health care reform

The failure of America's medical system, as seen through the stories of the people who engineered the current health care revolution and those who have suffered from it. Every day, millions of Americans find themselves struggling to find affordable medical care for themselves and their families. It is a problem unique to the United States, the only country in the developed world that does not guarantee access to medical care as a right of citizenship. It is also a problem that is about to get worse. The American health insurance system, first created in the 1930s, is collapsing. Unless somebody decides to build a new system in its place, millions more Americans will suffer. Combining the real-life stories of ordinary people across the country with original reporting from Washington, this book explains why this transformation is taking place--and the consequences that could someday befall all of us.--From publisher description.

Examines the American health care system, from its origins to what the author claims is its deterioration, and the role that special interest groups have played in its downfall, and proposes a solution for remedying its numerous problems.

"In no other country has health care served as such a volatile flashpoint of ideological conflict. America has endured a century of rancorous debate on health insurance, and despite the passage of legislation in 2010, the battle is not yet over. This book is a history of how and why the United States became so stubbornly different in health care, presented by an expert with unsurpassed knowledge of the issues.Tracing health-care reform from its beginnings to its current uncertain prospects, Paul Starr argues that the United States ensnared itself in a trap through policies that satisfied enough of the public and so enriched the health-care industry as to make the system difficult to change. He reveals the inside story of the rise and fall of the Clinton health plan in the early 1990s--and of the Gingrich counterrevolution that followed. And he explains the curious tale of how Mitt Romney's reforms in Massachusetts became a model for Democrats and then follows both the passage of those reforms under Obama and the explosive reaction they elicited from conservatives. Writing concisely and with an even hand, the author offers exactly what is needed as the debate continues--a penetrating account of how health care became such treacherous terrain in American politics"--Provided by publisher.

An account of the political battle waged over health care reform in the first years of the Clinton administration, and the efforts of Republicans to block the president's plan, setting the stage for them to take control of Congress.

A collection of essays that provides varying perspectives on the controversy over health care, discussing the quality of United States health care, if the system needs to be reformed, if the government should help ensure access to health insurance, the benefits of a public health insurance option, and other related topics.

A mildly hypochondriac but sweet young senatorial aide takes everything mean old Washington can throw at her while giving her all to a possible national program to lower prescription costs for senior citizens.