The Brave New World of Health Care [Paperback]

Richard Lamm (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1555915108 | ISBN-13: 978-1555915100 | Publication Date: August 1, 2003

Long a target of policymakers and reformers, the current American healthcare system is, in the words of Richard D. Lamm, "unsustainable, unaffordable, and inequitable, and needs to be substantially amended and revised." In this informed and erudite look at the current state of the American healthcare system, Lamm exposes the problems existing not only in policy and professional circles, but also in public attitudes and expectations. In so doing, Lamm provides a framework for reform, seeking to rebuild the "house of healthcare" that has fallen into disrepair.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"...a stark mirror up to an American society willing to steal from its children and bankrupt the next generation." -- Gary Hart, Former United States Senator from Colorado

"...instructive and provocative guide through the best and worst of a national crisis." -- Tom Brokaw, Anchor, NBC Nightly News

"Dick Lamm asks those tough questions—and comes up with some answers." -- Michael Dukakis. Former Governor of Massachusetts and Democratic Presidential Candidate

From the Publisher

Speaker's Corner Books is a provocative new series from Fulcrum Publishing designed to stimulate, educate, and foster discussion on significant public policy topics. Written by experts in a variety of fields, these brief and engaging books should be read by anyone interested in the trends and issues that shape our society.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: Fulcrum Publishing (August 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1555915108
• ISBN-13: 978-1555915100
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,445,688 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Frustrated with the current world of health care? Read on.., March 9, 2004

By 

Claire V. Brockbank "steak lover" (Denver Colorado) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Brave New World of Health Care (Paperback)

Health policy is often very intimidating to people without specific expertise. This is a shame because it affects each and every one of us. Former Colorado Governor Richard Lamm has written a concise, easy-to-read book that every thoughtful American should read - and then act upon.

Lamm takes his readers on journey through the American health care system. With the clarity of vision available to a former politician, Lamm takes on many of the myths of our health care system: 1) that it is not the best health care system in the world, by almost any measuring device ("a nation may have brilliant medicine but have a poor or inadequate health care system"); 2) that Social Security and Medicare have a ponzi scheme quality to them that will bankrupt future generations; 3) that the physician-patient relationship should not determine the course of health care in this country.

Lamm argues passionately for a more rational public policy with respect to health care - one that seeks to maximize the health of the public rather than maximize the health of each and every individual. Public policy must stand up for the collective good, even if at the expense of additional marginal health care provided to any given individual. He presses his readers to recognize that the question should be "how does a society produce health?" and that the answer is that the health care delivery system is only a part of the health agenda. The quest for a healthier society may be "best achieved in areas of social policy other than health care."

The solution lies in explicitly recognizing the role that rationing must play in a more effective and equitable health care system. A central component of this is recognizing that health care should not be viewed as a right. Lamm reminds us "no matter how we organize health care and no matter how we fund health care, we will find that our ability to discover medical miracles has outpaced our ability to pay for them." A "right" trumps all other categories of social spending - including housing and education and will lead us into an ever enlarging black hole of health care spending. Better to provide basic health care to all Americans and let "rights" refer to the freedom of those with more resources to pay for marginal, but expensive care.

Although Lamm's discussion of what ails the system and the need to change its fundamental dynamics are the most well reasoned and articulate aspects of the book, he does spend some time focusing on the details of how to fix the system on a more practical level. Lamm argues that fixing the system will require removing the obstacles that keep market dynamics from working. This means "structuring incentives for both the providers and purchasers to improve productivity." Rather than rely on government controls, the government should focus on market reform a la managed competition. Lamm also proposes some fundamental changes to Medicare and Social Security, as well as malpractice reform and medical personnel changes.

The book reminds us just how broken our public policy is with respect to health care, but also sheds important light on what we must be willing to do to realign our public policy to create a more equitable, sustainable American health care system. This book should be required reading for every person who has ever griped about our health care system, worried about our health care system, been bankrupted by our health care system, or, in fact, used our health care system.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brave enough to read this book?, May 11, 2005

By 

D. Needell (Elbert, CO) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Brave New World of Health Care (Paperback)

Richard D. Lamm, former three-term governor of Colorado, has written a thought-provoking book, which should be required reading for any American who pays taxes or who will some day get sick. America, some of its citizens often proclaim, has the "best health care system in the world." Not so, Lamm argues: our medical miracles are parceled out to certain segments of society while forty-plus million Americans lack basic health care. Public health statistics consistently show the US lagging behind other developed countries in terms of life expectancy and infant mortality. Lamm uses the data to support his contention in this book that "The time has come to ask--and answer--some hard questions about how American health care dollars are actually being spent and about what we as a society are getting for that expenditure."

Lamm should be commended for speaking forcefully and passionately on this subject. He addresses health-care rationing, allocation of public monies, the need for society to accept the inevitability of death, and the need for government to intercede in medical education (directing schools to train more primary care physicians as opposed to the preponderance of specialists we now have). The book is readable even for people unfamiliar with health care policy and economic theories. Numerous sidebars offer encapsulations of important concepts and statistics. He has a gift for explaining the conflict in easily understandable prose. He also leavens his harsh pronouncements with pithy comments, such as when he refers to former President Clinton's avowed goal of fighting all deadly diseases and writes,"What are we going to die of, rust?" His forthright voice makes one wonder how he ever got elected to public office.

The author concludes with a strategy for addressing our national health care crisis. If enough people read The Brave New World of Health Care, we the people may start to find our way out of what this former governor convincingly paints as an ever-deepening moral and financial morass facing the health of our society and its citizens.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Reality of US healthcare exposed, February 23, 2004

By 

Nancy Wilson Ashbach, MD, MBA (Loveland, Co. USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Brave New World of Health Care (Paperback)

Hard choices face the American people in their thirst for more and better health care. Gov. Lamm reveals these choices and the reality of health care financing in a passionate, yet erudite fashion, supporting his arguments with appropriate data. Gov. Lamm describes the inevitable conflict between medical ethics, with its focus on the individual; and social policy, which must focus on the good of all citizens. He outlines how we arrived at our current situation of 43+ million uninsured in a system that is technologically the most advanced in the world. Since the US currently funds about 50% of all health care cost, these are issues that should concern us all. The clear message is that Americans must both understand the drivers of increased health care cost and understand that the health of the nation is not necessarily improved by more health care. The message is of particular importance to baby boomers, who will be faced with the financial reality of a shrinking working population to support their appetite for health care. This is a provocative and challenging book that should be read by anyone interested in health care and public policy.