An engrossing, scholarly study that paints a sobering health care picture.
An economist offers an exhaustive condemnation of the American health care system in this nonfiction book.
With more than four decades of experience in health and retirement benefit plans, Schieber has an in-depth understanding of health care in America. In this voluminous, painstakingly researched work, he provides a historical perspective and current evaluation of the inner workings of the health care system, drawing on his own original explorations and other sources. His negative perspective is obvious: Part 1 is titled “Healthcare USA: A Cancer on the American Dream,” and Part 2 addresses “The Healthcare Provider Market and Exploitation of the Vulnerable.” In both parts, Schieber methodically dissects American health care, peppering readers with a dizzying array of facts and a wealth of statistical tables to support his argument. Part 1 examines health care in light of economic conditions from the 1980s through the 2010s. The controversial and highly politicized Affordable Care Act of 2010, aka Obamacare, does not escape the author’s critical eye. Schieber writes that while it did “improve access to care for many lower-income individuals and families,” the ACA “has provided little relief from excessive health care costs for people with employer-sponsored health insurance.” Part 2 delivers a bleak assessment of America’s health care costs at the provider level, taking into consideration hospitals, physicians, and pharmaceuticals. Schieber is at his best when referring to specific examples, such as his analysis of the development and pricing of insulin. In this part, the author notes that higher health costs are the result of more than just pricing issues; rather, he writes, they involve “widespread failure by almost every component” of the “health-industrial complex.” In Part 3, Schieber cites a 1975 study to dramatize the fact that the American health care system has basically not improved much since then. He recounts encouraging examples, such as Maryland’s testing of an alternative all-payer health program over five decades, as well as systems like Kaiser Permanente that are attempting to control costs. Still, it seems the primary purpose of this absorbing book is to indict American health care rather than propose specific solutions.
An engrossing, scholarly study that paints a sobering health care picture.Pub Date: Jan. 11, 2023
ISBN: 9781667878942
Page Count: 428
Publisher: BookBaby
Review Posted Online: Jan. 11, 2023
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
An engrossing and ominous chronicle, told by a master of the form.
Documenting perilous times.
In his most recent behind-the-scenes account of political power and how it is wielded, Woodward synthesizes several narrative strands, from the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection and Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel to the 2024 presidential campaign. Woodward’s clear, gripping storytelling benefits from his legendary access to prominent figures and a structure of propulsive chapters. The run-up to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is tense (if occasionally repetitive), as a cast of geopolitical insiders try to divine Vladimir Putin’s intent: “Doubt among allies, the public and among Ukrainians meant valuable time and space for Putin to maneuver.” Against this backdrop, U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham implores Donald Trump to run again, notwithstanding the former president’s denial of his 2020 defeat. This provides unwelcome distraction for President Biden, portrayed as a thoughtful, compassionate lifetime politico who could not outrace time, as demonstrated in the June 2024 debate. Throughout, Trump’s prevarications and his supporters’ cynicism provide an unsettling counterpoint to warnings provided by everyone from former Joint Chief of Staff Mark Milley to Vice President Kamala Harris, who calls a second Trump term a likely “death knell for American democracy.” The author’s ambitious scope shows him at the top of his capabilities. He concludes with these unsettling words: “Based on my reporting, Trump’s language and conduct has at times presented risks to national security—both during his presidency and afterward.”
An engrossing and ominous chronicle, told by a master of the form.Pub Date: Oct. 15, 2024
ISBN: 9781668052273
Page Count: 448
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Oct. 15, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2024
IN THE NEWS
PERSPECTIVES
A fierce, penetrating, and empowering call for change.
Artist and activist Vaid-Menon demonstrates how the normativity of the gender binary represses creativity and inflicts physical and emotional violence.
The author, whose parents emigrated from India, writes about how enforcement of the gender binary begins before birth and affects people in all stages of life, with people of color being especially vulnerable due to Western conceptions of gender as binary. Gender assignments create a narrative for how a person should behave, what they are allowed to like or wear, and how they express themself. Punishment of nonconformity leads to an inseparable link between gender and shame. Vaid-Menon challenges familiar arguments against gender nonconformity, breaking them down into four categories—dismissal, inconvenience, biology, and the slippery slope (fear of the consequences of acceptance). Headers in bold font create an accessible navigation experience from one analysis to the next. The prose maintains a conversational tone that feels as intimate and vulnerable as talking with a best friend. At the same time, the author's turns of phrase in moments of deep insight ring with precision and poetry. In one reflection, they write, “the most lethal part of the human body is not the fist; it is the eye. What people see and how people see it has everything to do with power.” While this short essay speaks honestly of pain and injustice, it concludes with encouragement and an invitation into a future that celebrates transformation.
A fierce, penetrating, and empowering call for change. (writing prompt) (Nonfiction. 14-adult)Pub Date: June 2, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-593-09465-5
Page Count: 64
Publisher: Penguin Workshop
Review Posted Online: March 14, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2020
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