The Case for Universal Health Care

by David Colton

Overview

With the exception of the United States, all developed nations provide their citizens with quality, affordable health care. And, despite its having expanded access through such programs as Medicare, Medicaid, SCHIP, and the Affordable Care Act, nearly 20 million Americans still do not have health insurance. The cost of providing care in the United States will soon be unsustainable. It surely makes sense to consider an option that ensures health care is accessible to all its citizens and is fully funded regardless of vicissitudes in the national economy. This book is a must read for anyone concerned with the failure of the current system and looking for an alternative. Colton’s proposal for universal health care is thoroughly explained including: a description of services provided how we’ll pay for it how it is organized for delivery why it will save consumers money, and how it will ensure standards for quality and clinical effectiveness. “In this incisive and comprehensive book, David Colton take on the formidable task of explaining how America’s health care system works, why it fails in terms of cost, efficiency and quality of care and why it must be reformed… an invaluable resource …” JILL QUADAGNO, Author,

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781949762068
Publisher:	Clarity Press, Incorporated
Publication date:	10/01/2019
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	4 MB

About the Author

David Colton, Ph.D., M.P.A., M.Ed., is a retired health care administrator and retired adjunct professor of health care administration at Mary Baldwin University, Staunton, VA. Dr. Colton created the Checklist for Assessing Organizational Readiness to Reduce Seclusion and Restraint, which has been adopted by a number of organizations in the U.S., Canada, and Europe. He is co-author of the textbook Designing and Constructing Instruments for Social Research and Evaluation. His research interests, publications, and conference presentations have focused on quality improvement in health care

Read an Excerpt

The United States is facing a tipping point because the spiraling cost of providing health care is unsustainable. These costs have been creeping upward year after year and now account for about 18% of annual GDP ($3.5 trillion in 2017). Attempts to stem these rising costs, through the PPACA, Medicare regulations, and even efforts by the health insurance industry have at best slowed the increases. Consequently, we may be reaching a point when employers can no longer afford to provide employer-based health insurance (despite financial penalties under the PPACA), and when health insurance cannot cover the full cost of treatment (which is happening already), requiring Medicare to cut back on coverage and raise the age of eligibility in order to remain solvent. And even these Medicare reductions may be stop-gap measures. Conservative Michael Reagan once noted health care is a privilege; the treatment we receive should be based on what we can pay for; and if we can't afford it, that's not society's problem. Without a radical change we appear to be headed toward his conservative vision.

This book proposes a different path starting from this basic premise: health care should be universal, available to everyone in this country, not only citizens, but also individuals working and studying in this country under visas and green cards, foreign visitors here on a passport, and yes, even to undocumented workers. What is proposed here is an entirely different approach to funding health care, which will ensure the system is accessible to all and fiscally stable for current and future generations.

It's not just a problem of access or cost. America provides some of the best health care in the world. We can save premature babies, cure many forms of cancer, inoculate the entire population against infection, remove a gall bladder or appendix through two tiny incisions, save a life by transporting someone to an emergency department by helicopter, and treat and cure many illnesses through use of medications. And yet, care is disorganized and disjointed: we test for illnesses when there is little evidence early diagnoses save lives, and when doctors do have electronic medical records they cannot communicate with providers outside of their computer network. And often it's downright dangerous: annually tens of thousands of individuals die of hospital borne (nosocomial) infections and medical errors (there are still cases each year of amputations of the wrong limb).

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements ix

Introduction 1

Part I The Organization and Function of the American Health Care System 17

1 Why Health and Health Care Matter 19

2 How America's Health System Works 48

3 How We Pay for Health Care 63

4 The Politics of Health Care 76

Part II Problems and Challenges Facing the American Health Care System 93

5 A Holistic Vision of Health Care Costs 95

6 Unwarranted Costs of the Present Health Care System 128

7 Too Much Costly Health Care 153

8 Universal Health Care Around the World: How Other Countries Do It 170

Part III The Case for Universal Health Care 191

9 The Plan: Universal Health Care for the United States 193

10 Improving Quality & Containing Costs 225

11 The Ethical & Moral Case for Universal Health Care 240

12 The Economic Case for Universal Health Care 252

13 Implementing the Plan: Why It's in Our Best Interests 269

Appendix 280

Endnotes 282

Editorial Reviews

"With clear and elegant prose, Colton provides a compelling case for why universal health care is a basic human right and how it can be achieved ... an invaluable resource .." Jill Quadagno, Author, One Nation Uninsured: Why the US Has No National Health Insurance

“Beginning with educational information and building a solid argument for universal health care The Case for Universal Health Care's plan seems not only feasible, but necessary." Tanisha Rule, Foreword Reviews

"“A must read for anyone concerned about America's health care system, especially those advocating for single-payor and “Medicare for All”...Highly recommended."Steven A. Mosher, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus of Health Care Administration

From the Publisher