best books about U.S. health care?

September 17, 2017 12:38 PM

I want to read 2-3 books about the current state of the United States health care system. My goal is to have a better working understanding of the current problems, potential solutions, political realities, etc. Bonus points for lively, compelling reads! What should I be looking at?
posted by this, of course, alludes to sex to Law & Government (8 answers total)

Not read myself but have heard a couple of positive things about Daniel E Dawes' "150 Years of Obamacare"- the title's a bit misleading, it's mostly an insider account of the immediate context and consequences of the ACA, but with some historical lead-in.
posted by AFII at 12:45 PM on September 17, 2017

I'd recommend America's Bitter Pill, minus the conclusion/afterward that was added. It was recommended to me by a NY Times analyst, among some others, when I was getting started in federal health policy.
posted by inevitability at 1:37 PM on September 17, 2017

Mistreated by Dr. Pearl, who was until recently the CEO of the largest medical group in the US. He outlines the many challenges in healthcare as well as his vision for a path forward.
posted by loopsun at 2:10 PM on September 17, 2017

Terry Gross had a fascinating interview with Elizabeth Rosenthal on Fresh Air a few months ago. It's definitely worth a listen. Her book is available for pre-order.
posted by invisible ink at 7:01 PM on September 17, 2017 [2 favorites]

Seconding An American Sickness: How Healthcare Became Big Business and How You Can Take It Back by Elisabeth Rosenthal.
posted by Snerd at 7:04 PM on September 17, 2017

[Sorry: my 2nd link is misleading. Rosenthal's book is already available in other formats.]
posted by invisible ink at 7:20 PM on September 17, 2017

Unhealthy Politics: The Battle Over Evidence-Based Medicine was reviewed favorably by WBUR recently. I haven't read it yet, but as a healthcare professional interested in evidence-based medicine and reforming the system, it seems to address some crucial holes in the dialogue and I'm really looking forward to reading it.
posted by stillmoving at 1:56 AM on September 18, 2017

TR Reid's book (and associated PBS series) predates the ACA, so it's not current-current and its US-specific discussion is dated, but it remains one of the best summaries of the different paths other developed nations have taken towards universal healthcare, their underlying decision-making processes, and how the US is (still, post-ACA) an incoherent partial implementation of all of them at once. It's useful now that the debate has splintered in the US, because it offers multiple proven implementations of universality while also showing what's incompatible with it.
posted by holgate at 3:04 PM on September 18, 2017