Unraveling U.S. Health Care

A Personal Guide

By (author) Roberta E. Winter

Publication date:

18 July 2013

Length of book:

216 pages

Publisher

Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

ISBN-13: 9781442222977

Unraveling 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 health care reforms and implementation guidelines. Bringing all this data together, this book will serve as a resource and guide for anyone who seeks to receive better care for both everyday issues and major health concerns alike.

Introduction (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

Guaranteed 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.