The Reading Warehouse

Americans spend over $3 trillion annually on their health care, yet many encounter high costs, limited access to services, and uneven quality of care. A Prescription for Health Care Reform proposes a better way to make sure everyone is adequately insured.

The authors' primary recommendation is to restructure Medicaid. The creation of a new Medicare Part E would bring all of Medicaid under the umbrella of the federal government and would immediately relieve states of an annual burden of $200 billion. This shift in funding could be financed through a small payroll tax, though the authors suggest that such a tax may be unnecessary, given the possibility that costs could be offset through more efficient practices and the negotiation of lower drug prices.

Among other recommendations, the authors advocate for establishing a government program to ensure that retirees have long-term care insurance so they can afford nursing-home care if needed. They also call for the development of software to streamline the billing and payment process for insurance, thereby saving billions of dollars a year. The book concludes with many practical, well-thought-out suggestions detailing steps that will help Americans access the health care they need at a reasonable price.