Description
Book SynopsisExplores the hidden ways in which presidents shape our destinies through their own experiences. Taking a close look at Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry S. Truman, Dwight Eisenhower, John Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson, this title shows what history can teach us as we confront the health care challenges of the twenty-first century.
Trade Review"A riveting history of health-care politics." -- Atul Gawande New Yorker "A book that sets a standard for the study of the presidency and of health policy." Congress & The Presidency "This timely and insightful book puts Barack Obama's current quest for universal health insurance in historical context and gives new meaning to the audacity of hope." -- Robert B. Reich New York Times Book Review "More than an excellent primer on American health policy, the book offers a thorough, incisive look at the presidency as an institution and the men who have occupied the office." STARRED REVIEW Publishers Weekly "A masterpiece and a valuable primer for future presidents as they wrestle with the dragon of health reform." -- Jeff Goldsmith Health Affairs
Table of ContentsPreface to the 2010 Edition
2009 Preface and Acknowledgments
introduction
1. Franklin Delano Roosevelt
The Enigmatic Angler
2. Harry S. Truman
We’ll Take the Starch Out of Them—Eventually
3. Dwight D. Eisenhower
Compassionate Conservative
4. John F. Kennedy
The Charismatic with a Stricken Father
5. Lyndon B. Johnson
The Secret History of Medicare
6. Richard Nixon
A Flower That Bloomed Only in the Dark
7. Jimmy Carter
The Righteous Engineer
8. Ronald Reagan
Socialized Medicine and the Working Stiff
9. George Herbert Walker Bush
Stick to the Running Game
10. Bill Clinton
Kicking the Can Down the Road
11. George W. Bush
Bring It On—Reforming Medicare
Conclusion
Eight Rules for the Heart of Power
Notes
Index
