Tuesday, March 3, 2009

Review: The Top Ten Myths of American Health Care



In her accessible "citizen’s guide" to health care reform, Sally Pipes examines The Top Ten Myths of American Health Care and offers several patient-driven ideas for change. Pipes looks past the partisan rhetoric to explain, for example, what "46 million uninsured Americans" really means, why importing drugs cannot work, and how expanded Medicaid-type programs would make a bad situation worse.

Pipes, a Canadian native, is her most persuasive when she scrutinizes Canada’s and other nationalized medical systems. Relying on her extensive research and personal experience, she spells out why long waits, restricted access to new medications, and doctors on government payrolls are not the solution to America's problems.

In the debate over health care, Pipes has definitely chosen her side, championing free-market reforms such as allowing the interstate purchase of health insurance and revising the tax code to encourage individually-purchased, instead of employer-provided, insurance. But Pipes is no ranting demagogue. Her arguments are concise and supported by solid research as she tries deal rationally with an issue often freighted with emotion.

While aimed at policy-makers, The Top Ten Myths is lively enough for general consumption. Good reading for anyone interesting in going beyond the soundbites and understanding some of the details of health care reform.

3 comments :

  1. This sound interesting. I don't know what the answer to health care is. Our system is troubled and needs reform. I've lived where there was nationalized medicine, so I know that's not he answer - I just don't know what is.

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  2. It sounds like you might enjoy this one. Like I said, she definitely takes a position, but it is interesting to hear a different point of view and to get some analysis of the buzzwords and catch phrases.

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  3. Many thanks for the informative post. My wife's calling me for dinner So I need to operate off without reading as much as I'd like. But I set your weblog on my RSS feed to ensure that I can read a lot more.
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    ReplyDelete

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