Largely privately funded with relatively little public regulation, the
United States healthcare system is both expensive and inefficient,
providing poor care to large parts of the population.
For decades, Americans have wrestled with how to fix their broken
healthcare system. In this razor-sharp contribution to the healthcare
debate, leading economist and former adviser to Bernie Sanders Gerald
Friedman recommends that we build on what works: a Medicare system that
already efficiently provides healthcare for millions of Americans.
Rejecting the discredited idea that healthcare should be treated like
any other commodity, Friedman shows that healthcare is distinctive and
can be best provided only through universal program of social insurance.
Deftly exposing the absurdities of the opponents of reform, Friedman
shows in detail how the solution to our health care crisis is staring us
in the face: enroll everyone in Medicare to improve the health of all
Americans.
This bold and brilliantly argued book is essential reading for anyone
who wants to see Congress and the White House act to provide America
with a 21st century healthcare system.