars Rock Solid Common Sense De-Politicizes Health Care & Health Insurance (Not the Same Thing!), November 4, 2012
I received this book as a gift since I am known for my interest in reform, including health care (my one really original slide on the topic is posted above with the book cover), and I was glad to have a chance to read it.
The author gets very high marks from me for, among other things:
01 Opening with a commitment to proper source citation, objective balance, and people-centered solutions
02 Documenting how the radicalization of politics has led to the most expensive and least capable health care system on the planet
03 Distinguishing between health care and health insurance — the first is part of the solution, the second part of the problem
04 Identifying unsafe practices that should invalidate health care coverage (e.g. cancer from smoking)
05 Excellent and all too brief focus on the true cost to the citizen of the dysfunctional health system and the mandatory health insurance concept (with insurance companies being devoid of accountability)
06 Distinguished between three kinds of medical service: emergency care, internal care, and cancer, making the point that the first could be a general public service, the second a shared public-private service, and the last a “buyer beware” where neither the state nor the industry is responsible for fixing stupid.
The author does not the rampant fraud among the pharmaceuticals, which are the second half of state-sponsored drug fraud, the first being the cocaine and design chemicals industry, nor does he discuss my personal pet rock, the abandonment of seniors by their families into what are essentially “soft prisons.” I am personally committed to restoring multi-generational families, single-income households, and a broad social role for retired people able to share their patience and wisdom with younger generations.
The author also does not discuss alternative or natural cures, which along with healthy lifestyle and healthy environment (free of toxins) are three quarters of the health solution), but this is only a contextual comment, not a criticism. Please do look at my image above, and if you want to see my reviews and journal commentaries on Health, visit Phi Beta Iota the Public Intelligence Blog and find Health in the middle column directory.
A few other books I recommend:
Who Stole the American Dream?
Deer Hunting with Jesus: Dispatches from America's Class War
Grand Illusion: The Myth of Voter Choice in a Two-party tyranny
Running on Empty: How the Democratic and Republican Parties Are Bankrupting Our Future and What Americans Can Do About It
The Duke Encyclopedia of New Medicine: Conventional and Alternative Medicine for All Ages
Prescription for Natural Cures: A Self-Care Guide for Treating Health Problems with Natural Remedies Including Diet, Nutrition, Supplements, and Other Holistic Methods
Pandora's Poison: Chlorine, Health, and a New Environmental Strategy
The Blue Death: Disease, Disaster, and the Water We Drink
The Healing of America: A Global Quest for Better, Cheaper, and Fairer Health Care
The Innovator's Prescription: A Disruptive Solution for Health Care
This is a fast read, and in my view, very fairly priced in hard copy (I continue to believe that electronic copies should be sold for no more than 20% of the hard copy cost).
