Health Care Half-Truths

Arthur Garson, Jr., MD, MPH, is Executive Vice President and Provost of the University of Virginia and previously was dean of the University's School of Medicine. He is a member of the National Academics Institute of Medicine. He has served as president of the American College of Cardiology and was appointed by Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson to chair the National Advisory Council for the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. He continues to practice medicine, caring for children with heart disease. Carolyn L. Engelhard, MPA, is assistant professor of medical education and a health policy analyst in the Department of Public Health Sciences at the University of Virginia School of Medicine. In addition, she directs the Master of Science program in clinical research and provides technical and consultative services to state health and Medicaid agencies.

• Chapter 1 IntroductionPart 2 I. Our Country and the WorldChapter 3 1. American Medical Care Is Second-Rate Compared to Other CountriesChapter 4 2. American Health Care Is the Most Expensive in the WorldPart 5 II. Cost: The Expensive Care MythsChapter 6 3. America Wastes One-Half of its Medical Care DollarsChapter 7 4. Most Medical Care Dollars Are Spent in the Last Six Months of LifeChapter 8 5. Better Quality Saves MoneyChapter 9 6. Preventive Care Saves MoneyChapter 10 7. America Will Not Ration Health CarePart 11 III. Quality: The Good Care MythsChapter 12 8. Science Drives Most Medical DecisionsChapter 13 9. High Quality Care Cannot Be DefinedChapter 14 10. Consumers Can Make the Best Decisions about Their Medical CareChapter 15 11. Fewer Doctors Will Be Needed As Medicine ChangesChapter 16 12. The Current Malpractice System Helps PatientsChapter 17 13. Managing Care Is EvilPart 18 IV. Coverage: The Insurance, Underinsurance, and Uninsurance MythsChapter 19 14. In America, There Is a "Safety Net" of Government Programs Providing Health Care for the PoorChapter 20 15. People Who Work Can Afford Health InsuranceChapter 21 16. Provision of Health Insurance for Employees Has Always Been the Employer's Responsibility, and Will Continue That WayChapter 22 17. The Uninsured Get the Care They Need in Emergency RoomsChapter 23 18. No Additional Funding Is Needed to Cover the Uninsured; the Money is Available in the SystemPart 24 V. The FutureChapter 25 19. All Other Countries Provide Health Care Coverage for Everyone; We Should Be No DifferentChapter 26 20. Major Change in the American Health Care System is Impossible

Before one can make a cure, one has to get the right diagnosis. This book is an outstanding addition to the debate on fixing American healthcare with its thoughtful exposure of myths with well researched reality. It is a must read for the public, payers, physicians and policy makers.