Your Health Matters: What You Need to Know About U.S. ... (ISBN 0977753409)

Provocative book on healthcare issues:
Healthcare reform requires serious discussion. That's exactly what Dattilo and Racer provide in their book, "Your Health Matters." The premise of the book is straight-forward: The problems with our healthcare system lie with the skyrocketing costs. This, in large part, is due to the Federal government's culpability in creating a healthcare entitlement mentality among the citizens of this country. The goal of this book is to demonstrate that a free market approach to healthcare will correct the inefficiencies with the system while dramatically lowering costs. Dattilo and Racer address several reasons for the cost crisis we face: defensive medicine that resulted from malpractice legislation designed to benefit trial lawyers; the costs associated with developing medical technology and new drugs; and the entitlement mentality the federal government created by passing poorly designed legislation that sought to provide comprehensive and cost-effective healthcare to the citizens of this country. This last issue is addressed extensively in the book. Dattilo and Racer argue the legislation creating Medicare, Medicaid, and Health Maintenance Organizations spawned an entitlement mentality in this country. Individual fiscal responsibility in healthcare spending was virtually eradicated, leading to excessive use of healthcare services by the public. The government's attempts to control healthcare costs backfired. As the authors state in their book, "...patients did not know the cost of care, and neither were they responsible to pay for it. Someone else paid the bills - an entitlement mindset had taken root." The government provided an incentive for people to freely use the healthcare system. Unfortunately, the public did just this and we now need to find a way to stabilize and lower healthcare costs. Healthcare reformers call for a nationalized healthcare system. It is believed this will provide comprehensive coverage while lowering costs. Dattilo and Racer examine the healthcare systems of other countries to demonstrate why this line of thinking is flawed. For example, single-payer advocates praise the Canadian healthcare system for its comprehensive coverage. Dattilo and Racer reveal that this system does not offer prescription coverage for most citizens. In addition to paying very high taxes for universal care, Canadians must also pay for their prescriptions. In fact, Canadians pay twice as much for generic prescriptions than Americans do. Another example is England's failed socialized healthcare system. The authors present evidence revealing England has started to adopt a free market approach to healthcare in order to improve services and lower escalating costs. Likewise, Germany is considering adopting a free market approach, because its socialized healthcare system has not restrained healthcare costs the way it "should." Dattilo and Racer suggest a simple solution: adopt a free market approach to healthcare. This means putting consumers in control of their care by making them more financially responsible for their healthcare. Increased fiscal responsibility will create more cost-conscious consumers. Instead of freely spending someone else's money on healthcare, consumers will become more engaged in the process. Consumers want high quality for low cost. If consumers have more financial control over their care, the healthcare system will need to lower the costs while continuing to improve quality. Doctors, clinics, hospitals, and other providers who offer convenience, quality, and low cost will win out. This, in turn, will force other providers to do the same or go out of business. This book is recommended for those interested in reforming our healthcare system. There are at least two sides to every issue. Dattilo and Racer do an excellent job demonstrating why the government needs to remove itself from healthcare reform and let free market forces take over. Readers will find this book engaging, easy to follow, and insightful. The authors cover a lot of ground while keeping the length of the book to an acceptable length. Many will undoubtedly disagree with the arguments made by Dattilo and Racer. Ultimately that is where the strength of the book may lie, as it will contribute to a positive discussion on healthcare reform.

Great Read:
A friend recommended this book to me last year, and I have since recommended it to several more people. In light of the upcoming elections this year I just ordered a copy for my future Father In-Law for Father's Day, as he and I have very differing view on the Healthcare issue. No matter your side on the topic, this is a great read, with some intersting points, and lots of facts.