Product Description

Health care premiums in the U.S. are escalating from twelve to twenty percent a year— with no end in sight. The impact of those cost increases on both employers and employees will be huge. Workers will see a direct cut in their take-home pay. Millions will lose health insurance coverage completely. Senior citizens on fixed incomes will be hit particularly hard, as premiums for their Medicare supplement plans and prescription drug costs climb. Frustrated and angry, people will soon be demanding a solution from their elected officials, and, for the first time in recent memory, the size of our unemployed population will become a real political issue rather than just the subject of energetic rhetoric. It is time to recognize that we are moving into a major health care crisis in this country, a crisis driven by the way we deliver, receive, and pay for care.
Epidemic of Care offers a comprehensive assessment of the factors behind the cost crisis, how the crisis will escalate, and what can be done to improve the situation. A blueprint for getting to a coherent national health policy, this book calls for a collaboration between different parts of the private sector, state and local governments, and, at times, the federal government— with a formula that can succeed no matter who rules Congress. Authors George C. Halvorson and George J. Isham, M.D.— two individuals who have made an impressive impact on the national health care scene— provide some practical, field-tested, sometimes controversial suggestions about how to make health care in this country more accountable, more efficient, more valuable, and more affordable.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1259089 in Books
• Published on: 2003-04-18
• Original language: English
• Dimensions: 1.01" h x 6.26" w x 9.31" l, 1.10 pounds
• Binding: Hardcover
• 304 pages

Review
“ This well-written book describes…in great depth the many problems that health care in the United States encounter…” (International Journal of Integrated Care, 2 August 2004)

"...one of the more lucid explanations of what is going on in US health care...the authors are well qualified to do the explaining..." (British Medical Journal, 12 July 2003)

"There is much to like about this book. Everyone can have a role in Halvorson and Isham's plan." (New England Journal of Medicine, August 28, 2003)

"The authors don't miss a trick; they have covered all the bases." (Inquiry, Fall 2003)

"...the writing style is very accessible, and the discussion includes points that may not be as commonly discussed outside of medical schools." (E-Streams, December 2003)

Book Info
Author is chairman and CEO of Kaiser Permanente. Two of America's most prominent leaders in health care offer a primer on healthcare cost drivers, and what can be done to curtail them and save the system. Reveals why the cost of health care will cause deep cuts in the take-home pay of consumers, why many companies will drop plans, and more.

From the Inside Flap
Health care premiums in the U.S. are escalating from twelve to twenty percent a year— with no end in sight. The impact of those cost increases on both employers and employees will be huge. Workers will see a direct cut in their take-home pay. Millions will lose health insurance coverage completely. Senior citizens on fixed incomes will be hit particularly hard, as premiums for their Medicare supplement plans and prescription drug costs climb. Frustrated and angry, people will soon be demanding a solution from their elected officials, and, for the first time in recent memory, the size of our unemployed population will become a real political issue rather than just the subject of energetic rhetoric. It is time to recognize that we are moving into a major health care crisis in this country, a crisis driven by the way we deliver, receive, and pay for care.

Epidemic of Care offers a comprehensive assessment of the factors behind the cost crisis, how the crisis will escalate, and what can be done to improve the situation. A blueprint for getting to a coherent national health policy, this book calls for a collaboration between different parts of the private sector, state and local governments, and, at times, the federal government— with a formula that can succeed no matter who rules Congress. Authors George C. Halvorson and George J. Isham, M.D.— two individuals who have made an impressive impact on the national health care scene— provide some practical, field-tested, sometimes controversial suggestions about how to make health care in this country more accountable, more efficient, more valuable, and more affordable.