The Healing America By T. R. Reid: Book Report

Although countries have differences within their health care systems, some differences related to historical events or contemporary cultural issues, they are similar in their efforts to create a fair health care system. But it is impossible to implement a seamlessly fair and perfect system. The market driven health care system in the United States is based on economics, which distracts health care providers from individualizing care to patients, ranking the United States poorly on health care delivery systems. In hopes to change health care, it is important to look to more successful countries but the United States believes myths that prevent change from occurring. In hopes of having a successful health care system, the United States spends the most on health care but the quality of medical treatment and success is inferior to other countries. Although other countries provide health care at a reasonable cost to their citizens, challenges are still prevalent in their system. Challenges arise when medical treatment is provided to all citizens regardless if the patient has the means to pay for their care. From a humanity perspective, health care is a basic human right, but from an economic and business perspective it is impossible to provide care to

Reid, the author explains that Americans believe numerous myths about the health care system of other countries. For example, Americans believe, “They ration care with waiting lists and limited choices” (p. 231) but in contrast to this myth, Reid proves that Germany stands at or near the top in all comparative health care studies. Because the supply of hospitals and doctors is ample, there’s no ‘queue’ for treatment; on measures such as ‘waiting time for emergency care’ and ‘waiting time for elective/non-emergency surgery,’ Germans spend less time waiting for care than Americans do. Patients can choose any doctors or hospital, and insurance must pay the bill.