Description
Book SynopsisTrade ReviewOne of Library Journal's Best Sci-Tech Books, Health Sciences category for 2009 Recommended Reading, 2011 James A. Hamilton Award, American College of Healthcare Executives "No one who comes to Taming the Beloved Beast with an open mind can deny the intellectual and ethical power of the questions he poses. He probes issues central to resolving the enormous problems and inequities--not to mention the looming financial threats--that bedevil American medical care."--Beryl Lieff Benderly, Science "While bringing insightful ethical, social, political and economic perspectives to this timely, well-documented discourse of the ballooning costs of American health care and Medicare, Callahan concentrates on the growing costs of medical technology, which, along with uncontrolled governmental healthcare spending, threaten to drag this country into financial crisis... This excellent overview of reaching the goal of universal health care is a good resource for anyone concerned with the future of health care and its economics."--Library Journal "The rising cost of health care has preoccupied policy makers and the public for decades. Callahan contends that the principal cause of rising costs lies in Americans' infatuation with new medical technologies... Callahan argues that the U.S. must rethink the goals of medical technologies and accept new limits on the availability and appropriate use of expensive medical treatments."--Choice "This book reflects the author's expertise not only as a researcher but also as a philosopher. He presents his arguments, discusses alternatives, and anticipates counterarguments, all with ample citations... [T]his book will engage readers seeking to gain insight on health care reform and cost control from the perspective of a pragmatic philosopher."--Leslie R. Pyenson, Psychiatric Services
Table of ContentsPreface ix Introduction 1 CHAPter 1: Medicare on the Ropes 10 CHAPter 2: Taming the Beloved Beast: Medical Technology 37 CHAPter 3: Getting Serious about Costs and Technology 67 CHAPter 4: Competition: The Fix That Will Fail 92 CHAPter 5: The Cohabitation of Medicine and Commerce 120 CHAPter 6: "Medical Necessity": An All-But-Useless Concept 143 CHAPter 7: Redefining "Medical Necessity": From Individual Good to Common Good 171 CHAPter 8: Getting Out from Under: The Politics of Pain 201 Coda 229 Notes 235 Index 257
