Healthcare and medical care have a very long history. We have always tried to improve the lives of our fellow people and expand our time on this planet. Healthcare, preventative medicine and curing diseases have allowed us to get through many diseases that would have normally killed us on this planet. The advancements in medicine have allowed people to live so much longer than they otherwise would have and have allowed us to prosper a lot more as a species. However, there is a lot to criticize in the modern healthcare system, with corruption, high costs, inefficiencies, and waste being massive problems that prevent the healthcare system from helping the people who greatly need it. In this blog, we're going to be looking at reads that provide criticism on healthcare system in the US and explain the steps that can be taken to help people and improve people's lives.
There are many different aspects of the healthcare system that deserve criticism. Chief among them is the rising costs that make it so unaffordable for so many people. Many find themselves going deeply into debt due to the expensive treatments needed when they encounter unexpected medical problems. A simple ambulance trip can cost $1000 out of pocket in some states. This is a huge problem, especially when the person suffering from injury or illness requires urgent care. The fact of the matter is that if one finds oneself unable to pay for a medical expense, it can greatly impact one's credit score, which can make things very difficult for people living in the US.
There are many books written on the topic of the healthcare system that provide a great deal of criticism of the healthcare sector and explain why many of its practices are outdated and inefficient. These books will be shedding light on many of the issues and how complex they are within the system.
1. Vanilla Ice Cream‚ Strawberry Smoothies‚ and Lots of Drugs By Richard Caits
This is a book that looks into the deep problems contained within the healthcare system while also serving as a memoir about the author's mother. This book looks into why the healthcare system is problematic and it's so difficult to get the treatment people need.
2. An American Sickness: How Healthcare Became Big Business and How You Can Take It Back By Elisabeth Rosenthal
This book looks into the problems of the medical healthcare system by discussing why many Americans have completely lost trust in the institution. The book criticizes not only the healthcare system but also the politicians who refuse to lower the outrageous costs faced by many patients.
3. Healthcare From The Trenches: An Insider Account of the Complex Barriers of US Healthcare from the Providers and Patients' Perspective By Alejandro Badia
In this book, the author provides a doctor's perspective on the myriad of issues plaguing the medical healthcare industry. The book shows how the flawed system makes it impossible for patients to get the care that they desperately need.
4. Challenges and Solutions in the Medical Field By Mr. C. P. Kumar
This book details many of the different challenges faced by doctors in the medical field when trying to provide care for patients. In addition to the overall state of the healthcare sector, attention is drawn to issues such as the shortage of skilled professionals or inadequate infrastructure. This book provides detailed criticism on healthcare system in the US.
5. America's Bitter Pill: Money, Politics, Backroom Deals, and the Fight to Fix Our Broken Healthcare System By Steven Brill
This book looks into the problems of the healthcare industry and how Obamacare failed to fix many of the different issues that plague the industry.
6. Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End By Atul Gawande
This book looks into the issues of modern medicine. The author argues that adequate care is not provided to the elderly or the infirm. The author proposes a different approach where better care might be provided to ensure that a person spends their last moments with dignity.
7. Malpractice: A Neurosurgeon Reveals How Our Healthcare System Puts Patients at Risk By Lawrence Schlachter
The author of this book argues that there is a huge malpractice problem within the healthcare industry, where dangerous doctors are protected from any accountability, a huge lack of transparency exists, and there are also cultural flaws within the system.
8. Doctored: The Disillusionment of an American Physician By Sandeep Jauhar
This is a memoir that looks into a doctor's experiences working in the medical sector. Much of it criticizes the healthcare system, often citing that it's filled with cronyism, corruption, low doctor morale and unnecessary tests conducted at patient's expense.
9. Unwell Women: Misdiagnosis and Myth in a Man-Made World By Elinor Cleghorn
In Unwell Women, the author discusses how medicine has historically failed women through misdiagnosis, as well as due to treating women as 'alien' or 'different'.
10. Never Pay the First Bill By Marshall Allen
This book guides people on avoiding the predatory practices of the medical industry in the US and shows how individuals and companies have fought against overbilling, price gouging, and insurance denials.
Hopefully, this article provides one with a better look at the state of the healthcare system within the United States.