First published 2004
Donald L. Barlett and James B. Steele turn their investigative lens on American healthcare and find a system in crisis. The Pulitzer Prize winning journalists document how the United States spends more on medical care than any other country while delivering worse outcomes and shorter lifespans. They reveal unsanitary conditions in medical facilities, insurance executives earning millions by refusing patient care, and over 100 million Americans lacking proper coverage. The authors interview doctors who face constant interference from insurers, nurses who witness hospital failures, and patients harmed by the institutions meant to heal them. They trace how pharmaceutical companies market drugs like consumer products while Wall Street profits from building and dismantling healthcare businesses. Politicians pass laws that benefit corporate donors rather than citizens, perpetuating fraud throughout the industry. Through detailed analysis of this dysfunctional system, Barlett and Steele demonstrate how America created a healthcare crisis that resembles problems in developing nations despite massive spending, and they propose solutions to restore the system's original purpose of caring for people.
Genres: business, american, non-fiction, health, journalism, academic
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: investigative-journalism, social-commentary
288 pages · Hardcover · Doubleday
Content warnings: medical-trauma