[T]he industry has abandoned the basic goal of insurance, which is to spread risk over the population it serves. Instead of spreading risk, the industry has focused on the avoidance of risk for itself, coupled with a transfer of that risk to the public. In the process, it is destroying its own reason for being.The consequences of this transfer of risk are that administrative costs go up, employers and other policyholders are charged more, and fewer people are able to afford decent coverage--and as a consequence, good health care. Yet the problem is getting worse, not better, and this is due to a fundamental problem in how we approach health care in the United States.
A shocking note Americans don't know about medical bills: They don't reflect the costs of the medicine itself. "Mired in the Health Care Morass: An Alaskan Takes On America's Dysfunctional Medical System for his Uninsured Daughter" is the tale of accomplished author and geophysicist Neil Davis's fight against the American Health care system and how it is extorting Americans when they are at their most vulnerable - when they are ill themselves or deathly concerned for the well being of their loved ones. With advice to fight these corrupt practices and get the more correct and proper hospital bill, [this book] is highly recommended for anyone who has been scorned by the American health care system and for community library social issues shelves everywhere.And from Humane Medicine, a Canadian publication, comes this:
Davis’s book is an important contribution to the literature on the American Health Care System since it is written by a consumer rather than a professional provider of medical services. Davis structured the book around the experiences that his family endured when his adult daughter, Patricia, was diagnosed with lung cancer....
Given all of Davis’ discoveries, he concluded that there are four criteria for an effective health care system. First, an effective health care system provides comprehensive health coverage for all citizens. If not, the poorest individuals will get inadequate health care. Second, a health care system ensures that health care is distributed to citizens according to their ability to pay. Otherwise, the poorest members of that society are penalized by paying a higher proportion of their financial resources for health care. Third, each health care system should provide uniform payment for necessary health care services. Fourth, prescription drug prices must be regulated, either by fixing drug prices or regulating pharmaceutical industry profits. For this to occur, the government must assume the primary role in operating the health care system.
Thus, in conclusion, this book will be especially relevant to consumers of heath care and is an eye opener for those who may be seriously ill in the United States and are trying to understand why receiving health care creates serious financial difficulties for them.
The many charts and statistics he uses to illustrate his findings can be hard to understand at times, but believe it or not they accurately illustrate his point that the complexity of the American system creates expense. He skewers some fondly held myths about the U.S. Health care system and shines light on the health care systems in other nations. He also gives his prescription for how the U.S. Health care system can be changed.John Conyers reprints a list of four myths about universal health care by Dr. Marcia Angell. Davis sums up an answer to her myth #4, "Claims the government can't do anything right," in his index (look up "Mistrust in government").
Neil Davis has experiences in being a consumer of health care that most of us never hope to have, but which will become increasingly commonplace as the health care becomes increasingly broken. His answers to the health care crises (universal, uniform payments, distributed to patients regardless of ability to pay, regulation of drug companies) are well thought out and do not come from a place of a particular political ideology but instead from his own experiences and research. His book is well researched and a convincing call to radically overhaul the American health care system from someone who has experienced the worst that the American health care system has to offer.
Less of a personal journey than an exploration into the true costs of medical treatment in the United States today, and where the money goes. For anyone concerned with injustice, inequalities, or lack of checks within the system; or anyone who is concerned that they cannot afford the medical care they or their loved ones need, this clear and non-judgmental book written by a layman with no preconceptions or industry biases is highly recommended.
Most patients have no idea how health care billing works until they are faced with a financial crisis. A book like Mr. [sic] Davis' would be very helpful in leading them through the process, especially if they live in Alaska.The second reviewer said this:
A myriad of books have been written on this topic; however, Mr. Davis' strength lies in the fact that he writes it from the perspective of a consumer. It could be argued that he is not qualified to write a book about the health care industry as merely a consumer. Certainly, economists may be more capable of addressing the macro issues of national healthcare, and pundits the political ramifications; however, that really isn't the purpose of Mr. Davis' book. Rather, it reads like a good summary (with a clearly liberal bent) on the state of the health care industry.(Davis recommends a single-payer arrangement like France's system or Canada's, rather than socialized medicine.)
And, unlike economic and political pundits, Mr. [sic] Davis doesn't shy away from actually providing a solution. As he says, "What is needed is single-payer universal healthcare ... the most economical form is a fully socialistic system like the United Kingdom's (and the VA system as well) in which the government owns and operates the hospitals and hires healthcare providers."
An excellent book that focuses on the state of health care costs for the uninsured. The under-insured and the insured have much to gain from the exhaustive statistical details in this book.… The book is not a sentimental one but a refreshing look at a father's attempt to understand how the health care system in the US charges for each procedure, medication, in and outpatient visit and makes a compelling argument and a very strong case for reform in the health insurance "industry" along with an accurate look at how we as consumers can and should take charge of our health care. Otherwise, we may end up paying for mistakes (documented in the book) of the various personnel in making coding errors or charging according to outdated schedules. Anyone facing a chronic disease--anyone who uses their health insurance at all, this book is an easy read with documentation.This reviewer found the book's citations of websites to be a drawback, expressing a preference for more peer-reviewed print sources, but wrote, "however, these may be difficult to obtain considering the subject matter."
Davis' research is extensive, and his ability to dissect the unreasonably complex health care process is unrivaled. Due to the complexity of the process his book has a great number of charts and diagrams that do wonders to help the reader make sense of it all.
Mired in the Health Care Morass describes a predicament known to almost 47 million Americans: paying for medical bills without health insurance. Neil Davis navigated this financial black hole and discovered a hidden truth: medical bills don't reflect the costs of medicine. Davis describes the harrowing journey his family took in paying for cancer treatments, and comes to the well-informed conclusion that our health care system is broken, and doesn't have much to do with health.John P. Geyman, MD, professor emeritus in family medicine at the University of Washington and author of the bestselling book, The Corporate Transformation of Health Care, read the manuscript and provided this explanatory prepublication review of Davis' work:
This is a well written and researched book illuminating the dark interior of health care financing, ranging across billing practices for physician services, drugs, laboratory and hospital services. A penetrating analysis from a consumer's point of view, unique in its detail, which shows how complex, fragmented, unaffordable, and unsustainable our market-based health care "system" has become. Motivated by the tragic illness of a family member, Davis carries his research to a study of our system as it compares with those of other industrialized nations, making a compelling case for a publicly financed system of single-payer national health insurance.
