Description
Book SynopsisUnraveling U.S. Health Care is a guidebook to the health care system that provides a timely and thorough explanation of U.S. health care, written in readable laymen's terms. Roberta Winter educates and informs general readers about useful information that will empower their health care decision making. She makes sense of important health care issues, which are often filtered with political and financial stakeholder bias, confusing the health care consumer. Useful tips, explanatory charts, and statewide scorecards are included throughout to assist readers in choosing the best care they can receive. More than ever, patients must act as consumers of health care, balancing informed decisions with available resources. Keeping this in mind, Winter also explores other options available to patients, including seeking health care outside the United States, and provides a roadmap for medical tourists to the U.S. In addition, she includes Medicare enrollment tips, and a summary of the 2010 heal
Trade ReviewGuaranteed access to basic health care continues to fuel debate across the United States. As politicians and insurance providers struggle for a workable solution, the American population continues to be divided between the insured and uninsured—the “haves” and the “have-nots.” Despite this distinction, however, all would benefit from knowing exactly what health-care options are available. Winter, an independent consultant, has successfully crafted a guide that is entirely consumer focused. Whereas Nortin M. Hadler’s Citizen Patient: Reforming Health Care for the Sake of the Patient, Not the System is an authority for health-care providers and policymakers, Winter’s work is written in a style that is understandable to the general public. It aims to educate consumers of American health care, providing relevant information and offering sound solutions, thereby reducing costs in the long run. Statistics and facts serve to debunk health-care myths; plentiful citations represent current data. The result is a well-documented road map addressing issues that range from consumers who lack health insurance to those engaging in medical tourism. Lists of suggested care units by state are consistent with the book’s consumer focus. VERDICT Highly recommended for anyone who seeks quality health care and for those who are serious about improving the current system. * Library Journal *
Unraveling U.S. Health Care affords the reader a wealth of timely and useful information with pertinent facts to back up the positions taken by the author. Roberta Winter’s contribution to the health care literature is noteworthy and will serve Americans well in facilitating a better understanding of the limitations of our system of health care as well as the opportunities we as individuals have to make it work for us. -- Aaron Liberman, Ph.D., LHRM, professor of health services administration, University of Central Florida
Roberta Winter has done a considerable public service for anyone seeking health care in America. Her book, Unraveling U.S. Health Care, provides a comprehensive, readable and extremely practical guide to all aspects of the quality and cost of health care across the country. Winter’s research is methodical, her writing is a delight to read, and the book fills a major gap for health care users in the U.S. -- Mark Henaghan, dean of University of Otago Faculty of Law, Dunedin, New Zealand
Unraveling U.S. Health Care is a valuable asset to any interested party trying to navigate our complex health care system. Roberta Winter’s thorough research and contemporary data contribute greatly to understanding the many complexities of health care delivery in the U.S. and no doubt provides a unique resource for those who are looking for answers. I was pleasantly surprised to find Winter’s tone to be relatively neutral (a rarity in this ideologically driven debate) and her writing style easy to follow and entertaining. -- Jeffrey M. Lobosky, author of It's Enough to Make You Sick
Finally, a lucid journey inside the intentionally murky world of U.S. health care... with some very bright ideas for how to make it work. Reading this book may literally save your life. -- Robert Young Pelton, author, The World's Most Dangerous Places
Table of ContentsIntroduction (Prologue) Part 1 United States Health Care Overview 1.The Truth About U.S. Health Care 2.Why U.S. Health Care is So Expensive 3.Evidence-Based Planning— What It Means and Why You Should Care 4.Quality and Cost or How the United States Compares With Other Countries Part 2 Health Care Quality—Know Where To Go 5.Quality Indicators— Best Hospitals for Patient Safety 6.Critical Care—U.S. Hospitals With Level I Trauma Centers 7.Patient Safety—Who Reports Hospital Errors Part 3 Resourcing Your Health Care 8.Surgical Tips—When You Have to Go Under the Knife 9.How to Get Medical Treatment in the United States Without Health Insurance 10.Medical Tourism—Getting Health Care Outside the United States 11.Health Care for Visitors to the United States 12.Naturopathic and Alternative Health Care in America— Who Regulates It 13.Health Care Reforms—A Consumer Perspective 14.When It’s Terminal—How to Die Well 15.What You Need to Know Before Your Medicare Election 16.Insurance 101 Part 4 Health Measures— Regional and State Results 17.Women’s Health Care—The Best and the Worst in the United States 18.Men’s Health Care—The Best and the Worst in the United States 19.Children’s Health Care—The Best and Worst in the United States 20.Strategies for Reducing the Cost of Health Care in the United States Epilogue Appendix for the Informed Health Care Purchaser Acknowledgments Bibliography
